University: The University of Western Australia

Degree: Combined Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering and Data Science

School Subjects: Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist, Chemistry, Physics, English, Accounting and Finance

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After Year 12, when I was deciding which Engineering major to pursue, what helped was doing research on each and where it could lead me. What I found was that Mechanical Engineering is the broadest out of all of them and offers a diverse range of skill sets – which is also why Mechanical Engineering is one of the most popular majors and has gained the reputation of the “I don’t know what to pick Engineering”.

If you want to learn how systems work, Mechanical Engineering is a good discipline to understand the overview of the entire process – from research and design to manufacturing.

Data Science has been an upcoming trend with employers, as skill sets from being a data scientist are highly valued. The development of Data Science over recent years is explosive, specifically in the rapid use and evolution of AI. In addition, data in general plays an important role in society, as it makes informed decisions based on collated data (e.g. your ads on YouTube).

Mechanical Engineering

The main aspect of Mechanical Engineering I enjoy is the versatility of it. You’ll get to explore topics like electrical circuits, movement of fluids, mechanical systems and more. Additionally, most professors are very chill, as they understand the difficulty of the course. The actual content of Mechanical Engineering involves a blend of maths and physics. The maths is fairly standard and definitely not as heavy as other majors (e.g. Electrical Engineering). You will do a lot of different topics of Physics within Mechanical Engineering, especially vibration, fluids, solids and dynamics.

However, in your first two years of Engineering (regardless of which discipline you choose), you cover foundational units that all Engineering majors must take (e.g. Multivariable Calculus – MATH1011). As such, the cohort at the beginning feels extremely big, making it hard to find a study group of other Mechanical Engineers. Luckily, this levels off in later years as your cohort becomes smaller and more tight-knit.

There is no doubt Engineering is a difficult course. There are more contact hours compared to other degrees (e.g. Commerce), and the number of lectures will pile up if you procrastinate on them. Being accountable for your own study is crucial, as it is very easy to fall behind in Engineering, which is a nightmare to try and catch up on.

At UWA, I would say the learning experience is more theory-heavy, especially with some practicals being online (simulation) or the lab facilitator doing most of the work with you writing the numbers on the side. There is practical work offered in compulsory holiday units, but I found these units not as engaging as the ones you do during the semester (maybe because of exam burnout).

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) is a 4-year degree where you’ll do a research/thesis project in your final year. To graduate, you will also need 450 hours of placement (which is roughly 3 months of full-time work), so finding internships is a must. Internships are scarce due to how competitive and large the Engineering cohort is. I would advise students to try applying as early as possible to get your foot in the door, but don’t be demoralised if you don’t get an offer in your early years. Internship positions are usually allocated to penultimate or final-year students, but still applying regardless is useful as it familiarises you with the application process. Joining Engineering-based university clubs that allow you to develop your engineering skills (e.g. UWA Motorsport) is a good way to show recruiters practical experience of working within a team.

What I recommend for Mechanical Engineering students is to recognise that you are in a very diverse major. So, it’s important to research and find out what type of industry you would like to go into (e.g. gas and oil, mining, construction, etc.).

Data Science

All Engineering majors will have a coding unit. As such, Data Science pairs well, as coding is integral in managing data and, in general, helping engineers make informed decisions. Data Science units are roughly 50% coding units and 50% statistics units. All the maths involved in Data Science is statistics, and it isn’t too difficult. If you did well in Methods and Specialist ATAR, you will be fine. The coding units explore different programs like Python, R, SQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you have no prior coding experience, that is not a problem, as the lecturers go through it well and in-depth.

The types of assessments you get in Data Science are primarily coding assignments to organise a general Excel spreadsheet to output the desired results, whilst considering all the possible errors. Whereas in the statistics units, it often involves finding an appropriate statistical model for the data given.

Unlike Mechanical Engineering, there are a lot fewer contact hours and fewer core units. The consensus is that it is quite straightforward, but there are definitely challenging elements to it. Due to the small contact hours, you will have to find friends within your degree. Building a small study group is imperative, as they can give tips or remind you of a possible deadline you overlooked.

Tips for Future Uni Students

Try to get out of your bubble and meet new people at university. There is a high chance you may drift from your high school friends as you’ll move on to do different degrees. Joining a club and signing up to be a committee member is a great way to meet new and likeminded people.