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Name: Kimberly Age: 27 College / University: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Major: Biomedical Engineering Country origin: USA 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. My high school experience was generally pretty well-rounded with a focus on what I was most passionate about! I had a pretty full course load with more AP classes later on in high school, and I emphasized courses in math and science. I played on the tennis team and also played oboe in the concert band and orchestra. I volunteered in a few organizations with younger students, as outreach has always been a passion of mine. I was also involved in more academic organizations like honor societies. I sought out leadership positions when possible and generally tried to put my best foot forward across all aspects of high school including both academics and extracurriculars. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. As an undergrad, I did a double major in mechanical and biomedical engineering. My life was quite full, with rigorous academics but also a number of extracurriculars and social activities. It was challenging, and time management was critical, but I had an incredible experience and learned so much that set me up for both life and my career afterwards. I am now pursuing my PhD in a biomedical engineering program at MIT. As a PhD student, my school life is now much more focused on research- including designing/conducting experiments, data analysis, publication writing, fellowship writing, and ultimately completion of my dissertation. I similarly put forth effort to maintain a balanced life though and outside of lab, I play volleyball, make pottery, volunteer with different science outreach organizations, and enjoy time with friends and my kitty. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Ultimately everyone has to figure out their own inner scaffold for stress management, and truthfully I am still working on building my own. Some things that help me are detailed to do lists and calendar structure so that I don't have to remember everything, ensuring I maintain focus during times of work and then give myself freedom during non-work times, and finding outlets for creativity and movement that are fun and restful. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? My advice would be to seek out opportunities to explore this field and gain experience outside of coursework alone. Coursework is great, but real work experience like research, internships, extracurricular projects will really help you excel and apply the skills you learn in class! What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? My personal opinion is that the essays are super important for both undergraduate and graduate school applications. Do your best to tell a story and paint a picture for the admissions committee about who you are, how you got here, who you want to be, and why. Thank you to Kimberly! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Jayla Kwok Age: 18 College / University: Imperial College London Major: Biomedical Engineering Country origin: Hong Kong(moved to the UK at 13) 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. From an early age, I knew I loved neurotechnology. I participate in different MOOCs to fill any knowledge gaps I had. I also loved leadership activities and was one of the school monitors and house monitors at my previous school. I participated in various clubs, including the Prep Science Club, where I taught kids science, and the Residence Home Club, where I helped patients with dementia. I was also part of the Young Enterprise program, where I served as the managing director of the company, which won the Best Company of the Year award. Additionally, I was part of the athletics team and helped organise culture connect events. I took part in several science competitions, and my team won multiple awards for using chitin to create biodegradable plastic. In the Cambridge Engineering competition, my teammate and I earned the runners-up position. I attended as many talks as I could, one of which was given by Brian Cox. I was really into physics at the time, and I even wanted to become a time traveler. I was passionate about the idea of time travel and was fascinated by an article that discussed time traveling with your consciousness. Over time, my focus shifted to neurotechnology. I also tried to network as much as possible with industry professionals. I tried to get as much work experience as I could, but if not, that's okay too—there are many other ways to show passion. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. It's definitely not quiet at all! My days are usually packed from 9 to 6, filled with lectures, tutorials, labs, extra credit modules, and societies. I'm currently involved in both the Neurotech Society and the Entrepreneurs Society, where I serve as a committee member for both. My goal is to become an entrepreneur in neurotech. To relax, I like to go to spin classes or Pilates. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? The key to managing stress is maintaining a balanced life. You can't drown yourself in work all the time—it will actually be worse for you in the long run. Whether it's going out for a walk or just talking to a friend, it's essential to take regular breaks. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Never give up. Don't let a bad grade bring you down. I've had many bad grades, and I don't mean like a 60%, I mean a 30%. You need to find the best study techniques for yourself, as every subject is different. Have really good planning with what you want to do. Use an organising app like Notion to track your tasks. It's okay not to know exactly what you want to do, but you should always have a goal in life. It's also okay to fail—if you don't, you never learn. What matters is how you get back up. Get involved as much as you can. Sometimes, if you want something like an internship or work experience, all you need to do is reach out and ask. You'd be surprised how far that can get you. Most importantly, don't forget to take breaks, have fun, and enjoy it all. This is your one chance at living—don't waste it. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? The UK is different from the US—we focus more on academics. So, if you're applying to a UK university, it's crucial to take as many courses as possible, read extensively, and engage in academic-related work in your chosen field. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Go follow @icl_neurotech Thank you to Jayla Kwok! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Mietta Levingston Age: 21 College / University: Monash University Major: Mechanical Engineering / Economics 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. During high school, I studied English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, French, and English Literature, as these subjects closely aligned with my goal of pursuing an engineering major. These subjects provided the essential foundation and prerequisites for admission into my double degree. Over the years, I received a few awards for academic excellence, and I also graduated as the top of my chemistry class in my final year of school. I also enjoyed playing sports and participated in several sports teams throughout my years in high school. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. On average, I spend two days per week attending classes on campus, and a third day in the library working on pre-class work, assignments, or studying for tests and exams. I usually meet my friends for lunch before or after class. As class times can vary significantly and can fall anywhere between 8 am and 8 pm, this sometimes means that my days on campus are very long. As I am a member of a student team, I also attend meetings to discuss our projects and do testing in our workshop when I am on campus. I also work two jobs during the rest of the week. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I try to stay as organised as possible and keep notes on everything. This can be difficult, but I find that if I spend just 5 minutes per day working on scheduling and setting up tasks, it ultimately saves me a lot of time. I also ensure that I get enough sleep and never stay up late studying. Finally, I always make sure to remind myself that I am doing my best! Even though university is stressful at times, I am really lucky to be able to pursue a career in a field I enjoy so much. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? For a career in engineering, having a strong foundation in practical physics and maths is essential, so study these subjects during school if you can. Equally important, yet often overlooked, are communication skills, which are a common trait of successful engineers. Engaging in extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, or teams that align with your personal interests will not only help you develop teamwork and interpersonal skills but will also make your school experience more enjoyable. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? For me, it was important to study English, maths, and physics in my final years of high school and earn sufficient marks to be accepted into my course. However, every university is different, so I would recommend reading the information provided by the universities you are interested in and ensuring you can meet any requirements they have. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Monash Nova Rover Thank you to Mietta Levingston! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

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

Name: Tash Age: 20 College / University: Monash University Major: Mechatronics / Maths 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 locked in for specialist maths, methods, chemistry, and physics. I also had a small part in the school musical to force my brain to take breaks and to get some fun exercise. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I spend 4-5 days a week on campus attending mechanical, electrical, maths, and science classes. I usually end up having at least lunch or dinner between classes. On weekends, I work in retail and enjoy bouldering and playing video games. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Schedule other things to break up workloads. That could be a shift at work, something social, some time to play games, or exercise, etc. Just forcing yourself not to get too bogged down in any one commitment. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Look at prerequisites and think about how much you enjoy those subjects. Go to open days and talk to people! What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Applying myself in physics and maths to really understand concepts and push myself, as well as taking earlier classes like 'digitech' and other small robotics workshops. Thank you to Tash! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Hamish Cranston Age: 20 College / University: Monash University Major: Electrical / Computer Systems Engineering / 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

Name: Reem El Machtoub Age: 20 College / University: Monash University Major: Software Engineering 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. Attending career sessions and talking with teachers was a big help when preparing for engineering. Their advice helped guide and prepare me for starting this degree. Moreover, focusing on school units related to what I would pursue at university, while participating in various extracurricular activities-from athletic sports like swimming to more academic engineering club activities-helped me explore my interests while staying active. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. My day-to-day is a mix of attending classes and making time for myself, whether that’s spending time with friends, cooking or cleaning, or staying active by running or going to the gym. I try to balance my studies with these activities, and I find that this helps me stay focused in the long run. I also set aside time to contribute to the clubs and student teams I’m a part of, and I find this a great way to be involved in university life. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I manage stress by having outlets outside of university that I can rely on, such as spending time with friends, going to the gym or doing a social sport, and taking time to care for myself by cooking or cleaning. All of these activities provide a productive routine that helps me release stress and stay active. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? This may be cliché, but you can truly study anything you set your mind to. Although different people may have different methods, I find that making a good plan-whether it's study-related or more general-can help you achieve this by breaking it down into smaller, achievable steps. Engineering requires effort and time management, but it’s worth it in the long run, and I’ve found it to be a fun journey so far. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? While it is helpful to have undertaken science subjects such as math, physics, and so on, these aren't everything in an application. Having some social or active extracurriculars in your application goes a long way. These extracurriculars serve to showcase more of your personality and demonstrate that you are a team player, ready to dive into the team-oriented field of engineering. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? I have found the Engineers Australia website to be extremely useful as it provides the latest engineering news, free webinars on a broad range of topics, networking opportunities, events, and so much more! Engineers Australia Thank you to Reem El Machtoub! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Yesha Tesoro Age: 20 College / University: Monash University Major: Biomedical Engineering 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 undertook maths and all the sciences in my high school, conducted my own experiments, and wrote up papers to help me prepare for this major! Some of the extracurricular activities I did included being part of my school’s leadership team and student council, where I got the chance to work side by side with students, teachers, and our principals. I was also part of my school’s orchestra, where I played the violin and participated in concerts held by our school! I was a music leader, so I helped teach students how to play and assisted with the setup and packing up of concert items. Some awards I received while preparing for uni included a community leader's award for volunteer work outside of school, where I worked with young families, and a top in Spanish award! Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. My day usually depends on how many classes I have that day. If I only have one or two classes, I often go to work afterward and then study and catch up on assignments and lectures. If I have a really busy day and my classes span the whole day, during breaks I usually try to get ahead by reading content in advance or sometimes catch up with friends and eat together. But at the end of the day, I like to work out and do Pilates! How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Stress is something I always struggle with, hahaha. Allocating some time aside to pursue hobbies is definitely a great way to de-stress because it helps keep your mind at peace! I also try not to fall behind in my classes, do extra questions and ask for help so that when exam season comes, I’m not as stressed as I could be. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? My advice is to really ask yourself if this is what you want to do (not to sound scary or anything, LOL), but engineering in general is a very tough yet rewarding degree. If you aren’t 100% into it, it will be hard to stay motivated along the way. But if this is what you want to do, then my advice is to go for it! Biomedical engineering is a wonderful field that combines both medicine and engineering to help our society :)) What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Getting good academic grades was the number one reason why I was able to get into this university and into engineering, but I feel like the skills I’ve learned from my extracurricular activities helped me create friendships and good connections in uni! If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? MYMI This is one of the student clubs at Monash that focuses on biomedical engineering. Thank you to Yesha Tesoro! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Chandler Stevenson Age: 21 College / University: Brown University Major: Electrical Engineering / Philosophy Country origin: United States 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 really only knew that I wanted to pursue electrical engineering after my junior year AP Physics class. From a young age, I've always had an interest in figuring out how things work, and in high school, I think I was still connecting the dots on what exactly I was interested in. At the time, I was participating in activities such as Speech and Debate and Mock Trial but also engaging in a wide range of other activities such as marching band, varsity lacrosse, and playing in state youth wind ensembles. I think the biggest part of any major is curiosity, and I believe putting myself in all of these activities definitely made me more inquisitive and analytical. Unfortunately, I never really had the time to commit to our school's robotics team due to the long hours, but I did find the time to make at-home Arduino projects and taught myself how to code. Sometimes I would look up a random topic in physics and try to teach it to myself. I received awards from Speech and Debate as well as Mock Trial, but I also received awards for excellence in the classroom both in physics and for my wind ensemble. More notably, I was the 2021 recipient of the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship in my senior year of high school, which is a $40k scholarship towards any US academic institution. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I try to get up around 8 a.m. to get a somewhat early start to my day. This year I mostly had classes in the afternoon, so I used my mornings to plan out my day. I strongly recommend using a planner to stay on top of meetings, assignments, and events at school. I also use my mornings to do lighter assignments: tasks that would take me around an hour each to complete. I try to avoid difficult problem sets at this early time as I'm still waking up a bit and wouldn't want to make any silly mistakes. Since I'm also co-president of Brown Space Engineering , I also use this morning block to check my emails and stay up to date on any updates from members and/or potential sponsors. After my morning block, I'll grab a quick meal and go to class and make sure to take notes. If I don't get good notes because perhaps the pace was too quick or I couldn't catch the drawing of a diagram, I'll use the time right after the class to organize my notes. In any case, it's usually a good idea to revisit your notes frequently after you take them. It's at this time that I'll head to a library for a few hours before dinner to begin medium tasks that might take a bit longer to accomplish. I'll eat dinner with friends (eating at least one meal a day with friends is important to me) and head to the library for deep and longer tasks. This could be everything from coding for my research to working on my part of a project (as a senior in college, you may have more projects than not, especially in engineering). I usually try to set a stop time of around 12 a.m., but if I feel productive, I'll keep going and adjust my schedule the next day accordingly. Sleep is important! How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I wouldn't say there's a secret that applies to everyone, but often stress related to school is less about actually doing work and more about thinking about getting the work done. When you have a large assignment, it can be so stressful just looking at what you have to do. The best way that I overcome this is by using a platform like Notion, to chunk out parts of the assignment into a section of my Notion where I have labels of 'not started,' 'in progress,' and 'completed.' Additionally, listening to your body is so important. Get up from your desk and stretch every now and then. Get good sleep. Try to get in a solid workout at least three times a day. As much as you may want to, no one can just sit down and work 24/7. Find pockets of time to catch up with friends and find a balance in your academic plan. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? I would say don't be intimidated by it. I'm a teaching assistant for one of our more advanced introductory classes, so I interact with a lot of first-years going into engineering. Sure, engineering of any kind may be difficult, but so are a lot of things in life. I regard my engineering degree as one of the most transformative and rewarding things I've done in my life. On the other hand, I would also say keep an open mind. Stay curious and don't ever be satisfied with the status quo. Keep studying hard in your high school classes and get in the habit of not being afraid of asking questions. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Just being yourself! Once you have decent grades and test scores, the rest is showing off your best self. I strongly recommend applicants to get involved in their school in any way, shape, or form because admissions officers love to see when you're involved not only in your schoolwork but also in your community and other extracurricular activities. There is not a one-size-fits-all kind of approach to admissions, so find something that you can really excel at and pursue it relentlessly. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? If you're ever curious about what people in engineering do, I recommend just browsing on LinkedIn. I made my account around the time of admissions and may have even linked it in my application. Don't sweat it if you don't have one, but it definitely is a good tool to get a feel for what people do in the field. Thank you to Chandler Stevenson! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: Megan Robinson Age: 22 College / University: Monash University Major: Aerospace Engineering 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. In high school, I really focused on building a solid foundation for engineering because I was always drawn to problem-solving and understanding how things work. In my first year of high school, I started attending final-year physics lectures. I didn’t always understand everything at first, but I loved the idea of pushing myself to learn more—it definitely deepened my interest in engineering and made me want to keep going. Around the same time, I also started teaching myself how to code, which I found challenging but loved for its problem-solving aspect and the opportunity to learn independently. In my final years of high school, I was also part of a three-year university program, which gave me early exposure to university-level material and helped me feel more comfortable tackling advanced topics, as well as adapting to the different teaching methods at university compared to high school. Outside of class, I got involved in a variety of extracurricular activities that really helped me enjoy what I was learning in the classroom. One of the highlights was presenting my work at an International Science Fair in Thailand, which was such a cool experience and taught me how to communicate technical ideas confidently. I also competed in an International Particle Physics competition, where my team made it to the finals. These opportunities showed me how exciting STEM could be beyond the classroom. I also chose highly STEM-related subjects in my final years of high school, including physics, chemistry, and two different maths subjects, which definitely made the transition into engineering at university a lot smoother. Looking back, I would say it was a mix of independent learning, challenging myself academically, and getting involved in hands-on projects that really set me up for pursuing what I love. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I like to wake up early because I find that I study best in the mornings, so I often start my day with some pre-reading before heading to campus. Most days, I spend around 10 hours on campus—attending classes or working with my student team, Monash High Powered Rocketry . Whether we are brainstorming new designs, writing technical reports, or manufacturing parts, it is one of the most rewarding parts of my day and makes me appreciate how cool my degree actually is. In the evenings, I balance my studies and team commitments with soccer training, futsal, or a run to stay active and clear my mind. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I manage stress by taking regular study breaks and meeting up with my friends for a coffee and a walk on campus. I also avoid doing university work late at night; instead, I prefer to exercise in the evenings, whether it’s soccer, futsal, or just staying active. Being part of Monash High Powered Rocketry is incredibly helpful too—the friends I’ve made here are in the same boat as me, and we’re really supportive of each other. We work through challenges together, and having that kind of teamwork and understanding makes such a difference. I’m really lucky to have such supportive friends and family outside of university, who help me relax and keep everything in perspective. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Getting involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible is honestly one of the best things you can do. It’s not just about making your application look good—it genuinely keeps you motivated and excited about what you’re learning. For someone studying aerospace engineering, I can’t emphasise enough how joining clubs or teams related to STEM can show you how the concepts you learn in class (like physics or maths principles) play out in the real world. Whether it’s a rocketry team, a robotics competition, or a coding club, these hands-on experiences allow you to see theory in action and help bridge the gap between what you’re learning and how you can apply it. There is also so much more to engineering than just technical knowledge. You’ll develop important skills like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, which are essential for any career, but especially in a multidisciplinary field like engineering. Working as part of a team on these projects gives you an appreciation for how diverse skill sets come together to create incredible things. You’ll also have the chance to become comfortable with clear communication—whether it’s pitching an idea, presenting results, or problem-solving when things don’t work out the first time. And unlike high school, university gives you the freedom to be much more independent in your learning. You’ll be expected to take ownership of your studies—self-driven research, managing your schedule, and finding ways to apply concepts without always being told what to do. The combination of independent learning and hands-on teamwork will truly help you grow as both a student and a future engineer. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? When applying to my college and course, having a strong foundation in prerequisite subjects like maths and physics from high school was essential. However, beyond meeting the entry requirements, what really sets you apart—especially when applying for additional opportunities within the engineering cohort—is showcasing projects you have worked on outside the classroom. These extracurricular projects demonstrate your passion and eagerness to do more than just earn a degree. Being able to talk about my experience designing experimental sounding rockets through Monash High Powered Rocketry, as well as my background in software development, has helped me participate in networking events and industry nights, which play a key role in securing a graduate role. Engaging in hands-on work, taking part in team-led design challenges, or pursuing independent technical interests not only helps you stand out but also provides practical skills and experience that are incredibly valuable throughout university. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Website: https://www.monashhpr.com/ LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/monashhpr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monashhpr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monash.hpr/ X: https://twitter.com/monashhpr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@monashhpr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monashhpr Thank you to Megan Robinson! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem