University: The University of Western Australia

Degree: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Software Engineering

School Subjects: English, Physics, Mathematics Applications, Human Biology, Design

____________________________________________

Introduction

I honestly had no clue what I was going to pursue in university, probably made clear by my variety of ATAR subjects. However, I did know that it would most likely be in the STEM field. I was very much into coding when I was younger. This was something I was getting back into by myself late into high school – leading me to choose Software Engineering.

What’s it like studying Software Engineering?

So far, I have done many bridging units, as the subjects I had picked in high school did not match the required ones for the major. These are quite simple compared to the units that you do in your actual degree. For anyone that may have to do similar things to what I have, this was my experience.

Bridging Units

It’s something that you might have to complete to get to the degree that you want, and there’s not much you can do about it. For Engineering at UWA, bridging units include ones if you didn’t complete Specialist, Physics, and Chemistry ATAR. It would have been more convenient if I did ATAR subjects that aligned more with Engineering, but at the time, that was not what I was aspiring for, and that’s fine. You’ll quickly find out when joining university that what ATAR subjects you take doesn’t necessarily dictate what university course you’ll do. For example, I know people who did only STEM ATAR subjects but are doing Commerce at university and are thoroughly enjoying it. The important thing is to simply choose a field you are genuinely interested in, as this will naturally help you with studying it.

At first, I was dreading doing bridging units. But as I talked with other students taking it, I found out that I was not alone and that many people are in the same boat – making these units quite enjoyable classes for me.

Software Engineering Units

As the name implies, there is a lot of coding. I would highly recommend that you go to any labs available and talk with other students for help. The earlier units will be easy, but as they progress, they will progressively get harder, which is undoubtedly true if you try to complete them without any help, whether it’s from peers or lab instructors. Additionally, try to keep up with weekly assignments. In some of these units, these weekly assignments are not actually due at the end of that week; instead, they may be due in batches or all at once at the end of the semester. It seems tempting to leave it for next week and work on a different unit. However, procrastinating university assignments will leave you stressed and under a time crunch when you finally do get around to completing them. Although avoiding procrastination is a study technique talked about a lot in school, it is more true than ever in university due to how content is taught. Each week’s lectures will move onto the next topic with the expectation that you are already caught up to date and have done the necessary prior week’s work. As the content for a unit builds off each previous week, falling behind in lectures will be detrimental and stressful, especially when you try to balance your other units, work, and social life.

Should You Do It?

My experience in this major is probably vastly different from most people, as I completed many bridging units, but so far, it’s been worth it. Because, when I started doing units related to Software Engineering, I found learning these units far more enjoyable thanks to my underlying passion for coding. It was a little hard coping with the fact that I would be behind my peers in terms of my university timeline. Luckily, meeting others who have switched majors or took gap semesters/years from studying has helped me in not feeling stressed about it anymore.

If you are in a similar situation to me, I would say it’s completely worth it if you really are passionate about the major you want to pursue. And please, don’t feel worried about being behind, as many people (including me) are in the same boat. I still have much of my degree left, but I’m definitely looking forward to it, and I hope that my experience gives a different perspective on what it’s like studying Software Engineering.