Challenges
During my time at UW, I have had my fair share of challenges, mostly academic but some not. The following are the most significant challenges I encountered and how I dealt with them.
Having my UW EE application rejected. Not getting into my major. Perhaps one of the most unnerving experiences at UW. It really left me questioning my future. The most obvious solution was to work harder and do better in more (relevant) challenging coursework and write a better application essay. The less obvious solution is having someone on the admissions committee advocate for them (I was fortunate to have a professor that did so for me the second time I applied). The other less obvious solution is considering potential alternatives. During that time, I began to realize that just as one door closes, many other doors open. For me, being rejected had its silver lining. I ended joining a robotics club, which was the catalyst for discovering most of my technological interests. The knowledge I gained from that club was quite useful. Practical applied engineering knowledge. Internship and industry advice from friends who successfully obtained internships and from friends who already graduated from college. I also realized that I could just ghost classes I can't register for and sign up for online courses and programs. There are many (excellent) engineers who didn't have a formal education in their profession but were (mostly) self-taught and/or developed industrial experience. Companies care about practical applied knowledge, not a piece of paper that indicates one's major(s). This inspired me to continue pursuing a career in engineering despite my application rejection. However, I did apply a second time for UW EE and was offered a position.
Potentially not getting an internship. While I understand that obtaining practical applied knowledge is important, I don't understand the binary approach that people develop. It's not exactly "I have to get an internship or otherwise I'll never get a job (implicit reasoning: because I didn't get practical applied experience)." There are always alternatives, different opportunities. One creates their own opportunities. In fact, NOT getting an internship is possibly a good thing because it allow one to explore, to develop their own skill sets, not being restricted by an internship job. I remember being particularly concerned when I hadn't obtained an internship by spring quarter of junior year (engineering students are implicitly expected to obtain a summer internship after their junior year). I remember being somewhat frantic. But then, I stopped. And gave some thought to my situation. Not obtaining an internship would allow me to explore my interests and develop my own skill sets with internships distracting me. Obtaining this mindset put at (greater) peace. However, sometimes finances may be the issue (as it was for me). Instead of an internship, some companies are willing to contract out work, even to students. All one needs to do is do some research, ask around, and/or reach out to the companies (I did all of the above). To be honest, much of internships/contract work is through networking, something I didn't realize until the end of junior year. However, eventually, I was able to obtain an internship work involving robots and involved in contract work with a robotics startup company by the end of junior year. At the time of this writing (Spring 2018), I am trying to obtain more contract work to develop a client base. Freelance programming and investing are things to explore. It's all about having multiple sources of income (and intelligent investments) for financial stability.
GPA vs. EXPLORATION. Okay. I'm going to be blunt here. GPA is the primary factor that UW looks at when admitting applicants into competitive majors (at least for engineering majors). This essentially implies that there isn't a lot of room for exploration because it could affect GPA. When admitted into one's major of choice, the situation changes. Maintaining a high GPA or exploration. One comes at the cost of another. One must be sacrificed for the other. To what extent is up to the student. However, maintaining a high GPA is only important for merit-based scholarships (important) and if one plans on going to graduate school immediately (maybe not so important). For me, I have no intention of attending graduate school, so I chose the exploration option. As a result, my GPA has suffered. Perhaps the right balance results in a 3.3. cumulative GPA. I don't regret my choice. College life has been much more interesting, more fulfilling, with exploration, and I believe in the long run, this exploration mindset will benefit me more than a high-GPA mindset.
To be honest, not everyone experiences the same difficulties at the same depth. I've found that the best remedies are dogged perseverance (because everyone falls a lot in life, it's about learning to get back up), quiet reflection (to accurately access the situation and find potential solutions), and intense work ethic (work towards goals). Perhaps cliché but true nonetheless. At the time of this writing (Spring 2018), that's how to tackle life's challenges.
Having my UW EE application rejected. Not getting into my major. Perhaps one of the most unnerving experiences at UW. It really left me questioning my future. The most obvious solution was to work harder and do better in more (relevant) challenging coursework and write a better application essay. The less obvious solution is having someone on the admissions committee advocate for them (I was fortunate to have a professor that did so for me the second time I applied). The other less obvious solution is considering potential alternatives. During that time, I began to realize that just as one door closes, many other doors open. For me, being rejected had its silver lining. I ended joining a robotics club, which was the catalyst for discovering most of my technological interests. The knowledge I gained from that club was quite useful. Practical applied engineering knowledge. Internship and industry advice from friends who successfully obtained internships and from friends who already graduated from college. I also realized that I could just ghost classes I can't register for and sign up for online courses and programs. There are many (excellent) engineers who didn't have a formal education in their profession but were (mostly) self-taught and/or developed industrial experience. Companies care about practical applied knowledge, not a piece of paper that indicates one's major(s). This inspired me to continue pursuing a career in engineering despite my application rejection. However, I did apply a second time for UW EE and was offered a position.
Potentially not getting an internship. While I understand that obtaining practical applied knowledge is important, I don't understand the binary approach that people develop. It's not exactly "I have to get an internship or otherwise I'll never get a job (implicit reasoning: because I didn't get practical applied experience)." There are always alternatives, different opportunities. One creates their own opportunities. In fact, NOT getting an internship is possibly a good thing because it allow one to explore, to develop their own skill sets, not being restricted by an internship job. I remember being particularly concerned when I hadn't obtained an internship by spring quarter of junior year (engineering students are implicitly expected to obtain a summer internship after their junior year). I remember being somewhat frantic. But then, I stopped. And gave some thought to my situation. Not obtaining an internship would allow me to explore my interests and develop my own skill sets with internships distracting me. Obtaining this mindset put at (greater) peace. However, sometimes finances may be the issue (as it was for me). Instead of an internship, some companies are willing to contract out work, even to students. All one needs to do is do some research, ask around, and/or reach out to the companies (I did all of the above). To be honest, much of internships/contract work is through networking, something I didn't realize until the end of junior year. However, eventually, I was able to obtain an internship work involving robots and involved in contract work with a robotics startup company by the end of junior year. At the time of this writing (Spring 2018), I am trying to obtain more contract work to develop a client base. Freelance programming and investing are things to explore. It's all about having multiple sources of income (and intelligent investments) for financial stability.
GPA vs. EXPLORATION. Okay. I'm going to be blunt here. GPA is the primary factor that UW looks at when admitting applicants into competitive majors (at least for engineering majors). This essentially implies that there isn't a lot of room for exploration because it could affect GPA. When admitted into one's major of choice, the situation changes. Maintaining a high GPA or exploration. One comes at the cost of another. One must be sacrificed for the other. To what extent is up to the student. However, maintaining a high GPA is only important for merit-based scholarships (important) and if one plans on going to graduate school immediately (maybe not so important). For me, I have no intention of attending graduate school, so I chose the exploration option. As a result, my GPA has suffered. Perhaps the right balance results in a 3.3. cumulative GPA. I don't regret my choice. College life has been much more interesting, more fulfilling, with exploration, and I believe in the long run, this exploration mindset will benefit me more than a high-GPA mindset.
To be honest, not everyone experiences the same difficulties at the same depth. I've found that the best remedies are dogged perseverance (because everyone falls a lot in life, it's about learning to get back up), quiet reflection (to accurately access the situation and find potential solutions), and intense work ethic (work towards goals). Perhaps cliché but true nonetheless. At the time of this writing (Spring 2018), that's how to tackle life's challenges.