Gyan - Why I love Engineering

Hi, my name is Gyan and I am currently in the third year of my civil engineering degree. Here are some of the things that I love about my course.

First, I love the course itself. Studying civil engineering involves more than just sitting in a lecture room for hours and hours. There are lots of practical sessions and hands-on work. Although lectures are crucial to the understanding of the topic, the practicals and various other activities make it more engaging and I always prefer learning this way as I can put the knowledge into practice.

Studying civil engineering involves a lot of fieldwork and there are many opportunities for site visits which help to broaden my understanding as some of the challenges involved with fieldwork cannot be fully understood through lectures. I also love the fact that I get to travel to various places as part of my course and learn new things. For instance, as part of surveying modules, I had the opportunity to carry out fieldwork in Bayfordbury and Yorkshire.

The course is tailored in a way that it prepares us as future civil engineers. There are certain assessments which involve working with other students as part of a group. It helps us to understand the importance of proper planning and team coordination. In addition to this, there are several activities in which I actively take part such as presentations, group discussion and quizzes. These are designed to simulate real-life situations in the industry, and I find them extremely helpful.

All the lecturers and teaching staff are very friendly and helpful. They make the lectures interesting and engaging by using a variety of tools and teaching methods. Most of them have an industrial background and they adopt a practical approach to teaching/learning which is helpful for me. They are also easy to approach and welcome any questions. Although they do have preferred drop-in hours, most of them have an open-door policy and are always happy to help. Assignments can be quite challenging, and some can take a long time to complete but the teaching staff are always happy to supply guidance and support. I like the fact that some of these assignments are tailored to reflect real-life problems and sometimes require thinking out of the box. Constructive feedback is supplied for all assignments within four weeks and most of the time, it is much quicker. This feedback provides me with valuable information on how to get better and how to overcome my shortcomings in the future.

Additionally, there are various events such as relevant talks and seminars which supply insight to the industry. Careers and employment team also supply excellent advice and support. Overall, Herts is a great place to study civil engineering and I am enjoying my course here as it provides a wonderful opportunity to shape the world around us and be a part of the future.