Welcome to the final CHEMMAT post for 2024! I sincerely hope you enjoyed our time together as much as I did. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on completing your first-year engineering classes! I know exams are just around the corner, so I would not celebrate too quickly yet, but I believe that you will pass with flying colours. Leading this blog has caused me to reflect upon what my first year was like and how I feel now that I have completed half of my engineering degree. Before we know it, we will blink, and suddenly, we will receive our graduation diplomas. What I would like to do with this post is give a little wisdom from an ancient soul like me to the students coming into 2nd year and beyond.
Time Flies
I have been the biggest hater of this sentence because, on the cusp of the bajillion assignments, never-ending tests, and exams, it always felt like time was moving way too slowly. It’s only at times like these, when the weather gets warmer, and the university gets emptier that you realise that a year has gone by.
Although I recognise this is hard to do, enjoy every single moment of uni life! I’m not saying to go partying every night, but remember that you will only experience this transitional period once in your life. Between all the hubbub of assignments, stop to touch some grass!
Your grades don’t define your self-worth!
Trust me, this is a hard lesson to learn. If you are an overachiever like me who would spend hours trying to chase that 100% and then beat yourself up over every little thing, here I am to tell you that it’s not worth it! Take those rests, go out with your friends sometimes, and don’t lock yourself up trying to reach some coveted perfection. Aim high, yes, but also recognise that sometimes, just doing your best at that moment of time is all anyone could ask of you. When you learn to chill out, take breaks, love all your achievements no matter how small, and celebrate simply when you trying hard, I promise you your grades will naturally get better as well (speaking from personal experience). No one will care that you were 5% off an A+ in 5 years’ time, and neither should you!
Lastly, I would like to congratulate you on your perseverance! Engineering is a hard degree, but you have stuck with it, and I hope you will continue to. As my lecturer said to us on our last lecture day, “You came into second year all wrong, but I have seen you all rise to the challenge and succeed”.
Your engineering life will kick off next year, and you will face challenges like you haven’t seen in the first year, but I believe that you will do great. Although this isn’t very CHEMMAT-related to this post, I believe it applies to everyone, no matter if you want to join our really fun and amazing spec (which you should, by the way!).
Now, it’s time for me to sign off one last time. It’s been a pleasure writing to you all, and if you see me around, say hi!
Make sure to check out the other bloggers’ amazing final posts. They have been working hard all semester, and I hope to see many of you joining CHEMMAT!
Good luck with your exams!
Zlata