So Basil and I have talked about how to GET IN to your specialisation choice (specifically biomedical hehe)…but…what if you miss the mark? If there is one thing that everyone’s unanimously anxious about in first year, it’s this: getting in to your first-choice specialisation.
People with GPAs from like 0.1 to 8.9 always have the tiniest sliver of doubt.
Why?
Because the selection process is based on your GPA ranking compared to everyone else in the entire first year engineering cohort (and actually outside of it too – you can transfer into second year engineering from other degrees as well!). In case you’re not sure, you are ranked GPA-wise against everyone else registering for a second year place, and the departments go down that list until 1. they have allocated all of their places or 2. there is no one else left.
Truth is, even though there are previous year’s GPA cutoffs published that often show a general trend of preferences, you don’t know exactly where everyone else is sitting and you REALLY don’t want to miss out on your first pick and just be thrown in a “spare slot”. No, thanks.
So, you want to get into a good spec, to get a good job, to get a good life. And you have 😠⚡1 YEAR⚡😰 to achieve the grades in 7 subjects that will define that entire trajectory of your life. Read that back for a second – doesn’t that sound ridiculous? So, you need good grades for a “good spec” RIGHT NOW or…EVERYTHING ENDS? (Yikes, that’s a lot of pressure 😮💨! )
Because of this “rigid pathway” philosophy that so many people like to mentally subscribe to, most people seem to think that your checklist in life for a “good” job goes as follows:
- Get into university (congradulations ✅ you passed Step 1)
- Get into your choose degree (your ✨spec✨)
- Get an internship (in this economy 🫣😰??)
- Get a job
Finally:
Hang on.
…”what if I don’t get into my first nomination”? Or, what if you choose the “wRonG” thing?
Working a constant 9-5 in something you even remotely find disinteresting for 45+ years of your life sounds…exasperating. I know at least that it would drive. my. head. in.
This is the mentality that most people hold, which is fair enough – and most people get into what they want and stick to it. But there are always a good portion of people who are not entirely satisfied: whether that be due to rejection, indecisiveness, a desire to pursue multiple options, or not realising that the spec that they signed up for was not for them. 💔
Let’s address the frog that’s the hardest to swallow “Hey~!” – 🐸 . If, deep down, you’re scared or worried about this situation happening to you, then let me give you some bold advice 😮💨:
Your specialisation choice does not matter.
At least as much as you think that it does. 🦗🎵
Let me explain:
Your choice now actually relates to the technical skills that you will be capable of andformally recognised foron paper when you exit the University. But the four years here do not have to define what you would like to do with your life.
Don’t get me wrong, your specialisation will still provide you with a strong base of knowledge in a specific area that you can use (and more importantly, that other people like employers will recognise you for), so it’s still *very important to take your selection process seriously*. If you’re unsure of what specialisation that you’re into going for, researching and figuring what is out there in the market early on means that you can make informed choices now about your career paths rather than going off of a romanticised idea of it or not really caring – you can find out more about this in previous blog posts. Market choices also help you to know HOW to market your specialisation and mold it into what you are interested in as well – after all, the more that you know about how the engineering industries work, the more you can market your brand and tailor your degree to the specific career path(s) that you want.
My point is that in that case, if you don’t end up in the “right” spec either in retrospect or because of cutoffs, you do not have to conform to a set path. Knowledge of how the system works is true power, and will allow you to play to your strengths and desires or work on your weaknesses.
But if I don’t stick to a set path, won’t I be behind compared to other people?
No and yes.
You may be behind in certain technical depths, but your unique breadth of knowledge means that you’ll understand more about how each technical skill relates to each other because of the comprehensive experience that you have cultivated. Some positions, such as management and consulting, reward the ability to understand the bigger picture graciously 💰. Plus, technical depth is always something that you can drive yourself to explore more, either later or now, through self study and your connections with people to lead you to research and development opportunities.
Whilst grades, extracurriculars and even your specialisation choice are all important to make you stand out, understanding how to play the system to your advantage gives you the most control over your own career path. That means that even if things don’t work out (from you having an off day to a major disaster occurring), if you don’t end up in the “right” spec either in retrospect or because of cutoffs, you do not have to conform to a set path. Having autonomy over your career path and your decisions puts you in the best position.
Personally, I was very unsure on whether I should choose BME vs Mechatronics for probably (I kid you not) about 8-9 months. But taking BME personally allows me to see things with a broader overview and then to hone in on areas that I enjoy more.
So make sure to keep learning and engaging in the world of your desired specialisation(s), because whatever form that you do that in will allow you to gain experience and connections that not only might be beneficial later on with employment, but will allow you to do what you want to do still.
Remember that you have got this and that you are going to do amazing 🌟.
That’s it from us, remember to keep growing all you nerdy engineers 🪴,
– Iz & Basil 🙂