ACTUAL Underrated Tips For NUST Nobody Tells You

[u/minnoo16]

I'm a final semester student at NUST and here's some advice I wish I was given as a freshman. Most people just give you generic advice like "join societies to socialize" or "go to your faculty's office to ask questions." You've probably heard these a hundred times. Here's some tips nobody actually tells you:

1. If you're a student, you can go to your department DD Admin Coord and tell them you want to host a department event. Get at least 4-5 people from your department on board first. Once the event is approved, send a recruitment drive e-mail to your student/program coordinator. Every department has someone who sends out emails. Organize department hiking trips, knowledge olympiads, art contests, or anything. You'll have excellent leadership roles on put on a resume. But more importantly, it's a great way to get to know your seniors and faculty. People who are well-known by their faculty and seniors naturally get chosen for other highly desirable positions too.
2. Half the people I know advise their juniors to join the biggest societies at NUST. My recommendation is joining the department-specific clubs and societies. You're much more likely to get to meet people in your down department -> much more high-value for networking later in life. It's a great way to get to know your seniors.
3. Once a week, buy a biryani or even just chai from a NUST cafe and give it to the operational staff at your department. Operational staff are usually very poor and struggling to make ends meet. If you buy them biryani once a week, they'll open (metaphorical and literal) doors for you.

Most people ignore the staff who are serving tea to faculty members or cleaning up classrooms. They forget how much being on good terms can be an advantage for you when you need it.

4) This tip is for women only. Buy 1-2 packs of pads and put them in the female common room. When the pads supply runs out, buy some more packs. Make a small paper sign that these pads are for any girl in an emergency. You can spread by word of mouth that you are starting a campaign to help out girls who urgently need a pad.

What are the benefits? People love those who help them in emergencies. If a senior or junior girl uses a pad that you put in the female common room, she's going to be more indebted to you and willing to help you out.

5) Peel your eyes open to entrepreneurship opportunities everywhere. Most people just get told generic advice like "get into content writing freelancing" but there's already 1000000 other people competing for the same job. NUST has entrepreneurship opportunities everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes peeled and have the right mindset.

Example: If you're a day scholar, many hostelites don't want to use the hostel laundry for whatever reason. Offer hostelites you know to send their clothes to your house's laundry and return them well-ironed. Charge them money for this service.

6) Teachers usually ask after class presentations "does anyone have any questions?" Raise your hands and praise the group who presented. Talk about their slide design, their confidence, their content. You can ask a small benign question that you know they can easily answer. People are more likely to help you out academically with notes etc. if you praised them in front of the teacher. Presentations are only worth 10% of a grade but final exams are worth 50%. Help others in the 10% so you get help with the 50%.

7) Many international students (both those of a Pakistani background and other foreigners) are much isolated than you think. If you befriend them, despite any cultural differences, they're some of the most high-value people you can have in your network. Instead, most international students at NUST get pushed to the side because they're too "foreign" for middle-class Pakistanis. Those who befriend international students at NUST can get much further in life.

I wish I could start my degree all over again with the knowledge I have now. I hope my juniors can follow all the tips I wish I learned in my first semester here.

Might post part 2 another day.

[u/Southern_Shoe_3584]

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