Rightio, the mid-semester break is already past us huh. It’s pretty ludicrous how fast the semester is going by. With only a mere couple months before the summer break, we are on the home straight. Hopefully the remaining pile of tests and assignments will go by somewhat quickly and painlessly!
Seeing as my first couple posts were fairly content heavy with information about myself and the papers from semester 1, I thought I’d shed some light on why I think Civil is the best cohort (with no bias whatsoever of course…). Although admittedly it’s so cliche to state, there are so many possibilities for learning and meeting new people in Civil. The size of our cohort (with 280 new students coming in for 2019!) enables us to have unique experiences on the daily. Anyway, before I ramble for too long, here are a few personal thoughts.
So unfortunately I can’t prolong the inevitable any longer, yes, the workload is a bit more intense than Part I. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, CIVIL HAS 5 PAPERS PER SEMESTER. Beyond these ill-fated words, the adjustment isn’t too bad, it just requires a bit of adaptation within the first few weeks to set the foundation for the rest of the year. Time management is critical, especially when there are fluctuations of assessments (the Canvas timetable is your best friend during these times). Although the amount of work steps up, the content becomes more appealing, as seemingly unnecessary papers are left behind. If you’re anything like me and can’t stand to see a programming language for the rest of your working life, Civil is a fantastic option! So yes, the facts are the facts, and there are a greater number of hours required to do well, but ultimately the time is spent honing in on something that is hopefully interesting and is directly related to future success.
Apart from the actual work, the most significant change for me would definitely have to be the chance to meet new people. First year is a fantastic opportunity to finally live the uni lifestyle and develop critical insight into what various specialisations are, and hopefully which of those entice as a potential career. Unfortunately for myself, it was a struggle to find people with similar interests beyond my already established group of mates. This year has been completely the opposite and with everyone sharing similar interests and aspirations it’s been easy to make new friends. Having a dependable group of mates obviously helps tremendously when attempting to throw together an assignment or crank out a quiz, but it’s been the social aspect that has really been a highlight for myself. Building relationships beyond the classroom is so beneficial from the standpoint that they are the only ones experiencing the same things as you. The number of students in the cohort further allows greater potential for friendships to develop, making Civil a really tight-knit and versatile cohort.
Again with another cliche quip, the opportunities are endless!!! Hopefully It was pretty evident in my post about the first semester papers, that each class includes various aspects under the Civil umbrella, and as such there is a heap of variety. I’m sure it seems kind of daunting having to make another key decision straight after first year, but this decision isn’t as crucial as it seems. The further specialisations in third year only affects one paper per semester, and we have been reassured that it is quite common to switch between civil specialisations when in the industry. Although so, the events put on showcasing the different specialisations (shout out to CESA) have been really insightful into hearing what each has to offer. From I’d say 80% of our year wanting to do Structural at the start of the year, to a fairly even split of every choice now, Part II does a good job showcasing all the possibilities on offer.
Above all, the unpredictability of each coming week in Civil keeps us guessing what’s coming next, which is always refreshing. Good luck with your final tests and assignments before the end of the year, and I’ll be back soon to ramble more about life in the second year and Structures Day!