My name is Claire Parker and I am a first year engineering student at the University of Auckland. Throughout the year I am going to be sharing my expectations and experiences while studying and adapting to university life.

I have chosen to study engineering not only because I like physics and calculus and feel as if I am a perfectionist, but because of the many interesting jobs it leads to. This is because there are nine engineering specialisations that all lead to different hands on careers, from converting raw materials to useful products to designing and operating primary process plants.

This year I will be taking biology and chemistry, mechanics and mathematical modelling papers in semester one and computation and software development, electrical and digital systems, design and materials science papers in semester two. In semester one I am also taking a general education paper, for which I have chosen global Issues, sustainable futures as it is complementary to engineering and an important trend to consider when designing new technology.

The process of enrolling in these papers was the most stressful part of the pre-university process. On picking my papers I was greeted with the note, “1000+ Timetables Available.” Needless to say this was overwhelming as I had to find the exact timetable that fits my desired start and finish times and preferred lecture and tutorial times while searching through the never-ending list of very similar options.

Although this process can make university seem daunting I am excited to be more in control of my learning, focus on topics that interest me and settle into university life.