Nev in SYDE - the End of the Beginning
A reflection on my first semester of university
It’s crazy. For the past two years, I sat inside one rectangular box I called home, only seeing four faces - EVER. On the contrary, for the past four months, I have lived on campus at the University of Waterloo, with every day being exciting and new.
Now, I’m officially done with my first semester of Systems Design Engineering! The new things I have experienced in the past four months have allowed me to grow so much more than I anticipated. I feel like I have taken major strides into becoming the person I want to be. Here’s a recap!
ACADEMIC
Hearing stories of the academic rigour that is an engineering degree, I came into university anticipating a drop in my average. Thus, I learned to define my worth beyond academic ranking.
With this in mind, my goal for this semester was solely to explore and learn as much as possible, to identify my interests for my future career.
Courses
This semester, I took the following courses:
161 Introduction to Design
121 Digital Computation
113 Elementary Engineering Math
111 Calculus I
181 Physics
101L Visualization
101 Communication
In hindsight, my courses this semester were fairly straightforward. But, the change in course load coming from online high school was a hurdle to overcome.
101L was, by far, my favourite class, because of its creative nature. Here’s an excerpt from my work!
161 was entirely team-project based. Throughout the term, we designed a mobility device for alien refugees. As wacky as that may seem, I learned a lot about the interconnected nature of systems in our world and the iterative design process. Undoubtedly, this class will be useful if I choose to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
(PS. TEAM 13 IS AMAZING!!)
With the two math courses, my confidence took quite a hit. I was not the best at math in high school, and being surrounded by students who can do integrals in their head - it felt as though no matter how hard I worked I would never be where I wanted to. I hope to make more use of resources available and office hours next term.
Learning Style Adaptation
Many engineering students have said, “your friends are those you study with.” For the record, I disagree. I took the statement to heart and spent the first two months of the semester always with a large group of people. As a result, I got quickly distracted and found myself asking more questions, rather than using critical thinking myself. Simply put - it wasn’t working.
Recognizing this, I began spending more time by myself or with one to two others. I found that though it took longer to understand, I learned more and felt more confident with what I knew.
And, my social circle was not impacted much. I was more intentional with my time; studying deeply at times, and socializing during others. I hope to continue this behaviour next term!
I also found that study location really matters to me. I cannot study in my dorm room; I need somewhere with lots of light and good airflow.
SOCIAL
Coming into SYDE, I was (unnecessarily) worried that I would be just like everyone else. This connotation was based on the image of SYDE - how everyone coming into the program are leaders from their respective communities. I was worried that I wouldn’t have anything new to offer. But, this worry was completely disproven. Everyone in SYDE comes from different ethnicities, cultures, communities, schooling, etc. We are all amazingly different. What makes us similar is our vision; everyone chose SYDE wanting to learn more and make a larger impact.
Building meaningful relationships with these multifaceted individuals (within and out of SYDE) brings me tons of joy.
I can’t wait to see how we all grow. Thank you, my dearest friends, for being a part of my life!
Fitness + Health
Trying to live my ‘That Girl’ life, I started off the semester doing yoga every morning with my wonderful balcony view. But, my mind is also very fresh in the mornings, and wanting to utilize the mornings for school work, this habit quickly fizzled. The first two months, my sleep and meal schedule was also very sporadic.
Though, after midterms, with some encouragement from my friend Vidhi (shoutout!), I began prioritizing getting 8 hours of sleep daily and eating meals at the proper times.
Fitness-wise, I was a member of a semi-competitive volleyball intramural team this term! I’ve never played volleyball before, but with the guidance of my teammates and lots of practice, I developed my skill and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be joining UW serve next year!
I found that volleyball was a great way to take a break from academics, and stay fit. After the season ended, I found myself at the gym quite regularly.
During exam season, the university offered free fitness classes, and I attended yoga and zumba. IT WAS AMAZING! The community and energy were very exhilarating; I plan on purchasing a fitness pass for next term.
COMMUNITY
University is filled with countless opportunities, which I hoped to take advantage of. Here are some things I was involved with this term!
Academic Representative
As one of two academic reps for the SYDE class of 2026, it was my duty to act as a liaison between the students and the SYDE administration. With my wonderful partner Yousef, we helped shape course outlines/schedules, assessment weightings, due dates and project expectations. We provided feedback on teaching styles during the pandemic, helping to improve SYDE overall.
I’m quite proud of all that we were able to accomplish! Hats off to the administration for being so receptive, and to students for candidly sharing their thoughts
Next term, I plan to run for A-rep again! Notably, I must improve communication with the class overall, with more online polls/conversations. I didn’t use discord much but plan on changing that in the future. Also, I hope to collaborate with the BME academic reps more; a partnership that only began in the final weeks of the term.
To my fellow classmates, if there is anything else we can improve upon, please reach out!
Rocketry
Robotics was one of my favourite experiences from high school and continuing on that path, I joined the rocketry design team. I was fascinated by mechanical design, but don’t have much opportunity to currently explore that within SYDE. As a result, I joined the payload subteam with a mechanical focus. Throughout the term, I learned about the fundamental nature of rockets and the principles of mechanical design. I implemented some of these skills through prototyping a Rogella Wing to carry the CubeSat.
I’m grateful for what I’ve learned, but I’ve taken a step back from rocketry for the time being in order to explore what other teams have to offer. Stay tuned!
But, despite what I wrote in my AIF, I don’t think I involved myself in the community the way I aspired to. Next term, I plan on getting involved in more entrepreneurial/innovative spaces and exploring tech politics. If anyone has any ideas where I can get started with these, or just cool things they would like to share - shoot me a message!
Final Thoughts
All in all, it’s been a wonderous term of meeting new people, learning new things, living alone for the first time, and experiencing what the world has to offer. I will cherish these memories for endless time.
Thank you to everyone who’s made it a great term! Can’t wait to see what the world has yet to offer. :)