FEAS graduating students feel prepared for the future despite earning degrees during challenging times

University students graduating in 2021 and 2022 faced significant challenges throughout their academic careers, including a worldwide pandemic, the transition to and de-transition from online learning and the isolating effects of remote education. Still, many of these graduating students persevered in the face of these struggles and achieved a high degree of academic success and professional development.

To shed light on how they got the most out of their degrees and remained self-motivated in online classes, students graduating in 2022 from the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), share some tips for incoming students.

Graduating student Joshua Eisenstat (BEng ‘22) recommends that incoming students not get discouraged by the learning curve of their first year. Instead, he suggests they embrace the ups and downs of their academic careers and fully utilize one of FEAS’ greatest resources: its faculty.

“It is important to build relationships with your professors, as they can assist you with your academic career and professional growth,” Joshua said. “By utilizing my professor's office hours, I gained clarification and a more thorough understanding of the course material. This access was a big reason for my academic success."

The transition from in-person learning to online classes required that Joshua develop better time management skills, so he made strict, self-imposed deadlines for watching lectures and completing assignments. He feels his academic experience was top-notch due to today’s exceptional virtual computer programs. After earning his master’s degree, Joshua plans to enter the engineering field in a startup environment.

While her co-op placements positively influenced her professional development, graduating student Maya Higeli (BArchSc ‘22) experienced two very different co-op situations – one predominantly online and one hybrid. Unfortunately, during her online co-op job, Maya lost out on the benefits of office life and real-world experience. Fortunately, she was able to go on-site and into the office for her second placement and even befriend colleagues.

Regarding her next steps, Maya said, “A huge advantage to TMU's architectural science program is that while focused on architecture, it also provided me with the tools and skills to pursue not just other types of design, but construction and project management.” Through the varied range of topics explored in architectural science, Maya has been able to keep her options open for future career opportunities.

For incoming students, Maya recommends seeking camaraderie and friendship from peers, as they can often empathize and understand what you're going through, making the undergraduate experience easier. Along with student support services such as FEAS’s Peer Network Program, Maya emphasizes how important a positive mindset is.

“Just do your best,” said Maya. “That motto often got me through some tough deadlines. At the end of the day, if you put your best effort into it, that is really all you can do.”

TMU was an easy choice for graduating student Gurneet Nanhra (BEng’ 22) when deciding which university to study aerospace engineering. For starters, TMU was one of the few post-secondary schools offering an accredited aerospace program, and its location in the heart of downtown Toronto meant it had close ties to Pearson Airport.

When the pandemic shifted his education to online learning, Gurneet viewed this as an opportunity instead of a detriment. “I didn’t see the transition from in-person to online as a challenge, but instead, I became more active and joined more clubs and teams than ever,” said Gurneet. He even found benefits to participating in remote extracurricular activities. “I was not wasting any time commuting from one club or team’s office to the other and could hop into meetings with my teammates, friends and professor at the click of a button.” 

The Helium Aerospace team allowed Gurneet to polish his skills from the classroom and apply them to real-world issues. He was also able to connect and network with many people who became mentors and friends.

Gurneet advises incoming students to enjoy their time at university, as it will go by quickly. In his experience, the FEAS staff and student body are more than happy to help when asked, so he encourages students to reach out. FEAS offers several Services & Supports designed to support students in every area of their lives. First-year engineering students can contact the First-Year Engineering Office for academic guidance and resources.

Gurneet feels that the TMU aerospace program has prepared him well for his next move with its wide variety of courses, labs and extracurricular activities. Ideally, he’d like to secure a professional position focusing on aerodynamics, structures or design.