Hello hello!! Yep, you read the title right- it’s the last blog! 

Before we get down to business (for the last time 🥲), I want to give a massive 🥳THANK YOU🥳 for following along. I’ve learnt a lot through these blogs. Hopefully, you got something out of them too, besides the cute cat pics.

For the final blog, I’ll answer some of those shorter (but still important) questions you might have about the civil and environmental spec. Individually, they might be too short to have a whole blog dedicated to them, but together, I reckon we can make something out of it. Here we go:

1. Is Civil Part II harder than Part I?

It depends. The coursework and workload definitely step up; however, so does your ability to handle it. Part I isn’t just about learning the course content- it’s also about picking up key soft skills like time management and effective learning. These soft skills make all the difference in Part II, even more than the course content (which may not even be relevant to the spec you choose). Sure, there were hectic times in Part II (cough cough…. when we had 4 tests in one week), but overall, it felt like a natural progression rather than a massive leap in difficulty.

2. Is it true that civil engineering is practical?

Yes! Civil engineering can be seen as quite a practical spec. Many of the concepts are about large-scale physical situations/structures- things like bridges, roads, water systems and soil. You can literally see many of the concepts you are studying in the real world, which is largely why site visits are such an important part of the field. If you like getting out and about, you’ll probably enjoy that aspect of the job. However! Not everything is hands-on. Many civil concepts are pretty abstract and require good old maths, logic and problem-solving.

3. What sort of practicals or labs do you do?

In Part II Civil, there is a wide range of practicals and labs. Here are some highlights from each civil course:

• Civil 202: Fluid Mechanics and Pipe Flow– Design and create a mini water distribution network out of plastic pipes. The network has to distribute a one-litre water source equally between three buckets. Water went everywhere, and so did a few of my brain cells😆

• STRCTENG 200: Introductory structural mechanics– Build a mini wooden beam and then destroy it… or maybe not completely, depending on how strong your beam is. My group’s beam didn’t survive despite excessive amounts of hot glue. It was a satisfying watch, though!😂 

• STRCTENG 201: Civil Engineering Materials and Design– Make concrete from scratch! You also get the opportunity to crush the concrete sample after it’s hardened. Destruction seemed to be a theme in structural practicals…

• ENVENG 200: Fundamentals of environmental engineering– Measure the levels of air and noise pollution in relation to nearby road traffic. This meant we had to count the number of cars passing by, and I happened to be one of the honourable car counters 😌

• CIVIL 200: Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering– Watch a mini liquefaction demo in the soil shear strength lab session. Seeing the mini model house sink and imagining that on a large scale was unsettling (Sorry…it’s the obligatory blog pun).

• CIVIL 203: Transport Design and Geomatics– Conduct land surveying in the Auckland Domain. It was a nice bit of fresh air and a chance to touch some grass.

4. How is the workload in Semester 1 compared to Semester 2:

Semester 1 has a few courses with heavy workloads and many abstract concepts, so it can feel intense. Push through, and the grass is greener on the other side- Semester 2 is comparatively more chill. The workload is lighter, and I found it easier to wrap my head around the concepts. That said, Sem 2 still has its tough spots- like when all the projects are due, tests are coming up, and you’re running behind on lectures. But hey- that’s just uni 😉

5. Is there a Part II Civil Assistance Centre?

Yes! There is a Part II assistance centre, and it will be plenty advertised in lectures- so keep an eye out 😎

6. Can I see more photos of your cat?

I thought you’d never ask. Of course, here are some Ellie pics:

That’s all, folks!

Thanks again for tagging along! I wish you all the best with your spec choice and engineering journey. Feel free to reach out to me if you’ve got any more questions or just want to chat 🙂

Thanks
Ankia