Are you an engineering student? Ready on!
While some are naturally gifted in solving complex engineering problems, there are some who just have a hard time figuring out how to answer one’s homework. Those moments when you feel ashamed for not being able to show your professor your solutions during class recitations make you feel like you want to hide from everyone. While your classmates can easily come up with the right answer, you have to seek for your closest friend’s guidance in class just to give you a hint on what to do.
I know how terribly lonely it feels to go to class knowing you’re the only student in an engineering class who can’t think like an engineer. I’ve been one of those students considered “not smart enough” that’s why nobody in class wanted me to be part of their group. I know how horrifying it feels to wait for the results of the exam. Though it came to a point in my life when I was too numb to feel anything after getting the lowest scores in class.
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I just had a hard time keeping up with my lessons. Engineering school is competitive and those who can’t keep up are encouraged to transfer to a different degree program. We’ve had classmates who shifted because they didn’t like the feeling of being dumb in a difficult program. I knew it was what I should have done years ago if I didn’t want to swallow my pride. Engineering school is not for the weak and definitely not for anyone who has trouble keeping up with terror professors, competitive classmates and challenging lessons. So, for someone who knew she had trouble learning the lessons easily, why did I choose to stay?
I stayed because I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to prove to myself that dreams do come true if I just work hard for it and believe in one’s self. So that’s exactly what I did. My journey in engineering wasn’t exactly just a stroll in a park. I fought hard for it. I became a humble student, admitted to myself that I wasn’t the smartest in class and accepted that I had to work twice or thrice as hard just to make it to graduation. I approached my professors no matter how nerve-wracking it was for me. Thankfully, a lot of them ended up being helpful and generous professors despite their “terror” status. I was also lucky enough to have a close classmate who had the patience to guide me through the lessons in class.
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For five years, I taught myself to be strong for myself, to be brave in facing challenges and to have faith that I will manage to be an engineer. I have shed tears and embarrassed myself in front of a lot of engineering people but I kept fighting for my dream to be an engineer. Now, here I am. Working for a start-up engineering company with a team who believes in my talent and my dedication to our field. I will always be thankful that I never gave up on my dreams.
So, to any engineering student out there who is having a hard time keeping up with school, understand that we all learn things differently but you should never give up. Someone will always be smarter than you and someone will achieve more than you in school but it doesn’t mean you’re less of a student than the smart one is. So go ahead, keep on fighting. You will eventually realize that through hard work and the right attitude, you’ll be able to make it. Don’t lose hope. Before you know it, you’ll have that diploma you’ve always wanted and fight your way around a more challenging world outside college.
Engineering student can keep up! Source: Giphy
