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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.official

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.official

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.official

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.official

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.official

Name: Pari Raghunarayan Age: 20 College / University: University of Texas at Austin Major: Physics 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 worked with a dark matter research group at Columbia University to learn computational skills and create simulations for proving theoretical models. I interned with a defense company, working on optical systems for aerospace and aircraft use. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I like balance! I spend my mornings working out and setting my intentions for the day. Late mornings to afternoons are dedicated to classes and research commitments, which can sometimes extend into the evenings, depending on homework assignments and lab experiments. I usually spend my evenings with friends and like to wrap up the day by playing sports or reviewing work (only if necessary). How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Time management and to-do lists are essential. Organization and avoiding procrastination are key-but it's easier said than done. I like to split my tasks and make lists. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Don't let physics intimidate you! The field has a reputation for being difficult, but if you make friends, learn to collaborate, and tackle issues head-on, it can be wonderful. Most people experience imposter syndrome in their careers, so don't let that discourage you. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Demonstrating that you have experience and passion beyond the academic curriculum. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Follow my org: https://sites.utexas.edu/sps/ Thank you to Pari Raghunarayan! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram:@askstem.official

Name: Emma Age: 19 College / University: The University of New South Wales Major: Computer Science Country origin: Australia "Evening Glow" by Linh Rom is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 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 didn't really do anything in high school as there weren't many opportunities. USYD and UNSW often had programs for high school students, so I would attend those. I also did Software Design and Development in high school as a subject! Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. Hmm, it's really just work-study-sleep, repeat-I can't lie. It's not much different from high school, and I often find myself at university for long periods (like the whole day from 9 a.m. to like 7 p.m., though a lot of it is eating and 'studying' with friends). How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Good supporting friends! Everyone at university is really supportive, and finding your own group of people who do your degree, understand the same pain and stress, and work through it together is key to managing it all. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Enjoy high school! University is very different from high school, but you're young and should enjoy your high school life instead of dwelling too much on degrees and majors. Computer science is a hard degree and discipline, but you can do it! Slow and steady wins the race. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Making sure you actually enjoy the major or degree by trying some projects and learning some content prior to enrolling is important. Extracurricular activities were really helpful for me personally. Thank you to Emma! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram:@askstem.official

Name: Lisa Lin Age: 19 College / University: The University of New South Wales Major: Computer Science / 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 my final two years of high school, preparing for the HSC, I chose to study economics. Honestly, at the time, I disliked it as it was content-heavy and very nuanced. But in retrospect, I enjoyed how the subject was a labour of love and the satisfaction I received from understanding the topic as well as the world around us on a more macro level. In terms of computer science, I did little to prepare and, during the summer before the course, looked up free computer courses online to complete to feel more prepared. However, I never ended up completing any of these online courses before the commencement of university. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I don't believe my daily schedule is particularly different from any other university student. Typically, my schedule revolves around Wednesday with economics tutorials (where the lecture material is reviewed and weekly problems are solved in depth) in the mornings and computer science tutorials and labs (a session to complete weekly problems and mark them off) in the afternoon. The majority of my work is completed on weekends and centred around a lot of late nights due to unfortunate procrastination. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I don't believe there is a particular secret to managing all the stress, honestly. I think the mentality is to take it one step at a time and acknowledge your small achievements. In a quickly growing space such as technology, it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost in comparing yourself to your peers and other high achievers. However, I've learnt the hard way that this more often stunts your growth and progress rather than fosters it. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Be consistent and diligent. I think the most important part of being a computer science student / major is the consistent willingness to learn and apply yourself. As with the continually evolving technological industry, you need to stay up to date and keep moving forward in terms of your skills and progress. :) What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Unfortunately, I did not have any extracurricular activities relevant to computer science in high school, nor were there any particular requirements needed from my university. Thank you to Lisa Lin! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram:@askstem.official

Name: Aaron Tian Age: 20 College / University: The University of New South Wales Major: Computer Science Country origin: Australia "UNSW Quadrangle" by Sidneiensis is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 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 did some Python coding and participated in robotics competitions. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I wake up, go to uni or study at home, eat, play games, and then sleep. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I manage stress by chilling with friends. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Practise a lot of coding beforehand. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Maths knowledge and having an interest in the field really helped. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Instagram: csesoc_unsw Thank you to Aaron Tian! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram:@askstem.official

Name: Eric Age: 19 College / University: The University of New South Wales Major: Computer Science / Statistics 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. I did English, Maths Extension 2 (highest level), Chemistry, and Physics. I was the DUX of my school (highest ATAR) and also got a piano AMusA diploma. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I wake up, go to uni, do my classes, study in the free time, go to gym in the evening, and sometimes go out drinking with friends at night. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Hanging out with friends and hobbies like basketball and reading. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Make sure to have a passion for solving problems and having logical thinking. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Honestly, just studying for a high ATAR. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Neetcode.io Thank you to Eric! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram:@askstem.official

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.official

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.official