George Guy

About me

I'm George, a third-year Civil Engineering student at the University of Canterbury, originally from Wellington where I attended Wellington College. I love being social and try to keep my hands full outside of study, whether that's skiing, rugby, or whatever outdoor challenge Christchurch has to offer next. When it came to choosing where to study I was all over the show, considering Otago, UC, and Lincoln, but ultimately landed on Canterbury as the only option offering engineering. I figured I would always kick myself if I didn't at least give it a crack. Christchurch is such a cool place to live and I've loved my time here. I'm keen to chat with anyone trying to figure out what university is right for them, whether engineering might be the path for them, or just wanting to talk to someone who has been in their position before. I know I always felt like engineering was beyond me given I never got amazing grades at school, and I still have moments sitting in lecture theatres wondering if I'm capable enough. If any of that sounds familiar, I'd love to help.

My uni experience

Engineering is pretty full on. I'm not the brightest student and always had it in the back of my mind whether I was capable enough to get through with average grades throughout school. What I found was that staying on top of my work, attending every lecture and tutorial, and making use of help sessions really got me through. It requires decent hours most weekdays but it fluctuates. Some days you can take it easy while other times you might have to spend a couple of hours in the library over the weekend. No real surprises though. If you complete and attend everything set for you, you'll be fine. First-year engineering is extremely well set up with a lot of support and guidance available if you go looking for it. I was in University Hall throughout first year and absolutely loved it. It's extremely social and a large group means you get to meet most of the crew over the course of the year. The food wasn't great but I've heard it has dramatically improved since. If you're social, keen to meet a lot of people, and enjoy midweek socialising, I'd highly recommend it. You get out what you put in. I'd highly recommend playing at least one sport as it gives you a great place to develop new friends and expand your circle. Making the most of student nights and getting to as many O-Week and Re-O Week events as you can is absolutely worth it. Everyone is in the same boat when they start out and everyone just wants to meet new people and have a good time. Get out and be social as much as you can because there will never be an easier time in your life to meet people and make lasting friendships.

Hobbies

Christchurch is such a great city for extracurriculars. Mt Hutt being an hour and a half away makes midweek skiing extremely doable and a great escape from uni. I played social rugby for two different clubs and would absolutely recommend it to any skill level. In general Christchurch is just such a cool city. The rebuild post-earthquake has given it this really unique energy that you don't get anywhere else in New Zealand. One thing that surprised me was how much time you actually end up spending in Dunedin. It's only a four-hour drive and it opens up a whole new pool of friends you would never have met otherwise.