Name: Nasir Zulkafly
Program: 3rd year Mechanical Engineering – Mechatronics Option
International Student from Malaysia
Extra-curricular Activities:
- Co-Director of GEERing Up!, UBC Engineering & Science for Kids,
- UBC Supermileage Team,
- Secretary for the Seri Malaysia Club,
- Ultimate, Basketball, Rock Climbing, Snowboarding, Golf
Who I Am
I am loving my life right now. As an International student, I couldn’t be happier about my choice to come to UBC and Vancouver. I’m generally an easy-going person, and very easily amazed by little things in life, and so I can often be seen getting over-excited when thinking about sunsets, new shoes, and how crazy an invention the key and lock is.
A Day in My Life
I’m an early riser, and so I often wake up and enjoy mornings before I go for my 8am classes. I’ve a hectic course load this year, and so I don’t normally get home till about 5pm. My evenings, when not working on schoolwork, are spent chilling with my friends, because they complain that they don’t see me enough. Yes, I’m busy, but I’m happy doing the things I’m doing.
Why I Chose Mech
I first considered Mech because I was still unsure of what I wanted to do as a career, other than being an engineer, of course. Mechanical Engineering is a huge field, and so Mech gave me the room I needed to explore a wide variety of disciplines within engineering. And I had also heard lots of good things about UBC’s Mech program, and so far I’ve been really happy with my decision.
Life Beyond Classes
I generally try to keep busy. Although I enjoy the odd breather, I like the feeling of, well, just doing stuff. I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors, but when I feel like sitting and lazing back I can always depend on my Wii. Right now I’m trying to pick up golf, and get out to the driving range as often as I can before winter sets in, and snowboarding takes precedence.
Getting Here from High School
I was home-schooled for a few years of my life, and the way things worked out for me, high school was really when I started doing the whole social circle thing (shy as a butterfly as a kid). I had the opportunity to try new things, and pursue my interests in clubs and the like. Oddly enough, throughout high school I was really into writing, reading, and works of the pen. Just goes to show that you don’t have to be a math whiz to consider engineering as an option.
The Best Part
Mech is an amazing program. The people involved are for the most part amazing, and I love my profs. I won’t lie, it’s quite challenging, and they really put you through your paces, but I know that after I get through it would have made me a better person. Plus, we get to do such cool things for things like design projects, and so in all in all it’s quite an exciting experience.
My Advice to Prospective Students
- Get out there and do stuff. Widen your horizons beyond the academic.
- Having said that, do well academically. Grades play their part too.
- Make time for yourself. As corny as it sounds, ‘me’ time is vital.
- Look around you. The world is an amazing place, so get to know it.