土木一 Benjamin Strodl
Me at the Campus
I vividly remember the moment I boarded the plane at Vienna International Airport, bound for Taiwan. A whirlwind of emotions surged through me—excitement, relief, and fear all at once. Excitement, because it was an extraordinary honor to study abroad at a prestigious institution like NTU. Being granted the opportunity to pursue higher education in another country as an undergraduate is a rare privilege, one that only a fortunate few experience. Yet, my journey to Taiwan wasn’t without significant hurdles.
Back in April 2023, I was in Costa Rica, fulfilling a social service commitment when a serious injury derailed my plans. I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, requiring immediate medical attention. This led me to return to Austria for surgery, followed by a long and painful recovery. By the time my departure for Taiwan approached, I was still unable to walk without assistance. Armed with crutches and a mix of determination and trepidation, I finally boarded the plane. Relief swept over me as I embarked on this new chapter of my life, but my heart remained heavy with apprehension. Moving to a foreign country is daunting; doing so while navigating language barriers and physical limitations was a challenge of another magnitude.
In Costa Rica in the hospital
My introduction to NTU began at the freshman opening ceremony. With crutches in hand and a hopeful spirit, I made my way to the sports center. Stepping into the bustling venue, I quickly realized I was the only visibly non-Asian face among hundreds of new students. The entire event was conducted in Mandarin, a language I didn’t yet understand, and it became immediately clear that the next four years would be anything but ordinary.
The opening ceremony
The first week of classes reinforced this sense of challenge. I soon discovered that my educational background lagged significantly behind that of my peers. In my initial calculus lecture, I left the room more bewildered than confident. While my classmates found the material repetitive, having already mastered it in high school, I found myself grappling with concepts like limits for the very first time. My struggles were starkly reflected in my first calculus quiz score: a mere 17.5 out of 50. Back in Austria, I had breezed through my school-leaving math exams with minimal effort, so this humbling experience shattered my belief that I was proficient in mathematics. Similar gaps emerged in other subjects—engineering mathematics introduced me to matrices for the first time, and applied mechanics demanded knowledge of trigonometric laws I had never studied before.
Determined to bridge these gaps, I poured countless hours into self-study. Before midterms, my workload soared to an intense 80 hours per week, leaving little room for extracurricular activities. Civil engineering courses alone were demanding, but they were compounded by ten hours of weekly Mandarin classes, six of which were mandatory. The academic culture in Taiwan was worlds apart from what I had known in Austria. There, university life was a balance of academic pursuits, socializing, and traveling. At NTU, however, studying consumed nearly every waking moment. Having seven major exams during midterms was a workload unimaginable back home.
Despite the intense challenges, my efforts eventually paid off. When midterms concluded, I felt an immense sense of relief, and to my surprise, my grades exceeded expectations. The crowning achievement came when I passed my calculus course—a moment that filled me with unparalleled joy. I had managed to catch up on material that my high school education hadn’t covered, and with this foundation in place, I felt optimistic that the road ahead at NTU would be a little smoother.
2024 NTUCE RUN
Reflecting on my first months as a freshman, I realize it was not just a test of academic ability but also of resilience, adaptability, and perseverance. This time has reshaped my understanding of what it means to study, and it has prepared me for the challenges and rewards that lie ahead.
