Days in my life as a Structural Engineering Student + Tips to Help Romanticise the Engineering Grind

Bonjour tout le monde! My past posts have focused more on the ✨character development✨ and  💖 soul-searching 💖 part of engineering, but I thought it was about time to actually dig into how STRUCT-ACULAR being a Structural Engineering student is!

While locking in 🔐 is key in the engineering grind, one of the most valuable things I learned from my first year is the interconnectedness of balance and performance. The workload in engineering can be overwhelming at times, but learning to effectively manage your time is crucial to prevent burnout and optimise your energy levels.  Finding that sweet spot between focus and rest not only makes the workload manageable but also frees up space to actually enjoy the hands-on, messy, and surprisingly fun side of being an engineering student.

So get ready for some close-up snaps of some typical days in my life filled with concrete-mixing, soil-analysis, buckling calculations and cheeky coffee breaks- but of course, all while making it 💫 aEsTheTic 💫

But first, here are some tips I’ve integrated this year that have helped transform my life from borderline depressing to (delusionally) Pinterest material.

📣 Introducing…

👩🏽‍💻 How to balance your academic-weapon era while actually having a life 💞

1. Taking frequent study breaks:

I learned this the hard way when I could barely get out of bed or focus on a 5-minute YouTube tutorial in the break after grinding away for WEEKS during the semester without taking any rest. As much as I wish I were 💪🏽 built different 🤖, I realised my body is not a machine and how important ample rest is to perform to my full potential. In fact, the human brain can only maintain peak focus in 30-50 minute intervals, which, after being surpassed, results in cognitive decline (so it turns out all that Pomodoro propaganda is not pseudoscience after all).

Something I repeatedly struggled with (and still occasionally do even now) is resting without guilt. Trying to chill out while still worrying about the plethora of work you have to do in your subconscious can’t be construed as proper relaxation. Tbh, I find that completely zoning out is the most productive way of relaxing. Whether that’s going for a stroll, staring into the void or watching a girl called Belly get away with being a homewrecker, do something to take your mind off your studies – trust me, that Canvas to-do list will still be full after 10 minutes.

2. Creating daily rituals:

With the fixed schedule in engineering, it’s easy for days to start feeling monotonous. Instead of every day being study-coffee-lab-sleep-repeat, I have tried to integrate something unique into my everyday which has taken it to study-coffee-lab- ANOTHER COFFEE-repeat (lol). All jokes aside, doing something new every day not only adds spice 🌶️ to your life but can also help you unlock new skills and memories!

So whether that’s a mid-day treat from Gong Cha, post-test nibbles at Sensational or rewatching Stranger Things for the millionth time (atp I’ll manage to bag an internship by the time the new season is out ☠️🪦 👼🏽), do something for yourself that makes every day feel special 🌟

3. Failing to plan is planning to fail:

It’s a cliché, but hard facts. Cramming for a project, exam, or anything really is stressful, soul-sucking, deeply humbling and often results in poor performance. Even if you think you have an IQ equivalent to Einstein’s, understanding a semester’s worth of engineering concepts overnight is impossible, so please don’t do it.

Instead, take note of deliverables and make a study plan to meet deadlines. My BFF is Google Calendar, and basically half my soul lives there. Always make sure to schedule some fun things throughout your week to satisfy tip #1.

Now for what you’ve been waiting for… some ✨pInteReSt-worthy✨ days in my life:

Day 1: Becoming a Professional Concrete Chef 👩🏽‍🍳

Have you ever wondered how concrete is made? Neither have I but after taking STRCTENG 201 you’re sure to become a certified concrete producer (with cement-covered shoes and sore biceps being 100% guaranteed). In this highly practical lab, you’ll uncover the exciting process of conducting sieve analyses, measuring kilos of identically-coloured aggregates, learning how to prevent shear slumps AND the pain of writing group reports. Despite this being an unexpected experience, learning the relevance of effective concrete-mix design and its role in building lasting infrastructure was deeply satisfying and rewarding. To mention that this lab was a highlight this semester would be an understatement because I swear since then I’ve never looked so possessed while staring at a concrete pavement.  

🏆 Sidequest of the Day: Beca Office Tour!

If you want yet ANOTHER reason to join Robogals- it’s the amazing industry events they organise! On this day I had the amazing opportunity to visit Beca’s chic 🎀 new office in the CBD while hearing from professionals in the company about their engineering journeys.

Day 2: 121 Mechanics on Steroids⚡️

When people say that Structural Mechanics is hard – they mean its 🤯 HARD 😵. And as someone who hasn’t even taken the preceding course (STRCTENG 200), I’ve been trying to recall BMDs and FBDs from 121 while simultaneously learning to solve advanced buckling problems in 2.0x speed. Despite the challenges, STRCTENG 201 has been one of my most interesting courses this semester and has truly opened my eyes into how complex but strangely beautiful structural analysis can be.

🏆 Sidequest of the Day: Coffee chats @ Daily Bread

A cutesy aesthetic spot with overpriced coffee but somehow I always see myself coming back for the ambience 🌟

Day 3: Counting Cars on Symonds Street but for 🌿 Environmental Awareness 🌿

I never thought I’d start my first day of being 20 by counting the number of vehicles travelling North on Symonds Street for an hour straight. Honestly, this was one of the most chill labs I have ever attended my entire engineering journey but somehow it also became the most interesting. One of the key modules in ENVENG 200 is on the causes and effects of air and noise pollution. This lab involved using portable ultrafine particle (UFP) monitors and sound intensity meters to identify the relationship between air and noise pollution in urban settings and potential factors that influence their growth. So the next time you see a peculiar group of students by Symonds Street showing inordinate attention to the road- know that they’re undertaking research that might be the reason you don’t end up with lung cancer or hearing loss one day.

🏆 Sidequest of the Day: Robogals Exec Dinner!

Being a Robogals exec is the best! Awesome people, good vibes, great (free) food and fun times! JOIN ROBOGALS YOU WON’T REGRET IT.

Day 4: The Grand Opening of the Albany Bridge 🎬

Even if you end up joining ECSE, turns out Hazim’s #1 Golden Rule of drawing FBDs will always be inescapable. For ENGGEN 204, one of the long-established team projects is the video assignment. My group was assigned to create a 3-minute video explaining FBDs to architecture students and we collectively came up with the ingenious idea to use a literal bridge as one of the props for our skit. If there was one thing that I never imagined doing on a random Sunday afternoon it was driving back and forth 10 times on a highway bridge in Albany with 6 other sleep-deprived engineering students and watching 2 electrical majors struggle using craft scissors during a fake ribbon-cutting ceremony. Honestly, when people say that engineering is a multi-faceted degree they are strictly pointing fingers to 204.

🏆 Sidequest of the Day: Morning WEN Pilates 🤸🏽

WEN events are ELITE. I still feel sore from this challenging workout session but this was such a fun occasion for the girlies <3

Day 5: Realising Soil is More Than Just Dirt 👷🏽‍♀️

I remember in Part l hearing the running joke of Civil/Structural people being obsessed with dirt. Since taking Civil 200, I never knew how deeply complex and intricate soil actually is. From clay to gravel, every layer tells a story about stability, load, and even the history of the land beneath us. It’s not just dirt, it’s a living system that decides whether structures stand tall or sink without a trace. Let’s just say, I now have a whole new respect for geotechnical engineers and their so-called obsession.

🏆 Sidequest of the Day: Hosting a Robogals Workshop!

Surprise, surprise, yet ANOTHER Robogals plug. If you seriously haven’t joined yet- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! This was such a fun workshop on learning how to program sphero robots all while enjoying free subs and cookies!

TL;DR

While locking in is key to engineering success, so is having fun and making time for side quests! Remember that you’ll never live these 4 years again, so make them memorable <3