Being a woman is so empowering, and being a woman in STEM is especially liberating. Every time I think about what myself and other women are accomplishing, I imagine the proud faces of the women as early as a hundred years ago who could only dream of the opportunities we can pursue today. That being said, saying you are a woman in STEM is a lot easier than actually being a woman in STEM. It is less of the 💚🧪🦠📐🩺 and more of the💔📑📝😭⛓️. As I navigate through the end of my freshman year as a biomedical engineer on the pre-med track, I have realized some tricks and mindsets from personal experience as well as the experience of my STEM friends for how to thrive (or at least get by). Honestly, the tips here are applicable to any major, so enjoy!
Stay Positive!
One of the hardest, yet most important, ways to be successful is to keep a positive mindset. Or at the very least, have a friend by your side to be the optimist to your pessimist. Trust me, it gets really hard at times; every daunting grade of a class you hate or the realization of yet another assignment or exam that looms on your existence. It’s easy to joke about dropping out or just wanting to curl into a ball and cry, but after you process it, you need to stay positive. You need to know that things will work out for the best, and as long as you’re giving it your all, there’s nothing to regret. Even if it may feel fake at first, trust me, it will be better for your mental health overall to not be so down on yourself. Otherwise, the frustration and hopelessness can easily spiral out of control, and ruin your college experience. As they say, fake it till you make it!
Don’t Wait!
This next tip is from my personal experience, and that is to not procrastinate. However, I understand that some people work better under pressure, and to those people, I applaud you. But, if you are like me and get more anxious by pressure rather than motivated, and I sound like someone’s mom or teacher saying this, but DON’T PROCRASTINATE! Your work will not be the best it can be, and you’ll ruin a perfectly good afternoon with an insurmountable amount of stress to finish your upcoming assignment. The moments leading up to finally starting to study or do an assignment will loom over you, and you won’t be able to enjoy your day anyway. If you are reading this article right now instead of finishing something that is due soon, this is your sign to stop procrastinating and finish it right now! Thank me later :)
Find a Balance
The last, but probably most important tip I can give, is to make time for the rest of your life. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but as Nicki Minaj sang, “How dare we sit quietly, and watch the world pass us by.” Even though it may feel like everything revolves around your studies, the world is gonna move on whether you move with it or not. You don’t want to look back and remember your college experience as just being holed up in your dorm or the library studying all day. In my experience, the workload never stops, and I’ve heard the same experience from my other engineer friends and non-STEM friends. However, taking a break is so important, and you shouldn’t have to feel guilty for it! Time management is a huge factor, and even though I’m only a freshman, I’ve taken some pretty hard classes. I’ve still tried my best to make time for multiple clubs, movie nights with my friends, a part-time job, and going home and not having to spend the entire time there doing work. It IS possible! Join that club, go on that date, or watch that movie; your work will still be waiting for you when you get back. “The night is still young, and so are we.” ❤️
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