For Bachelor of Science (Civil and Structural Engineering) student Titus Shilongo his on-campus experience is one where engineers get together and do not forget to have fun.
Titus is one of the EIT Perth Campus students who opted to complete his tuition with face-to-face interaction.
“There are several benefits, it’s relatively easy to know everyone thus it feels like a family, more of a home. I just enjoyed being on campus because everyone is always willing to help you, offer a hand with anything you need help with,” he says.
The benefit is also that once on campus, Titus uses the building to his own benefit.
When he spots an empty classroom he often uses it to study, finish an assignment or even relax if the Student Room is occupied.
“I am a sucker for coffee and we have our own student kitchen and we always have coffee in there, that would always start my mornings when I go to campus on early mornings,” he says.
The other benefit Titus mentions is the fact that Bentley, where EIT is located in Perth, is close to other schools, and there is a student community living in the area.
The advantage of this is casually connecting with other students, and creating a basic network of peers according to Titus.
For him, there was a sense of belonging within the Engineering fraternity thanks to certain points of access that comes with the full-time study on campus.
“Members of Engineers Australia always visits the school and this was important for a little networking. Being on-campus is great because you get to network with engineering students. You kind of get that exposure of working in teams already, like prepping you for the future to be able to collaborate easily with people because this is what I learned on campus,” he mentions.
There’re also certain practical benefits to an on-campus experience that Titus does not squander.
“The machinery and equipment in the Labs and the workshop rooms are so beneficial because this is where I learned a few machine operations like the flow table in terms of civil construction, the Theodolites and EDMs.”
Being able to learn how to use certain equipment first-hand boosted his confidence in many ways he says.
There’s also the ability to get more hands-on with other disciplines outside of his own Civil and Structural Engineering degree.
“Just learning a few basic components or how they’d operate mechanical or electrical equipment opened up my mind on engineering, and loved the fact that I was exposed to other field machinery, and this was one of the reasons I choose to study with EIT because you are only going to be around engineers and learn engineering-related concepts,” Titus proclaims.
Titus, who is from South Africa, has also had many strange experiences on-campus, mostly related to one of his home country’s official languages.
“There are times when I am here on campus, at a networking event, for instance, I have met a few people from South Africa who could speak Afrikaans. Then speaking Afrikaans while talking about engineering on a different continent is just so strange, but in a good way,” he laughs.
But at the core of activities outside of his academic pursuits is football, something that is played on-campus often.
“We also use the Student Room to play more strategic games such as Chess or Backgammon sometimes,” Titus adds.
Coupled with this, close to the EIT campus is Sill Park where students make use of amenities like Ping Pong tables and even gym equipment.
“There’s also a basketball court where I sometimes play basketball with a few friends,” adds Titus.
A normal day for Titus is one where his academic trajectory comes first.
“Usually I wake up, go to class, then sort out work and usually when am back home or done for the day, I look for ways in which I could earn some while living in Australia.”
For Titus, even extracurricular activities are connected to engineering, since he enjoys learning different software.
Top of his list is Inventor and AutoCAD.
“It sometimes feels like I’m gaming but professionally for my career if that makes sense. I enjoy learning new things all the time and applying that knowledge and knowing one day that I can make a difference in people’s lives to improve their lives or standard of living is why I chose to become an engineer.”
To ensure he lives up to that Titus is well on his way to being a graduate.
One thing that has helped him on his journey has been Learning Support Officers, a unique aspect of being part of EIT.
“We have LSO’s for every unit, they’re always willing to help me, it doesn’t matter with what. Sometimes I feel so lonely or always scared to ask a question for e.g when doing my assignments. But as soon as I finally give in and ask them for help, their quick responses and guidance always make me wonder why I didn’t just ask in the first place.
According to him, the motivating factor is important when updates come surrounding each unit of his course.
“They made my experience and living in Australia very easy and I always regret not keeping close relationships with my LSOs in my first year as that’s when I needed help the most.
I generally don’t think I would have made it this far without them.”
