Parents as Influencers

Career and College Admissions

Agenda

• Introductions

• Parents as Influencers

• School Guidance

• Engineering Careers

• How SWE can help

Introductions

Eileen Gibbons

- Member of SWE since 1978

- Engineering degree (BS) from Northwestern University

- Engineering management (MS) from Santa Clara University

- Mom of 2, Girl Scout leader

Society of Women Engineers

• The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.

Parents as Influencers

• Several nation-wide studies conducted by NSF, Sloan Foundation, & National Student Engagement Study say:– Mom or Dad are consistently rated as the top two

• Family influences are the dominant explanation behind college choices and degree plans

Encouraging Girls

• Build your daughter's technological mastery and competence by finding a way for her to use a computer regularly; and by sending her to computer camp in the summer, especially after fourth grade.

IDTech camp, Camp Galileo, Tech Museum, EPGY,

Tech Trek, NASA, COSMOS, Exploratorium

• If she shows an interest in technical things, buy her a subscription to Popular Mechanics or a computer magazine.

• Go to the Maker Faire May 22, 23 at San Mateo fair grounds

• Don't assume that she is not interested in technical things.Don’t assume she can’t handle a knife or a power tool!

Encouraging Girls

• Encourage your daughter to take advantage of volunteer opportunities, internships, and work-study programs, especially in her areas of interest.

• Extracurricular activities add dimension. Support your

daughter's interests and participation in extracurricular activities. Sports, clubs, field trips, etc. allow students to find new interests, take on new responsibilities, learn leadership, be part of a team effort, and build a resume.

Encouraging Girls

• Start looking at colleges sooner rather than later.

• Collegeboard.com

• Several books - Fiske guide to colleges (library, used), Princeton Review. USNews Report

• Collegeconfidential.com

Don’t Stress About High School Courses

• Basic 4 years of Math and Science

• AP courses and Honors courses should not be pushed

• Don’t over-emphasize grades

• Better to be in band, play softball, & volunteer than graduate with credit in 4 AP courses and a blank resume

Western Schools for the 3.0 Kid

• Western Washington University • Washington State University • Pacific Lutheran University• The Evergreen State College • Washington University Central Washington • Saint Martin's University• Pacific University• Portland State University • Linfield College• Southern Oregon University• Forest Grove Pacific University • George Fox University• Oregon Institute of Technology, • Chapman University - • University of California San Francisco • Saint Mary's College of CA: • Belmont Notre Dame de Namur University • California Lutheran University:

Western Schools for the 3.0 Kid

• Sonoma State U• Humbolt State U • Cal State Monterey Bay CSUMB • Cal State Channel Islands California • University of Redlands• University of the Pacific • Whittier College • University of California Merced UC Merced• University of Nevada: Reno • University of Nevada: Las Vegas • Sierra Nevada College: Incline Village, Nevada • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona• Northern Arizona University: Flagstaff • Arizona State: Tempe• Prescott College: Prescott AZ • University of New Mexico• New Mexico State: Las Cruces

Western Schools for the 3.0 Kid

• University of Montana: Missoula • Carroll College: Helena Montana • Montana State: Bozeman• College of Idaho • University of Idaho • Western State College of Colorado • Colorado State University • Colorado State University - Fort Collins• University of Denver • Mesa State University• University of Wyoming • University of Hawaii• University of Utah• Westminster College: Salt Lake City• Southern Utah University - Cedar City, Utah• Utah State • University of Victoria: British Colombia

Consider 3-2 Colleges

• 3-2 colleges give your student a chance to taste college life without the stress of finding THE career before they even start college.

• Students in the 3-2 program normally spend three years at a college and two years attending an engineering school. The five-year program often leads to a bachelor of arts degree from the college and a bachelor of engineering degree from the second university.

• Examples: Whittier -> USC or UMinn; Grinnell -> Columbia,

Caltech, WashU; Scripps -> Harvey Mudd

Do Stress About High School Courses

• Make CERTAIN you fulfill UC requirements in course loads. (Don’t get tripped by “Performing ART” gotcha’.

• Make CERTAIN you fulfill testing requirements (2 or 3 SAT II levels, SAT or ACT by certain dates)

• I don’t think much of SAT prep classes. I think it is better to spend that time on essay practice.

Do Stress About High School Courses

• Advanced 4 years of Math and Science, English, Foreign Language

• AP courses and Honors courses should be pushed.• Don’t over-emphasize grades . GPA matters, but not

every single grade; a B is not a death knell.• Better to be in band, play softball, & volunteer AND

graduate with credit in 14 AP courses• Debate and/or Math Competitions

Your Role: Supporting Collegiate Admissions

Process• Reasonable Course Load

• Progress that is steady

• Worry about testing dates (do SAT II freshman year)

• Have THE MONEY talk

• Encourage work on the essay

Your Role: Supporting Collegiate Admissions

Process

Encourage love of trying new things

• Visit College web sites

• Listen when your child talks about dream schools

• Select appropriate test SAT vs ACT

• PSAT -> National Merit Scholarship

Your Role: Supporting Collegiate Admissions

Process

Don’t forget PAYING• Pay attention to showing skills (get out

the mixer or drill)• Pay attention to defining success as

trying and learning• Pay attention to finding summer camps• Pay for testing and camps and …

Why are girls not considering Engineering as a career choice?

• We know the issue is not one of ability or preparation. Researchers Huang, Taddese, and Walter found that girls are taking high school science and math courses at approximately the same rate as boys:

• 94% of girls and 91% of boys take biology, • 64% of girls and 57% of boys take chemistry, • 26% of girls and 32% of boys take physics, • 64% of girls and 60% of boys take algebra II.

Engineering Statistics

• 5% of US college students are studying engineering…

• Compared to:– 10-12% of college students in Europe– 43% of college students in China

• Statistics from Dr. William A. Wulf President, National Academy of Engineering

Why are girls not considering Engineering as a career choice?

• We believe that the problem is one of perception. Girls and the people who influence them—teachers, school counselors, parents, peers, and the media—do not understand what a career in engineering looks like and therefore don’t consider it as a career option.

Fix why girls not considering Engineering as a career choice!

• Change the perception!• Robotics competition (FIRST league) (Girl Scouts team!)• Math Olympiads• Intel Science competition

Career Choice and Life Style

• Women in non-traditional careers have lifetime earnings that are 150% of women who choose traditional careers

• Women are nine times as likely as men to be single parents

An Engineering Degree Opens Doors

• There are plenty of jobs, options galore (if you don’t like your job, you can find another)

• Engineers make huge contributions to society (roads, airplanes, medical devices, TVs, food)

• An engineering degree gives the competitive edge: MBA, medicine, law, anything!

• Women Engineers move quickly into management positions

• The engineering work environment wants and welcomes women

How SWE can Help

• Teach students that math and science is fun through hands on activities

• Role models• Information on engineering and colleges• Scholarships• SWE website – www.swe.org

How SWE can Help: Collegiate Sections

• Mentoring and connection with professional engineers

• Engineering Deans value SWE college women• Access to tutoring, study teams• Leadership experiences• Networking for internships • Social Activities and friendships

Questions?

• Where is you daughter in her career search?• Where does your child want to end up?

Summary Parents Participation

• Know your child - use different paths to a goal • Give ‘tastes’ of different careers, broaden your

views• Focus on colleges that FIT: degree choice,

population choice, cost choice• Watch deadlines, testing dates, course

requirements • Join in events such as today’s to see that

Women Engineers Rock!