The Frosh guide to First Year Engineering at UofT

Here's an article that I wrote for my university newspaper that is meant to be as a friendly and fun guide for incoming first year engineering students to the University of Toronto. The first week is meant to be an orientation week, which is filled with crazy activities such as going to the Eaton Centre (popular mall in Toronto) and singing engineering songs, leapfrogging across a major intersection (leapfrogging is when you have a bunch of people in a line and they're all sitting down. The person in the back has to jump over each of the people and sit in the front, then the next person goes, and so on), and trying to fit as many people into a bus stop as possible. It is a great week.. the f!rosh (first year students) enjoy it, the upper years enjoy it, and it is indeed the best week of the year. Anyway here's my article. Even if you're not in engineering, you may wish to read it as it has a few ideas of life that I learned in my first year of engineering. Enjoy:

F!rosh week, as you all know, is the first and best week of university life. One may expect it to be some sort of orientation event where you get to meet other first year students and play some fun games. It is all that and much much more! The entire week is a series of unexpected events each more shocking than the last. F!rosh week is the best week of university life and I’m sure you will agree. For those silly frosh that didn’t attend this unforgettable week on their own accord; you have made a foolish decision! I won’t mock you any more and let you wallow in your own self pity! But fear not because Cannon comes to the rescue! this article will explain all there is to know about SKULE life.

F!rosh week is merely just the beginning as you get integrated into the Engineering community of SKULE. SKULE is merely a name given to the faculty of engineering. It defines who we are and identifies the great community that we are all part of. The catchy “jump up and down” and “drop your pants” phrases will become a part of your lifestyle as you will soon realize how important they are to all major engineering events.

One, not so secret, purpose of f!rosh week is to make you aware of the different things that are available for you to get involved in. There are indeed, hundreds of ways you can show your skule spirit and get involved in this great community. If you need a detailed list of all the different clubs and events, best source is http://www.skule.ca. It is a go-to site for all your skule related information. Here’s my two cents on this concept of ‘getting involved’:

Some say one must get involved to meet new people, develop character, become outgoing and gain all sorts of invaluable experience. Some say it is the contacts you make that are most valuable when joining a club. I believe university is about trying out new things and getting to know the world around us. The best way to do this is by experiencing it first hand. If you’re into robotics or other technical nerdy stuff, join the Solar racing club or the Mechatronics Design Association. You learn about all sorts of cool technologies and get to make things you’ve only seen in movies. Kindle the artsy that lies deep within your engineering soul by joining the Crumpled paper magazine or one of the many orchestras and bands. You may join an engineering sports team if you are the sporty type. The bottom line is to get involved in all the great engineering opportunities and become part of SKULE. These activities are very important to developing into an overall individual and that’s what engineering is all about!

At times, the workload becomes unbearable and you will feel incredibly stressed. I’m not saying this is the time to join the bungee jumping or scuba diving club if you have never done that before. During times of stress, it is extremely important to relax and take your mind away from all the work and stress. If you are part of a club, this is nicely integrated into your psychological needs.

With the clubs and other extracurriculars aside, the most time-consuming activity that you will be doing is obviously your academic work. First year is a fairly large leap from the laid-back and lethargic classrooms of high school. No matter how hard you thought your high school was (I’m talking to you AP, IB and gifted kids..), first year engineering will beat that. Do not get alarmed but if you do not keep up with the work, things will start piling up and come exam time, you will be scrambling. Therefore, it is very important to keep up with the work, attend most, if not all, lectures and do the homework. A major difference between high school and university is the amount of freedom one has in university. The homework is not mandatory and they are not checked. However, if not done promptly, the assignments (which are mandatory) will be impossible to do. The best advice is to simply follow the professors’ advice and you will do fine.

Be sure to look out for UTEK competitions and several conferences that are held throughout the year such as the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) and National Business and Technology Conference (NBTC). These are great events to meet potential employers, CEOs of companies, Inverstors and other great personalities.

Also, several development workshops such as resume and cover letter writing are offered from time to time at the university. Those are important events to check out. No matter how good you think your resume is, there is always room for improvement. These workshops help you keep your goals focused and convey professionalism through various communication mediums.

Finally, the frosh Friday seminars are specifically for you. They are designed to help you learn about various topics that will help you later in life such as going into medicine, business, or law after engineering, motivational lectures, entrepreneurial talks, and several others. There is a reason why you don’t have any class on Fridays at 12 noon and that is to attend these seminars. If that didn’t convince you, there are also free coffee, donuts and cookies for all those who attend! So I suggest you check those out.

The most important thing to remember about engineering and life in general is that you must have an open mind and try new things. Also, remember that there are several opportunities to get involved, but they definitely should not have a higher priority than academics as truly, that is why you are here. The extracurricular activities supplement your education and make it a more enriching experience. However, one must not go overboard and consider them for what they are, which are an addition to the great academic education you are getting at the University of Toronto. And finally, and most importantly, “[(we are) x 4] the engineers, [(we can) x 4] demolish forty beers, [(drink rum) x 4] and come along with us, for we don’t give a damn for any man who don’t give a damn for us”.. GO SKULE!

-Chirag Ravishankar