First Year Guide 2020
Welcome to the 2020 edition of CSESoc's First Year Guide! This year, we're making a departure from previous years and won't be using a .pdf format. Instead, we'll be splitting the guide into four sections for ease of navigation: Essential Tips, Settling In, About CSESoc and What's Next.
This guide has been curated by other UNSW computing students and is filled with all the answers to the questions that incoming students (like you!) may have!
If you have any feedback, or questions you want answered, shoot an email to media@csesoc.org.au or message CSESoc’s Facebook page.
Co-Presidents' Address
Hello! First of all, congratulations on getting into UNSW to study a CSE degree! It's no easy feat, and you should be really proud of all the hard work that you put in to get here. Don't celebrate too quickly though, the hard work is only just starting! Studying CSE at UNSW can be pretty tough sometimes, but fortunately you'll have a strong community of other like-minded people who can help you get through it all - that's where CSESoc comes in!
To give you a bit of background, CSESoc is a Constituent society associated with the School of Computer Science and Engineering at UNSW (UNSW CSE). We represent UNSW students studying a single or a double degree with a Bachelor of Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Bioinformatics Engineering or a Masters of IT. As of the end of 2019, this totals to 3,461 students and counting. That's probably a much larger community than what you're used to from high school, which can be kinda intimidating, but don't worry! Most people feel a little intimidated when they first start uni, but after a few weeks of classes and CSESoc social events, you'll get to know the rest of your cohort and feel right at home.
We do our best to support CSE students in all facets of university life, that is, socially, academically, and professionally. Some of our most popular events include; first year camp, peer mentoring, weekly barbecues, company site visits, technical workshops, coding competitions, hackathons, mock interviews, and many more. Industry sponsors are our primary source of funding, allowing us to host these great events. In return for their generous sponsorship, sponsor companies gain access to (arguably) the most talented cohort of STEM students and graduates i.e. you!
Studying CSE at UNSW is going to open the door to a lot of awesome opportunities for you over the next few years. Be sure not to take this for granted and to grab on to each and every opportunity with both hands! This will push you both professionally and personally - it certainly did for us! Our university experience has been improved enormously by the people we've met and opportunities we've been given by getting involved in the CSESoc community, which is why we're encouraging you to do the same :). CSESoc is here to support and guide you throughout your degree, making your university experience the best it can be. Students are why CSESoc exists in the first place and we really hope we can help you and support you to the best of our abilities! Looking forward to a great year!
Don't hesitate to come and say hey if you see us around :)
- Shane Kadish & Tammy Zhong
Introduction: Welcome to CSESoc’s 2020 First Year Guide
Essential Tips: Covering the basics you need to get started at UNSW
Settling In: Helping you navigate uni inside and outside the classroom
About CSESoc: Get to know the CSESoc Team and what we do
What's Next?: Things to look forward to in 2020 and beyond
2019's First Year Guide can be found here