Kai

My experience of studying at HKUST School of Engineering tells me that it is essential to keep looking back on one’s initial faith through the whole learning process.

There may be certain reasons that attract one to join HKUST School of Engineering. It is definitely important to think about those reasons repeatedly because, as is known to all, the four years in university are not guaranteed to be smooth and comfortable. We certainly will meet challenges that on one hand may slightly get us irritated and on the other hand might shatter our mind. Those challenges are destined to be there to train us or to give us an opportunity to think: why am I here? Compared to history, our lives are short and may even seem insignificant. Therefore, why you would like to spend four years of your life in the university and what the university can bring to you would often flash through our mind.

Everyone will encounter their own issues and difficulties in university, and the essential principle behind overcoming the hardship is just as simple as reviewing your original intention and ambition. Those thoughts may motivate you when in need; on the other hand, it might become your mental barrier since you might feel that you can no longer attain such goals. If it happens to be the second case, you can temporarily forget the initial goals and simply follow your current mind to pursue whatever you like, because it is normal that a human’s mind alters as time passes.

As a student majoring in Computer Science, the peer pressure from constantly comparing myself with smarter or more experienced classmates is so heavy that it’s easy to lose confidence. I’ve been through the hard time of denying myself. Yet, I’ve started to recall my original ambition of becoming a software engineer. I realized that the ambition still lives in my mind despite the current frustration, and the crux of the problem turned out to be: I just need more time to digest knowledge compared to my classmates. After such confirmation, I could be determined to strive for the aspiration again. Besides, by reviewing myself, I also found my strong interest in Industrial Engineering after taking several courses from the department. Therefore, I decided to follow my heart and dive into that field so as to realize my passion. I hope this instance is able to provide a vivid illustration of my studying experience in the School of Engineering.