Could this be YOU?

Hello Hello!

Short time no see 🤗 It’s currently the holidays and like most others, I spent some quality time with my family, met up with friends and caught up on sleep and….zzzz…zz…and you’re falling asleep right now 😴 Don’t leave just yet! I really didn’t want this to be one of those ‘what I did in the holidays’ blogs because although I did get up to some cool stuff (like volunteering at the Auckland Climate Challenge Conference woop! picture below) I want my blog to be focused on, not me, but YOU!

So with you guys in mind, I interviewed a bunch of my friends (first years) from different specializations about why they chose their degree, how they are finding it so far, and whether they have any handy dandy tips just for you guys and here are their responses.

Name: Bokchoi

Studying: Law and Psychology conjoint.

What subjects did you take in high school?

Biology, Chem, Stats, English, Art History

Why you did you choose Law and Psychology:

Law and psych is a surprisingly great conjoint. If you like science as much as you love arts I highly recommend it. Law and Western Politics draws a base to how we are governed and how it came to be, and Psych really takes it a further step to learning about the behaviours of an individual within that society. I will never regret my choice and highly recommend it. You will know right away if it is for you!

Highs/lows?

There are no lows they all so funnnn but one bad thing would be my early starts, 8am classes and psych labs – just can’t wake up that early every day.

Any tips for aspiring high school students?

I advise to be well organised in knowing your schedule /timetable because one time I funnily ended up in a wrong lecture theater thinking that I had politics at 9am. I had no idea I was in the wrong class (politics and media) and there were so many random faces. So always be prepared to know your class times and be early!! But otherwise great lecturers worth listening to!

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Name: Glucose Guardian

Studying: Arts (Sociology) and Global Studies conjoint

Bonus fact: Went the extra mile by sending in a word document and even choosing a font 🙄😘

What subjects did you take in high school?

Biology, Geography, History, English, Statistics.

Why did you choose Arts and Global Studies?

I chose to major in Sociology for my Arts degree because I’m curious to understand how society affects me as an individual, and where I ‘fit in’ the broader scheme of things. Taking a couple of Sociology courses is needed to enter the Employment Relations and Organisation Studies major in my second year, and I plan to study both majors.

I enrolled into a conjoint because I think a combination of degrees can really change your perspective through multiple fields, and Global Studies looked perfect. I aim to work internationally, and interweave my career along those lines. Global Studies also requires you to learn a language which is something I’ve wanted to do but never got around to committing.

How are you finding it so far?

Without going into full detail, my courses have been so effective in changing my mindset around situations, making me question things that I originally took for granted. I’ve been offered a new take on concepts that I thought were intrinsic to people’s lives without actually wondering why.

Highs/lows?

I’m loving the freedom and independence I have around university as a whole. To take notes how I want to, schedule timing of lectures to fit me, and to specialise in what I love. There is a larger workload, but personally it doesn’t feel as hectic because it’s what I enjoy studying. I’m not restricted by the subjects in school and can identify the subjects I want to take as individual courses. My experience could be completely different compared to others; this is how I’m finding it.

To be honest, since I’m taking a lot of Arts courses, I’ve realised that I miss Science. That can be remedied with Gen Ed papers, and some courses in the Science faculty can count towards my Global Studies degree.

Any tips for aspiring high school students/high school you?

Don’t be afraid of change and unpredictability. Six months ago I was convinced I’d be studying Arts and Science. Since then I’ve considered Law, Nursing, Biomed, you name it. In the end, you’ll come back to your passion and go with your gut feeling, because it’ll feel just wrong otherwise. Go hard out with your research, and if you have the option to choose your courses then I’d recommend student course review sites to get a general feel of the content and difficulty (take some reviews with a grain of salt though).

Sell me Arts and Global Studies in 1 sentence.

Society is complex and dynamic; the flexibility of Arts and Global Studies reflects this, and equips me with soft skills to adapt to our changing workforce.

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Name:  Sparks

Studying: Architecture

Bonus fact: Super talented! The above image is from an experiment they did in class.

What subjects did you take in high school and why Architecture:

I have always enjoyed my maths, physics and arts classes during high school, these were the classes I really engaged in, so by the end of year 12, when it came to subject selection, I ended up with Art, Design and Visual Communication, calculus, physics and English; a combination of a wide range of subjects which eventually led me into architecture.

What are some highs and lows so far?

Highlights so far for architecture will have to be making new friends that have similar mindsets and passions; learning about the different types of architecture that have shaped today’s buildings and experimenting with mixed media. The low point would have to be the long hours of drawing behind a desk which I think I will eventually get used to as the year progresses.

Any tips for aspiring high school students / high school you?

My advice to you people out there still juggling between which subjects or major to take is just to stick to what you genuinely enjoy and love, you don’t want to be stuck with a career that you hate and moan about every day.

Sell me Architecture in one sentence:

From what I can see, architecture is science and art and a process with endless possibilities, come and join me at the School of Architecture and Planning!

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Aaand unfortunately that’s it for today! This blog is getting way too long so I’ll cut it here for now. I have already gathered responses from a Computer Science/Commerce student, a Biomedical Science student (get excited, its pretty long!) and one from me (Engineering/Commerce) too, so stay tuned.

Until next time~

Cecilia 🙂