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Name: Daniel Lam Age: 19 College / University: The University of Texas at Austin Major: Computer Science 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 didn't spend much time on extracurriculars during high school, as I had family troubles from grades 9 to 10. What made me stand out was the fact that I tried as hard as I could during my senior year. I was a part of my computer science club, joined my high school hackathon, and got the rare opportunity to intern for Lockheed Martin in the Fort Worth location in Texas during my time in high school. Despite not having the ideal extracurriculars, I worked harder than most to show that I was willing to put in the work for computer science with the hurdles that life had thrown at me. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. I wake up at 9 AM and work all day, ending around 1 AM. As many know, computer science is not an easy major, with the rigorous grind of schoolwork and the constant competition in the job market. I'm constantly working both during and outside of my classes. Keeping up with SBI, my schoolwork, and personal coding projects can be challenging. Despite that, I always make time for myself every day. I'm never in my dorm and always out doing something. I enjoy spending time with friends, studying with my classmates, and, most importantly, struggling together to build a better sense of community. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Always set aside time for yourself; constantly grinding through schoolwork can build up stress over time. This will not only make you feel more overwhelmed but can also affect your grades and personal drive. I enjoy treating myself as often as I can to stay balanced. This could be getting a sweet treat with a friend, watching my favorite shows after a long study session, or even sleeping in a little to catch up on rest after a late-night study session for a big exam. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? What I regret the most in high school was not spending my time wisely. Once you get into college, you don’t realize how much free time you had during high school. I’m not saying you should always be on the grind, but don’t spend your whole day playing games. Even for an hour, take the time to explore what truly interests you in computer science and discover what drives you to work hard. Maybe you want to create games, build the biggest AI company, or program robots that can take over the world. Whatever it is, once you find that motivation, you won’t forget it after high school. It will stay with you—especially on those late nights when you’re stressed about an exam that makes up 90% of your grade. This drive will be the key difference between those who make an impact and those who struggle the most. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? What was most helpful was showcasing the exact reason why you want to pursue Computer Science. This could be writing your essay about your drive to change the world, how programming may have been your escape from reality, or simply the joy of creating something out of nothing. Whatever it is, colleges would much rather choose someone genuinely interested in learning and who dives deep into computer science, rather than someone who just wants to do it for the money. For extracurriculars, I’d recommend joining any robotics or CS club, seeking research opportunities at your local college, and building projects to put on your college resume. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? https://www.instagram.com/baxate_carter/ Thank you to Daniel Lam! 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: Stephen Smith Age: 22 College / University: The University of Texas at Austin Major: Architectural Engineering 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. High school for me was spent focusing on two things—math classes and marching band. I was fortunate enough to be placed in an accelerated math program, which led to me taking differential equations and linear algebra in my senior year. My teachers were exceptional and laid a strong foundation for how I understood the material moving forward. In the marching band, I eventually became a captain of the drumline. While not directly related to the STEM field I'm in, I believe having some form of creative outlet is crucial for maintaining strong problem-solving skills. Really, that's what engineering is at its heart—the study of problem-solving. Training yourself to think in other disciplines helps you gain perspective, which is critical later in life. Additionally, it taught me how to work in a team, another important skill for an engineer. In the construction industry, you will never work alone after leaving school. As a result, learning how to integrate into a team was very helpful. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. It varies quite a bit. On some days, I'm here until quite late, working on one of several design projects—either for class or competition—and on others, I'm done by 11 a.m. Generally, the workload is very manageable. It’s nice that most of the work I have now is project-based, which allows for more self-paced or group-paced deadlines. Compared to other majors, I would consider myself to have fewer labs. I usually have 3–4 lecture classes and 0–1 design studio(s) per semester. When I'm not in class, I'm usually found working either in our org ( Architectural Engineering Institute ) office or running around doing errands for the org. I'm very involved with my department by choice and have been fortunate enough to receive invites to guest lectures and banquets with industry professionals and academics. In the evening, I usually return home to cook dinner for myself and pursue other hobbies. Currently, I'm learning to play bass guitar and build foot pedals to augment the sound. The work-life balance in architectural engineering is quite good—something I'm grateful for. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? Being a college student is about two things: learning as much as you can about the world and as much as you can about yourself. The first is pretty self-explanatory, but the second has a bit more nuance. I used to be very concerned about appearing dumb or screwing up in front of my peers. Learning about yourself requires taking risks and accepting rejection or failure as part of the process. Over time, I've come to realize that this is the lowest-stakes part of adulthood. I don't have a long-term commitment to any single place, person, or organization. If I make a mistake or screw up royally, there is no longstanding consequence (for the most part, at least). Coming to terms with this has led me to be much more laid-back in my approach to things and accept that what happens, happens. Of course, this shouldn't be conflated with apathy. I do care about the outcome of what I put effort into, and I still feel that my work is a reflection of my ability. However, if my best is not enough or misses the mark, I can take it as a learning opportunity instead of wallowing in failure. Taking things in stride and rolling with the punches is a great skill to develop in college and has greatly helped mitigate my stress. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? It's really a lot of fun. A big part of getting good at ArchE is developing your intuition—honing that gut feeling for where you should start investigating a project. The calculation component of our work isn't the most intense, but it does require a strong foundation in calculus. This is a truly practical form of engineering. It's not the most glorified, and it isn't the most prestigious, but at the end of the day, when you go home, you can point to specific instances where you made people's lives better. The feeling of gratification is worth it. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? I had a lot of people read my entrance essay. It told a story about how I was able to adapt to new situations while maintaining my identity. Don't overlook that component, especially as an out-of-state student. Additionally, I tested well on the ACT. Sit for it a few times, work on the practice exams, and take a deep breath. It's possible to get in with the effort you put in. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? Structure Magazine  – Articles about new structures being built around the world. Modern Steel Construction  – The steel magazine from AISC, the American Institute of Steel Construction. These are the two I generally try to keep up with. Additionally, ArchDaily  is great for staying updated on interesting buildings in general, though it focuses more on architecture than the structural engineering I care about. Interested in learning more? Stephen Smith is happy to answer your questions at 📩 stephen.smith [at] utexas [dot] edu Thank you to Stephen Smith! 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

Name: Orion Vasquez Age: 18 College / University: The University of Texas at Austin Major: Astronomy / Astrophysics Country origin: Mexico 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 realize I wanted to study astronomy until application deadlines were due. Originally, I was going to apply to become a business student and study supervisory business management, helping my family by taking over the business as I got older. My mother sat me down and told me, if I dedicated my life to my family, then what would I have left for myself? My high school life had already been dedicated to business; I joined FBLA and received an endorsement for Business Management and Accounting, but that was all for naught as I decided to pursue STEM to pave the way for other Latinas to choose STEM. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. My daily life (as a freshman) usually consists of going to classes, going to work, coming back to help with the org (the astronomy students association ), and doing homework/research for my classes. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? I manage stress by going for walks to somewhere quiet and pretty. In nature, I feel relaxed, and it helps me get into a state of mind where my duties are a million miles away—it's just me and nature, breathing. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? Pursue whatever you aspire to do, no matter what anyone tells you—like that astronomy is 'useless' in the long run or anything else. You have a place in the field to mold it to your desires. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? If you can take upper-division STEM courses (like honors or AP), take them! If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? I love skyandtelescope.org ; I use it to stay updated on astro news and events. Thank you to Orion Vasquez! You can also follow us on Instagram Instagram: @askstem

Name: April Age: 20 College / University: The University of Texas at Austin Major: Astronomy Country origin: Argentina UT Austin. UT Austin Facebook Cover Photo.  18 August 2014, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/utaustin/14767404468/ . 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 went to a private high school in Dubai, UAE-did not have many extracurriculars or activities available. I contacted astronomers and video-called them to discuss studies, career paths, etc. I also took AP Capstone research and wrote a paper. Please tell us your daily life schedule as a student with this major in your university. Class, club activities such as meetings and outreach / volunteering, and studying with friends. How do you manage your stress? What's the secret? There is no secret :] I see a therapist weekly and try to make time for hobbies I enjoy, such as tennis, drawing, and reading fun books. What advice would you give high school students wanting to study this major? If you choose it, be sure it’s a decision that lends itself to intrinsic motivation and not external pressure or expectations. What was the most helpful when applying to college for this major? Taking college-level physics. If there is an app/website/social media account that you love or follow related to your major, could you share the link? @utexasastronomy on instagram Thank you to April! 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: 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: 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: 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: 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