The latest in our work/life balance series sees Jasmine Tendaupenyu discuss how she manages her time as a second year Civil Engineering student at Newcastle. 

I’m currently studying BEng Civil Engineering at Newcastle University and as a stage 2 student I remember deciding what mattered most to me when choosing a university to study my passion.  One thing I often get asked is how I find the work/life balance.

In stage 1 we mostly did theory, I found it to be interesting in general, but especially because we occasionally had guest lecturers. The workload wasn’t too intense and that gave us the opportunity to get to know our lecturers and learn more about the different sectors within Civil Engineering. One of the aspects of stage 1 I found to be quite difficult was not knowing where lecture rooms and offices were and not knowing how to go through certain procedures like sending in a PEC form.

This year has gone much more smoothly as I know more about the city, the university and the course. The workload, however, has increased tenfold. One thing that I have been able to do this year is manage my time better so that I can focus on my academics and my social life while not putting too much on my plate. There is a lot more group work this year which takes some time to get accustomed to, but it is a good way to meet other people from your course who you might not normally interact with. There is also a lot more lab and practical work, being able to put the theory that we learn into practice is one of my favourite things about the course and stage 2. I also really appreciate that in stage 2 there are several opportunities put together by the university for us throughout the year to meet people who are working in industry.

I think being part of societies and organisations that I really enjoy is helpful, so participating in their events is one way for me to switch off. I also go to the gym and watch a lot of documentaries.

I had a part time job in the first semester of stage 1. I hadn’t learned to manage my time well yet, and I had taken on a lot of hours. I also worked as a student ambassador for the school and participated in a number of societies and on a committee. It was definitely fun, but it didn’t leave a lot of time for hobbies or just to relax. This year I still work as a student ambassador and I’m committed to only a couple of societies – this gives me more time for myself.

I’ve come to realise that managing my time is a lot easier when I organise my priorities and deadlines by writing them down. I try to start all of my academic work as soon as I can and make sure that I complete it before I go out to do something fun. If it’s a larger piece of coursework and there are weeks or months before the due date I break the work up into smaller tasks and set mini deadlines to meet. If I am quite busy I try to use the little breaks that I have between lectures for things like meeting friends for lunch.

Find out more about Newcastle University’s Civil Engineering degrees here.