I honestly can’t believe that this year is almost over, and it’s nearly time for you to choose your specialisations for next year. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when I was in your position trying to toss up the pros and cons of a few of my favourite papers from the year.
I’m not one for propaganda, but for any of you who are still uncertain on what specialisation to choose here’s a couple of reason why I love civil, and why you might too:
- A civil degree is basically a degree in changing the world and making it a better place
- Civil is probably the most diverse specialisation because it’s a mixture of civil, structural and environmental – it involves physics, maths, chemistry and reports; there’s literally something for everyone
- Acceleration = 0 (therefore it’s better than mechanical)
- There’s about 250 people in the class so plenty of opportunity to meet new people and make lots of friends
- Some of the labs involve heading down to the domain and working outside; it’s a very practical hands on specialisation
Just remember, even if you don’t get into your first choice (or second, or third), an engineering degree is still an engineering degree and there’s always the possibility that you can end up working in a job that isn’t relevant to your specialisation. There are really no limits to where your degree can take you.
All the best for next year and the rest of your time at Auckland Uni! (And to those of you who end up doing civil, feel free to hit me up for advice next year)
– Laura
P.S. This semester we’ve had a few lecturers who are PhD students. Although you may not have PhD students as lecturers, I think it’s worth noting that lecturers are humans too. Regardless of their experience or perceived quality, it’s not okay to attack them on piazza or any other platform (as some students in my class have this semester). I think you’ll find that if you communicate with them in person or via email, they’ll be happy to answer questions and help you out. They may be perceived as monsters who heap misery upon us, but contrary to popular belief they really do want to help us pass – after all, that is their job.