What's the first step toward building a strong STEM application? What tips can you offer for STEM extracurriculars? These are questions we receive as counselors every year and the very questions we will be answering in this post!
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math. If your student excels in math and science or they are always wanting to learn how and why things work the way they do. Then perhaps pursuing a major in one of the STEM fields is in their future!
My name is Charlie Duffy, and I have been counseling students who are interested in pursuing STEM majors for many years. Some of the most popular STEM majors include engineering, computer science, mathematics & statistics, as well as biological and agricultural sciences. In this blog post, we will explore what it takes for students to position themselves as competitive STEM students as they prepare for college applications.
There are many school options to consider when your student is thinking about going into a STEM major. Some schools are well-known for their STEM majors and there are others, while perhaps less well-known, that can offer an equally fantastic opportunity to pursue STEM. STEM majors can often be the most competitive majors to gain admission into, which is why students should consider all of their options.
While schools like MIT, Cal Tech, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon are all well-known for their strong STEM majors, there are other schools students wishing to pursue STEM should consider. Schools such as the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Michigan Technological University, and Stevens Institute of Technology have a long history of offering some of the most innovative STEM and tech majors offered in higher education today. Students should also consider Case Western Reserve University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as well as Lafayette College. These schools are able to offer smaller class sizes and more access to research opportunities. STEM schools come in many shapes and sizes, and it’s important for your student to consider the school that has the resources to help your student achieve their goals.
Let’s look at an example of a student I worked with who knew they leaned toward math and sciences but were not sure if they wanted to go into computer science or engineering.
I began working with this student in the Fall of their sophomore (10th Gr.) year. The student was fresh out of a summer camp for engineering, where he helped build out a hand-washing timer that used a touchless sensor to trigger a 20-second timer to wash your hands.
The student enjoyed working with his hands, but also enjoyed gaming and wanted to know the “behind the scenes” in game creation. The quickest and easiest way to decide if game creation was a field he could see himself pursuing was to see how he liked coding and programming.
Since the student had minimal coding and programming background, we decided that he should learn the basics of web development and learn how to write code to build a website.
We worked together and identified free resources the student could use to begin learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are fundamental in building websites.
The student took several online courses in programming and coding. He liked the creative aspect of designing and building a website. He kept building on the programming languages he was learning and created many different websites and apps over the months and years. By the Fall of 12th grade, he had created a “portfolio” of projects he had worked on over several years.
While the student initially wanted to be an engineer, he decided computer science is what had resonated with him the most, and thus applied to universities as a computer science major. The student gained admission into UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and NYU!
Even if a student changes their mind and discovers that a STEM area they thought they were interested in is no longer an option for them, it is far better (and less expensive) for the student to discover that in high school than in their 2nd or 3rd year at college.
Working with a college counselor who can steer your student’s journey can help ensure your student gets the guidance they need. A college counselor can broaden a student’s exposure to STEM and help students realize how their interests are aligned with STEM fields.
A college counselor can also guide students in course selection and help them choose STEM courses that fit with your student’s high school graduation requirements.
When a student applies to a STEM major, I always encourage students to have a diverse list of schools to apply to.
Being that STEM majors can often be more competitive to gain admission into, it’s important for students to realize that having a background in STEM can help them stand out from the crowd.
A background in STEM can include:
Regardless of which STEM field your student ultimately chooses, these “five qualities” will ensure success in any STEM major.
About Us: With more than 23 of experience, Collegewise counselors and tutors are at the forefront of the ever-evolving admissions landscape. Our work has always centered on you: the student. And just like we’ve always done, we look for ways for you to be your best self - whether it’s in the classroom, in your applications, or in the right-fit college environment. Our range of tools includes counseling, test prep, academic tutoring, and essay management, all with the support of our proprietary platform, leading to 4x higher than average admissions rates.