Natalia Clarke and Bernice Yeo: Why choose Engineering?
Final year BE(Hons) students, Natalia Clarke and Bernice Yeo, tell us about their decision to pursue Biomedical Engineering – sharing how their perceptions have evolved, and offering insights and advice for aspiring students.
Why did you choose to study Engineering?
Natalia: I chose to study engineering because I think it was a perfect combination of my interest in math, problem-solving, and biology. I went into engineering knowing that I wanted to do Biomedical Engineering and I think that it just was the perfect combination of everything that was interested in.
Bernice: I really enjoyed bio, math, and design in high school, so I thought this was also the perfect combination.
Why did you choose to study at the University of Auckland?
Natalia: I wanted to study at the University of Auckland because it had a really good Biomedical Engineering programme. I also wanted that on-campus experience and I didn't want to do that much online.
Bernice: Knowing that I wanted to do biomedical engineering – there's not that many options in New Zealand to begin with, and then the fact that I wanted to be close to home, I thought this was the good option for me.
What was your perception of Engineering prior to studying vs. now as a student in the field?
Natalia: I didn't really know that much about engineering before I started studying here. I kind of thought it was only the whole like, civil, structural kind of engineering. But now that I'm in it, I realise how huge and broad it actually is. I didn't even know about Biomedical Engineering before I started, but now that I'm doing it, this is exactly what I wanted to be doing.
Bernice: I realised that there was a lot of applications that you can kind of use engineering for in aspects of your life, but also just jobs in general. There are lot of skills that you learn from the degree that you can apply.
What would you say to high school students who might be considering studying Engineering?
Natalia: I think if you are considering studying engineering, I would just say go for it if you like a challenge. Don’t be scared of the reputation for how difficult it is, I think it's a really cool challenge that's really rewarding to see that knowledge come to life.
Bernice: It is hard at the beginning, but I once you find your passion and then you start doing things that are related to it, you realise how fun and interesting it is.