Starting university in the middle of a pandemic was far from the typical university life experience. What with all the sleeping in 8 am zoom classes and submitting assignments on Canvas two minutes before the deadline, with on campus events being canceled, there was not much to balance academics life with. Here’s a list of the things I wish I’d known in my freshman year, pandemic or not: 

1. Make use of the peer tutoring offered by the CTL. Seriously, you think you’ll be just fine compiling notes and resources like you did in high school but trust me, gone are the days when you only needed to do the bare minimum to ace a class. By making use of peer tutoring you not only will save an infinite amount of time in understanding concepts but you will also gain some valuable advice on how to best perform in a particular professor’s class, especially if the tutor has previously taken that class with your professor.
2. Get to know your seniors. It’ll go a VERY long way in saving your degree. Whether they help by giving you their notes, advising you on which professor might suit you better or just being a friend who can help you navigate and balance university life just a little better.
3. Talk to people and make friends. University is NOT a one-man job and you’ll need all the help and support that you can possibly get. Attending events is a great way to get know different people and socialize. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your peers, either in person or through social media!
4. Go to office hours. Even if you think you’ve understood everything the professors taught, always, always make use of these. Talk to your professors about what they’re looking for when grading your papers (especially English!) and what kind of exam problems they like to give and show them that you’re committed to their class and want to learn. Not only might this just be the difference between an A and a B, but you’ll be able to get great references out of them too!
5. Learn to manage your time. It’s cliché for a reason. Get things done as soon as they’re assigned to the best of your ability because if you leave things last minute, they’re only going to pile up and leave you totally stressed and overwhelmed.
6. Keep a look out for opportunities. Whether its joining a student club or attending the CTL’s courses or even getting involved with research with a professor, when an opportunity knocks on your door OPEN IT! Do as much as you can to build your CV in your earlier university years when you still have time. Your future self will thank you for it!

University might just be one of the best times in your life but if you fail to learn from the mistakes of your seniors it could also be one of the toughest. Navigating university as a high school graduate is, undoubtedly, a challenging task but it opens up doors that you never thought it could if you keep on the lookout for such opportunities that make you both a better person and a more competent engineer in the future!

Wardah Shan,

Chemical Engineering ’24