The departments and Student Advisory Committee of the School of Engineering are sponsoring Engineering Discovery Week from October 23 to 25. The series of presentations is intended to help freshman and sophomore engineering students choose their majors.
With so many resources on campus, it may sometimes be confusing to find a definitive source for information, especially when it comes to choosing a path in life. Starting places that immediately come to mind are faculty advisors and the Career Development Center, but for many students, these cannot provide all of the information they need to make a decision.
EDW is designed to answer students’ questions about the various majors of the School of Engineering. The School of Engineering encourages students to attend multiple sessions, even students who already have a good idea of what their major will be. It is often difficult to tell exactly what the differences are between two similar majors—such as computer systems engineering and electrical engineering or chemical and materials engineering—until it is too late to switch.
Each department within the engineering curriculum will be holding a seminar describing what their programs entail, as well as what the future will be like in these fields. Faculty members familiar with the curriculum, RPI alumni new to the engineering industry, and fellow students with co-op experience will be present to show what each engineering major is all about, how it has benefited their life, and to offer their guidance to interested students.
The idea for this event originated within SAC, a student group that acts as a liaison between the student body and the office of the dean of engineering. SAC is made up of students from all over the School of Engineering who have already gone through the process of choosing majors. They have come up with EDW as a solution to the problems they and their peers faced in selecting a major.
The School of Engineering leadership hopes that this event will expose new and exciting areas of engineering to their students. It will help these students make an informed decision about their avenues of opportunity, while increasing the students’ satisfaction with their major. Whether you think that you are in the right major or are not sure at all, this event will greatly benefit you. Invest in your future now by attending the seminars of EDW.
More information about EDW can be found at http://www.eng.rpi.edu/edw/.
Editor’s Note: Roy Richardson is a member of SAC, which co-organized Engineering Discovery Week.
