How to make the most out of your time at uni
Ismaeel Lunat
Mechanical Engineering BEng(Hons)
Hi, I'm Ismaeel and I studied Mechanical Engineering at Huddersfield. In this blog I'll be looking back at my time at University and sharing my advice for current students and soon-to-be students.
Well that's a wrap, folks! After four years of university, three years of study and one year on placement, my journey has come to an end.
It’s a strange feeling because for the last 18 years, I’ve been in some form of formal education, from primary school all the way to university and for the first time in a really long time, that is no longer the case. While I think the idea of going off into the big wide world can be kind of scary, it's also quite exciting to think of the endless possibilities and potential paths my life could take me.
Reflecting on my last four years
For those who don’t know me, my name is Ismaeel. I’m a commuter student from a small town near Huddersfield, and I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Huddersfield.
I had a strange start to University, because my first year was almost entirely online due to the pandemic. Our lectures were uploaded as videos, the tutorials were conducted through Teams meetings and group projects were collaborated on via video calls.
It wasn’t until my second year of university that we were finally able to have a more “normal” university experience. In many ways my second year felt more like my first year. My first time walking around campus, my first time sitting in a lecture hall and my first time meeting other students on my course all happened during my second year.
My third year I spent doing a placement as a design engineer for a local company. I remember feeling nervous walking in on my first day, working a full-time office job was so different to the school environment that I had gotten used to for over a decade of my life. It’s a very different environment, rather than being surrounded by people my age, I was surrounded by colleagues much older and more experienced than I was. At first, I felt like a fish out of water, but the other engineers were very welcoming and soon made me feel like a part of the team.
Doing a placement year was one of the most valuable experiences I got out of my course, it taught me many invaluable skills and made me feel much better prepared for my future after university.
Every second counts
After finishing my placement year, I had a couple weeks holiday before starting my final year of university. At this point I felt like I wasn’t ready for my final year. This was it?
“One more year? I had only really had one year at university so far and already I’m on my last year?”
I felt like I hadn’t had the experience that I feel like I was supposed to have, I didn’t use my second year as effectively as I should have. As a commuter student I only went into university for classes, didn’t really stick around after class was over, didn’t really take part in any extracurricular activities, didn’t put myself out there or try anything. I knew that with only one year left I had to make the most of it.
During this last year of university, I tried to take part in as much as possible: kickboxing, rock climbing, creating content for the University’s social media pages, trying out various food places around the University, joining the Enterprise Team to work on my photography business, and attending as many events as I possibly could.
Looking back on it now after graduating, I feel like I had a real experience and lived it to the fullest this year. And none of this came at the cost of academic performance as I was still able to spend enough time on studies to achieve a first.
Ismaeel Lunat, Mechanical Engineering graduate -
To the students
As this blog is not only my last project as a university social media representative but also my last project as a student, I wanted to finish this by giving some advice to the students that I wish someone had given me:
Whether you’re about to start university for the first time or approaching your final year, time moves quickly so make the most of it. Before you know it, you’ll be crossing the stage with your cap and gown on and when you do, you don’t want to feel like you regret the way you spent your time. University is a unique time in your life full of opportunities and experiences you won’t be able to get outside of it. Put yourself outside of your comfort zone and try out as many different things as you possibly can, doing this you could make lifelong friends you wouldn’t have met otherwise and discover new things you would have never found out about.
I've had a great time the University of Huddersfield these last couple years and had many experiences I’ll look back on fondly for the rest of my life, I’m grateful to have had these opportunities and I feel ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.
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