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Name: Hamish Cranston
Age: 20
College / University: Monash University
Major: Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering and Physics
Country origin: Australia
What did you do in high school to prepare you for this major? Tell us about your extracurricular activities and any honors/awards you received while preparing for university.
I focused mainly on STEM-based subjects in high school, such as physics and mathematics, but I also balanced this by studying French and English. I worked hard to succeed in my exams and get into university, but I also participated in cocurricular activities related to STEM. This was really important as it helped me figure out what I wanted to do at university! I had the opportunity to create solar-powered boats and participate in various extracurricular competitions. I was lucky enough to receive several academic achievement awards from my school, as well as a STEM award from the Australian Defence Force. This cemented my enthusiasm for STEM and confirmed what I wanted to study at university.
Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university.
Life at university can get very busy but is also really rewarding. Usually, I have about 20 hours of classes spread over 2-4 days at university. As I study a double degree, this is a mix of physics, electrical engineering, and maths classes. I try to dedicate time to study between classes and on weekends.
For two days of the week, I work as an intern service engineer at a medical company. This allows me to apply my skills from university.
In the rest of my time, I am a co-lead of the science subteam at Monash Nova Rover. This involves meeting regularly with my team, fabricating things in our workshop, and conducting management and outreach activities. This means that some days at university can be really long!
How do you manage your stress? What's the secret?
I like to manage stress by balancing my commitments with activities I love doing. I enjoy dedicating time on weekends and holidays to go hiking with my friends. I also cycle to university regularly, which gives me downtime during the week! I believe it's really key to find aspects of your field of study that excite you. This really motivates me to do the work and reduces procrastination – which decreases stress. Aside from that, time management is also really key!
What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major?
My best advice is to try and get an idea of what your chosen STEM major is like before you enroll in university. If you can engage in extracurricular activities, gain work experience, or even just talk to someone, it will give you a much better idea of whether the major is right for you. Having this experience can also help a lot when you get into university!
What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major?
If you are able to, you should see if you can do subjects at school that can be credited at university. I did specialist maths (what advanced mathematics is called in Victoria), and this meant I could credit it towards a first-year maths unit. As a result, I had more choice in what I could study later on. Aside from this, the most important things when applying for university (at least in Australia) are studying the right prerequisite subjects and achieving the relevant entry scores. I would also say, keep an open mind about what you want to study and be willing to try new things.
If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link?
Yes – check out my student team https://www.novarover.space/ or on Instagram @monashnovarover
Thank you to Hamish Cranston!
You can also follow us on Instagram
Instagram:@askstem
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