A look into the everyday lives of engineering students at UW-Madison.
Engineering Hall is a bustling environment filled with all kinds of students—some studying with friends, some killing time before their next class, others stressfully cramming for exams. Overall, these students have one thing in common: striving for academic success. Students from all over the world gather in the hub of engineering here at Madison at all hours of the long academic day. Get to know some of UW-Madison’s brightest engineers and how they succeed in their difficult, but nonetheless rewarding, courses.
Vanya Srivastava, Sophomore, Computer Engineering, Dubai, UAE
What’s your favorite study spot?
“Either the bars in Engineering Hall or the study rooms in Wendt Commons.”
What’s the most time you’ve spent studying for an exam?
“Oh god… in a day? In a row? Maybe like 7 hours for a computer science exam.”
What’s your advice for success in your classes?
“Make friends in all of your classes so you always have someone to ask for help.”
“Don’t just tell yourself that you’re going to watch the lecture recordings. Actually watch them”
Paul Lema, Senior, Biological Systems Engineering, Madison, WI
What made you choose your major?
“The integration of engineering into agricultural systems.”
What’s your favorite class right now?
“Thermodynamics.”
What’s your favorite study spot?
“For hardcore study the historical society. For chill study, there’s like a table on the second or third floor of this building. But don’t tell people that. It’s a secret.”
What’s your advice for success in your classes?
“If you learn in the moment, you don’t have to study for your exams.”
Breanna Schumaker, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering, Rogers, MN
What’s your favorite study spot?
“Either the Sett or Wendt Commons.”
What’s the most time you’ve spent studying for an exam?
“That’s hard… I don’t know what’s acceptable… 12 hours? I do study a lot. But I don’t want to sound like I study a lot lot. What’s an acceptable range? Is 12 a lot? Let’s do 8.”
What made you want to pursue your major?
“I really like creating new things, and mechanical engineering would allow me to do that.”
What’s your advice for success in your classes?
“Study early and go to office hours.”
Justin Benz, Junior, Computer Engineering, Green Bay, WI
What’s your favorite study spot?
“The discovery building is pretty nice especially during winter, it’s nice to go inside and study because it’s like nature and stuff.”
What’s your favorite class?
“Probably CS400, even though it’s a pain sometimes, I just generally like coding and it’s something I like to do.”
What’s your advice for success in your classes?
“Stay on top of your stuff and don’t let it pile up. Just stay ahead of it, because sometimes you have like 3 days where you’re not doing anything and then you have 3 days after that where you have 17 different things to do. Just time management in general.”
Bill Lee, Sophomore, Computer Engineering, Korea
What’s your favorite study spot?
“My favorite study spot is probably the Engineering Centers Building.”
What’s the most time you’ve spent studying for an exam?
“Overnight, nearly 10 hours. And then I failed it.”
What’s your advice for success in your classes?
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask for a lot of help from people, don’t try to do it yourself.”