Preparing for the real world: Making the most of your undergraduate experience

Arujala Thavendrarasa: Chemical Engineering & Society, Graduate

As a graduating student, I cannot help but reflect on the various experiences I have had over the past several years. In high school, I found myself naturally drawn to activities outside of school that would occupy my time: student council, varsity soccer team, and a youth council in my neighbourhood. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment by developing a side of me that was not just academic.

When I started in my first-year of engineering, I was surprised by all the clubs and teams that existed. Within the first two weeks, the university hosted ClubsFest where I was exposed to the various different activities that I could join. I quickly signed up to be part of the mailing list for all sorts of clubs that interested me (mailing lists I am still part of today). As I progressed through my first year, however, I found that I was unable to make the time to attend the general meetings or participate in the activities that interested me. When I wrapped up that year and reflected on what I had accomplished, I felt that I was missing something — the excitement associated with planning events and being part of a team. I had solely focused my energy towards my academics that year, but it was not as fulfilling as I had hoped. It was that summer that I decided that I would go out of my way to engage in activities beyond my education.

The following Fall semester, I started the journey of enriching my university experience. One of my favourite hobbies is dancing, so I joined both a cultural dance team and a recreational dance team with Mac Dance. I took part in intramural sport teams such as indoor soccer and volleyball. I joined the MES Wellness Committee and contributed to the ongoing initiatives involving wellness and mental health of the students in the faculty. I also became involved with the Women in Engineering chapter as a departmental representative and as a mentor for students in their first year.

Looking back on all these experiences, I feel satisfied that I was able to lead a balanced lifestyle during my time in university. I was able to put time into the things that I was passionate about, which kept me from feeling burnt out. I was surrounded by peers and colleagues who had similar goals and interests, and it was both inspiring and motivating. Naturally, I also learned several soft skills that I was able to build on. First and foremost was time management — I was no longer just dedicating my time to an engineering course load but balancing additional responsibilities. This meant that I had to be very meticulous about how I allocated my time in order to meet the expectations of my commitments without sacrifices to my education. Additionally, I was able to further develop my interpersonal and communication skills, as I had to constantly communicate with my peers about various tasks and activities. These are all skills that have helped me not only during my time in school but during my internship experience in an engineering workplace as well.

The key to a great university experience is balance and how that is achieved is completely up to you. Finding activities that keep you excited and energized can be beneficial to your wellness. Along the way, you may find that you learn something useful that you can take with you in your career.

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