5 Tips for Making it through First Year Engineering

1. Study smart, not hard

Probably the biggest factor you will face is the sheer amount of work involved. I believe that the difficult
bridging step from school to university is the same as the step between grades at school. There is,
however, a lot more to get through. Think – your last three years of Physics squashed into three-months’-
worth type of a lot. So you need to become efficient. Focus on what is relevant to the course – take a
look at past tests and exams and see the type of questions lecturers like to ask. Do not spend days trying
to study something that constitutes a miniscule portion of marks and have no time for that massive
section that counts for half the marks. Plan these things to maximise your time in terms of results. Study
smart, not hard.

2. Find your learning type

One of the things Engineering really tests is your ability to learn. There is a huge amount of information to
digest. So make sure you know how to learn. Every person learns in different manners – some learn by
writing the data down (lucky!) whilst some need to hear it, some need to be fiddling whilst others need
external stimuli (smell or sound).
If you learn best by listening for example, record yourself talking your notes through and play them back
to yourself. There is a whole field surrounding the psychology of learning – put some effort into finding
your learning type and save yourself the frustration. We are all different, so what works for your friends
may not work for you.

3. Understand, understand, understand

Once you know how to learn best for you, remember the mantra “understand, understand then finally,
understand.” Typically at university a lecturer will teach you a concept, often with a simple example. But
then, BOOM, in your test you are expected to solve a three-page analysis of majorly complex
proportions, which somehow relates back to this concept. Many people struggle in Engineering because
they do not take the time to understand concepts right at the root. Essentially, by understanding, you will
be able to successfully apply this to a problem, which at its core, is Engineering in a nutshell.

4. Practice makes perfect

Once you have understood, it is time to pin up the self-discipline badge and get your practice on. Another
major shift in university is that there is no teacher hovering over your shoulder to make sure that, yes,
you do all fifty-nine exercises. In your first year of Engineering you will typically be doing maths and the
sciences. These are subjects that require practice and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Not doing
sufficient practice (or just not at all) is probably the biggest reason for failure in first year Engineering. The
temptation is big – I could be at the beach; I could be with my friends; I could… I know this is exactly what
you do not want to hear but Engineering does require a little more dedication time-wise than some other
degrees (but not all of your time).

5. Chill out, dude

Having said that, take a chill-out every now and again and do not be too hard on yourself. A good way to
think of it is to ask yourself whether taking this break will make you more productive when you get back.
For example, if it is past midnight and you have read the same sentence nine times, would having a few
hours of sleep make you able to get past that sentence? Probably. If you have a bad week, are feeling
behind and generally things haven’t been great, don’t be too hard on yourself. Prioritise, be grateful for
the time you have been more relaxed and move forward.
Engineering can be tough and it can be pretty exciting. But the going gets easier after your first year, so
remember – if you can make it through first year you have this thing down!