Congratulations! You just accepted your place at the UW College of Engineering! You’ve made a great decision and don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed. As an electrical engineering major who just faced some of the same challenges during my freshman year, I’m here to give you my top three tips to set you up for success as an engineer–and they aren’t complicated at all!
- Consult older, wiser students
Specifically, try to meet people through engineering/STEM-related student organizations. They were all in your position at one point and they will be thrilled to give you advice based on their years of wisdom. They might even give you a great elevator pitch to pursue their major!
- Go to the Engineering Career Fair as a first-year, even if you aren’t looking for a job or internship yet
Trust me on this one. Go to the Career Fair, which is usually held in September and February, and talk to the recruiters from any company that looks interesting. This will give you the opportunity to hear about the different ways to apply different engineering majors in the professional world and should give you some clarity as to what might be most fulfilling for you.
- Check out specialized electives in the UW Course Catalog
Poke around the course catalog for different engineering departments and see if there are any classes that sound cool. Then, figure out what major you could apply those classes towards. If anything, doing this will give you a starting point for more in-depth research.
You’ve got this, future Badger Engineers! Now go out and explore all the possibilities using your new toolkit!