Monash University, Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering, Yiyou Zhang

Name: Yiyou Zhang

Age: 21

College / University: Monash University

Major: Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering

Country origin: China

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.

Although I was able to graduate high school with very satisfactory scores, I wish I had focused more on engineering-related extracurricular activities instead of solely on academics.

If I were a high school student again, I would tell myself to begin learning 3D printing, from which you can learn a lot about design, mechanical, and structural engineering. There is an abundance of 3D-printing-related tutorials and guides online nowadays; it would be very easy to start.

I would also tell myself to learn about electrical circuits and fundamental Python/C coding. Websites like hackaday.io and Instructables have so many great projects shared by others. Following along (and making mistakes too!) would be very beneficial to learning all the things related to that project.

Hands-on experiences are very valuable; hence, I greatly advocate diving into a project and just having a go at it! No matter the outcome of that project, the learning from the journey is priceless.

Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university.

The university workload takes up most of my time, which is the same for almost all other electrical engineering students aiming to achieve high marks. Nonetheless, there is still a decent amount of time left that I use to work on Nova Rover (focused on designing Mars and Lunar rovers) and personal projects. I spend my free time on sports and exercise, as well as socializing with friends.

How do you manage your stress? What's the secret?

My secret is to just face your stress. There can be times when you have a lot going on, but just keep working through it. Believe in yourself. Life moves on, and you will overcome your difficulties one way or another.

What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major?

Apart from my previous suggestions (3D printing, electronics, basic coding), be brave and explorative! Observe all the details in life, and at times, you will find something that can be changed or invented to improve people's way of living! I believe that is the meaning of being an engineer.

What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major?

For Australian universities, the most important factor would be your high school graduation scores. However, any other extracurricular activities related to engineering would significantly help you when applying for groups such as student teams (like Nova Rover), where you can learn a lot of knowledge and skills not taught in classes.

If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link?

For STEM projects by others that may interest you, visit these websites:

Hackaday.io

Instructables

Thank you to Yiyou Zhang!

You can also follow us on Instagram

Instagram:@askstem