Q&A with Rawan El Moghrabi

Western Engineering gives you the option to customize your university career by doing dual degrees or combining your degree with a minor.

Rawan El Moghrabi

Fourth Year Software Engineering and Creative Writing with a Long-Term Co-op

Rawan is a student ambassador here to answer your questions. Click here to contact Rawan.

Why Western Engineering?

I chose Western Engineering because of its general first year. Going into university, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do yet. So having the option to explore and try out different things before deciding was really helpful. I like the flexibility of the program, not just in terms of our general first year, but also in terms of combined degrees. Western Engineering gives you the option to customize your university career by doing dual degrees or combining your degree with a minor.

What do you do in your spare time?

There’s so many things I like to do in my spare time. I love reading and writing. I’m actually doing a minor in Creative Writing because of how much I like writing. I also enjoy photography and painting. Most of all, I spend a lot of my spare time with my cat.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I love learning the history of buildings on campus so I know a lot of random facts about them that I end up sharing with my friends.

Can you talk about your experiential learning experiences (co-op, internship, ELI, PEME, Global and Intercultural Engagement Honour etc.)?

I completed a 16-month internship at IBM and it was a great learning experience. Being in a work environment and living the 9-to-5 life gave me glimpse into the future and helped me understand what I like and don’t like about the career I had in mind. I also did a research internship here at Western Engineering. That was a great learning expereince as well and completely different from my IBM internship. I got to work with professors and graduate students which was very exciting for me.

Study tips for current/future students?

Study Buddies. Find somebody to study with. I found that studying with someone helped be more focused and motivated. You can also help each other out if there are difficult concepts or tasks and bring unique perspectives to each other. Another tip I would give is to figure out your learning style and not compare yourself to people around you. Everybody learns in a different way and in a different pace, so figuring out your learning style early on would help you succeed in university.

Can you talk about your residence experience?

I didn’t live in residence but I heard really good things from some of my friends. I think living in residence helps you meet people and be more engaged and involved in the campus community. It also makes it easier to go home between classes if you want to.