Engineering in College - What Applicants Need to Know - Episode 023

Episode: Engineering in College: What Applicants Need to Know
Guest: Dr. Jennifer Stephan
Host: Chris Bell

Chris Bell:
A lot of students say, “I want to study engineering.”

And that can be a great direction. But engineering is a much bigger world than many people realize.

Mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, electrical, computer, biomed — these are not just different labels. They can mean different classes, different kinds of problems to solve, and different college experiences.

And colleges handle engineering differently, too. At some schools, students enter a specific engineering program right away. At others, there may be more room to explore before choosing a path.

So tonight, we’re trying to make sense of it by talking with Dr. Jennifer Stephan. We’ll talk about engineering in college, what it is, how students can think about the different pathways, and what applicants should understand as they think through their classes, extracurriculars, and build their college list.

Show Introduction

Announcer:
It’s The College Talk Show.

Tonight’s theme: Engineering in College, with special guest Jennifer Stephan.

And now, here’s your host, Chris Bell.

Guest Introduction

Chris Bell:
Today’s guest is Dr. Jennifer Stephan, the founder of Lantern College Counseling. She’s a trained engineer, a former computer science professor, a former member of an admissions committee, and a current academic dean.

I’m really excited to have her here to help us unpack the different paths into engineering and what students should actually be thinking about as they explore their options.

Jennifer, welcome to The College Talk Show.

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
Thank you so much for having me, Chris. I’m really excited for our conversation.

Chris Bell:
Me, too. And let’s get into it. Here’s a basic question.

What is engineering?

What Is Engineering?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
Engineering is an academic discipline, but also a profession in which individuals use creative problem-solving skills and solve problems. There’s a lot of math and science involved, and a lot of creativity.

Often, that’s not something people think about initially. They think about math, they think about science, and they don’t realize how much creativity is involved with engineering problem solving.

How Engineering Majors Differ

Chris Bell:
Engineering is a wide range of majors. How do fields like mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, and computer engineering differ in what students actually study and do?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
At the most basic level, when students first start studying any of those engineering fields, there will probably be a lot of overlap. They will probably be taking a lot of math and science. And, of course, that can break down in different ways depending on the discipline.

Obviously, chemical engineers need to have chemistry early in their time, and that might be less important for mechanical engineering. But generally speaking, students are taking a lot of math and a lot of science in their first year or two.

Then at the upper levels, when they get into junior-level and senior-level classes, that’s really where there’s variability across the disciplines and students begin to specialize more.

In a field like chemical engineering, you’ll be taking a lot of advanced chemistry. In biomedical engineering, you’ll be taking some advanced biology. In mechanical engineering, you might be taking more advanced physics — aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, things like that.

In civil engineering, there’s a lot of materials. You need to understand the strengths and compositions of the building materials that you’re going to be asked to use.

So again, there are a lot of commonalities across math and science, but then at advanced levels, there’s specialization.

Beyond Math and Science

Chris Bell:
I think you and I both work with high schoolers who are thinking about perhaps pursuing an engineering background. Many times, they’ll approach this through math and science, as you’ve been talking about. They’ll be good at math, or they’ll enjoy science.

What else should they enjoy or be good at to thrive in engineering programs?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
You mentioned that I have a role at Lantern College Counseling, and that’s the capacity in which we’re speaking today. I also have a second hat. You mentioned I’m a current academic dean. I’m the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University, where I oversee the academic advising and success of all of Tufts’s undergraduate engineers.

It’s important to note at this stage that I have a formal conflict-of-interest agreement in place with Tufts University that allows me to do my college counseling work. I have no role with the Board of Admissions at Tufts whatsoever, and today I’m here in my role as a representative of Lantern. I’m not representing Tufts.

My counterpart for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, who does something similar to what I just described but for all the undergraduate BFA students, says, “We are the makers on campus” — the artists and the engineers.

Chris Bell:
Wow.

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
We have makerspaces. Our students need to be comfortable trying things, failing at things, and iterating on solutions.

Some of the high school students I work with who have the best outcomes have shown creative problem solving in really unique ways.

What Colleges Look For in Engineering Applicants

Chris Bell:
On the admissions side, what do colleges look for specifically in engineering applicants compared to non-engineering applicants, from your perspective?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
If we step up one level, college admissions officers want to admit students who are going to thrive and be successful on their campus. That’s really the bar.

In a school of engineering, what do you need to thrive?

You have to have some academic chops, if you will, or skills. You have to have some preparation in terms of readiness for the math and science curriculum, and evidence of that in the high school rigor — having taken math, having taken science.

But also interest.

We have to have both. You have to show that you’re not only good at something, but that you enjoy it, for a student to really be able to thrive. That can be demonstrated through activities or experiences.

Generally, I advise high school students, especially if they’re wanting to be competitive for the most highly selective institutions or programs, to have taken the highest level of math and science at their high school. Of course, there’s a range here, and we need that to be within what they’re comfortable with. I don’t want anybody getting in over their heads.

But if a student has maxed out the math and science at their high school, they can look outside their high school to extend or advance their knowledge.

I really like a full year of biology, a full year of chemistry, a full year of physics, and ideally calculus if possible. And if you can do calculus-based physics, Physics C, that’s great. But not every high school offers all of these things, and not every student who goes into engineering has done all of these things.

In terms of extracurricular activities, there’s a whole range of ways in which a student can demonstrate an interest or aptitude for engineering.

A cool home project, for example. I have a student who’s a first-year student at WashU this year in the School of Engineering, in chemical engineering, and she wrote her essay about how she’s her home plumber. She’s the plumber for their family. She’s always fixing their plumbing issues, which I just thought was amazing.

Chris Bell:
Super cool.

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
So activities where you get experience with creative problem solving are another piece of being a strong applicant for an engineering program.

The Undecided STEM Student

Chris Bell:
We’re talking about people who basically say, “I want to be an engineer,” and that’s what they pursue. Is there a path for a student who says, “I don’t know what I want to do, but maybe I want to do engineering”?

Do people need to know that they want to be an engineer when they apply to college?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
There’s absolutely a wide path for students who don’t know that they want to study engineering to go to college and study engineering.

The important piece, then, is that they choose the right school to go to, because not every school is supportive of what I call the undecided STEM student.

There are schools that admit directly to the major, and you need to know what you’re going to major in to be admitted. Then you’re admitted to that program, and it’s hard to get into that program otherwise, and it’s hard to change tracks.

Then there are schools that are very supportive of undecided engineering students in a whole range of ways.

One is curricularly, meaning the structures at the institution and the curriculum allow for exploration. And second, there are activities or people or events on campus that help students learn about engineering.

There are all sorts of reasons why a student might not find their way to engineering until they get to college. And if they’re good at math and science, they should go to a place that will allow them to explore and perhaps, if it’s right for them, find their way to engineering.

So places with open curriculum or places with very flexible curriculum — what I call low walls between the schools.

Another important question for students, in addition to, “Is this a place where I’d be admitted directly into a major, or is this a place where I’d have flexibility and support to explore majors?” is: What type of engineering education might I find there? Is it more theoretical? Is it more practical?

Can a Truly Undecided Student Find Engineering Later?

Chris Bell:
I think that you’re saying — but correct me if I’m wrong — that you still kind of need to know you want to go into engineering, and it’s just choosing which type.

If there’s someone who just really doesn’t know what they want to do, can they apply to a college as pure undecided, not anything, and then still get into engineering?

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
Absolutely. Absolutely. So I’m going to correct you, because you are wrong.

Chris Bell:
Please do.

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
It is a little more challenging, but at Tufts, as an example — and there are other examples like this as well. Northwestern is an example, but I know Tufts very well.

You can apply into the School of Arts and Sciences. Maybe you genuinely are interested in biology, maybe applied biology, and then you matriculate and begin to be exposed to more majors than you were exposed to in high school. You learn about engineering, and you can internally transfer into the School of Engineering from the School of Arts and Sciences. There are other schools that support that type of exploration as well.

Oftentimes, if a student has an inkling that they might be interested in engineering, it might make more sense to apply into the school of engineering at an institution with low walls that would allow them to move, because the curriculum is more rigid. It’s easier to move from a more rigid curriculum into a more forgiving curriculum.

But the tension there is that you might not be as competitive for a school of engineering application if you don’t have a lot of evidence of interest in and aptitude for engineering.

Chris Bell:
Love it. And you are always welcome to correct me. Thank you for that. I appreciate the nuance there.

Jennifer, it’s been great. If people want to get in touch with you, how would they find you?

How to Find Jennifer Stephan

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
You can probably Google, or put into an AI tool, Lantern College Counseling and my name.

But it’s lanterncollegecounseling.com, and Jennifer at lanterncollege.com.

I would love to hear from any of your listeners who would like to learn more about engineering or being an undecided engineer.

Chris Bell:
Love it. Well, thank you for your time today. Thanks for the great wisdom. I appreciate it.

Dr. Jennifer Stephan:
You’re very welcome. It’s been my pleasure.

Chris Bell:
Great. Stick around. We’ll be right back.

Sponsor Message

Announcer:
This episode is brought to you by Bell College Consulting. Visit bellcollegeconsulting.com to learn more.

Top Tips

Chris Bell:
That was a great conversation with Dr. Jennifer Stephan.

Now, it’s the part of the show where I try to capture the key moments as a kind of summary of sorts. I call it Top Tips.

Announcer:
Top Tips. Top Tips.

Chris Bell:
Kind of a summary, but we call it Top Tips.

Top Tips for applying for engineering in college.

Number five: To be a strong engineering applicant, take the highest level of math and science available at your high school.

Number four: But don’t get in over your head.

Number three: Find a way to demonstrate an interest or aptitude for engineering. This can be an extra class that you take in the summer or a cool home project.

Number two: Some schools basically require that you know your major when you apply. Others are supportive of changing majors into engineering once you’re there.

And the number one tip about engineering in college is: Engineers are makers.

There you have it. Thank you to Dr. Jennifer Stephan for her great insights.

Why do I do this show? Because I want to help people have real, non-hyped information about applying to college.

 

Because college is awesome.