Aspiring STEM students! Make sure you’ve received STEM pre-college academic advising to prepare for academic success as an undergraduate while guiding you to appropriate ways to set yourself apart from other STEM applicants
TRADITIONAL STEM MAJORS INCLUDE:
Science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Animal Science)
T echnology (Computer Science, Information Systems)
E ngineering (i.e. Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, etc.)
M athematics. (i.e. Computational Finance, Applied Math)
The complete list of STEM majors and careers contains dozens of selections and extends far beyond the courses you’ve explored in your high school AP, AICE or IB classes.
Given your interests and strengths, or perhaps there is an area you have yet to uncover, let me guide you to the discovery of unique and cutting-edge STEM majors. You’ll be surprised to know that there are STEM majors for students who enjoy the “Liberal Arts” and for students with overlapping interests in business, social sciences and even the fine arts.
A variety of fields have been influenced by the analytical approaches and scientific techniques taught in STEM programs. Collaboration taking place within multi-disciplinary teams is the direction of future innovation in all fields.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A STEM EDUCATION?
The nature of STEM fields continues to evolve. Advanced preparation for an undergraduate STEM major should include the following:
- Mathematics: All STEM fields require a comfort and aptitude for quantitative analysis. High school coursework preparing you for Calculus & Statistics is advised.
- All engineering programs have math pre-requisites preparing for advanced coursework. Pre-medical
- Students will complete rigorous Chemistry classes requiring mathematics thru multi-variate calculus. Business schoolstudents, especially those in Finance & Marketing should anticipate coursework in advanced statistics, calculus and stochastic models.
- STEM AP/AICE coursework: STEM majors are more structured than others leaving few credits for exploration at the undergraduate level. Achieving high (threshold) scores on AP STEM exams related to your chosen major not only enhances your admissions portfolio, but better prepares you for the challenging coursework ahead and leaves room to enroll in non-STEM electives/minors. Challenge yourself to complete as many of these AP classes as possible during high school: Computer Science, Calculus BC, Biology, Chemistry, Physics C, Statistics
CODING: Multi-disciplinary problem-solving is typical in the fast-paced and incredibly competitive technical sector. Students in all fields, including video-gaming/artists, filmmakers, financial gurus and even aspiring physicians are at a competitive advantage having acquired basic programming skills. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence continue to influence all fields. Understanding the basics of coding is essential to success in STEM and many disciplines. Have you considered “Computational Finance” or “Computational Biology” as potential majors?
STEM ADMISSIONS: INCREASING YOUR CHANCES.
Discover an area that you are truly passionate about and dive in! Demonstrate informed interest thru experiences. STEM admissions are different! How do you increase your chances of admissions?
Demonstrate “INFORMED INTEREST”!
More than any other major, STEM applicants must clearly demonstrate “informed interest”! Admissions officers don’t want to read an essay describing your fascination with Lego since childhood. Your application must leave no shadow of a doubt that you are prepared to succeed in some of the most demanding academic majors. STEM curriculum are intense and challenging!
An astounding 25% of all intended engineering students exit the field after their freshman year. Only 40% of college students who declare a STEM major complete their degree. Demonstrating you understand the challenges ahead is essential.
STEM “informed interest” can be demonstrated through:
- In addition to completion of APSTEM coursework, engage in sustained formal or informal STEM extracurricular activities and independent projects (we have plenty of ideas for an independent project)
- STEM Research: participation in local, regional and national competitions working with our competition educator. (see our research page)
- Thoughtful college specific supplemental essaysshowcasing maturity and self-directed exploration of a potential narrow area of interest (i.e. stochastic processes in Financial Modeling, Genomics, Artificial Intelligence applications to pharmaceutical development)
Based on your academic strengths and personal interests, we will work together to create a personalized strategic STEM ADMISSIONS plan including:
- Pre-college academic advising on coursework to not only increase your chances of admission, but ensure a seamless transition to your initial undergraduate experience. There’s more to STEM than “engineering”!
- We’ll work together to identify and apply for highly competitive local and national STEM summer research programs. Our team has inside-knowledge of programs and faculty.
STEM RESEARCH COMPETITION
- Develop your unique research interests
- Present an effective admissions portfolio showcasing and distinguishing your strengths as an aspiring STEM student.
- Enhance your high school STEM education while increasing your chances of Admission! By participating in a major STEM competition for high school students you are stepping out of the crowd of students having high GPAs and extensive extracurricular accomplishments.
Admissions representatives prefer students who have already demonstrated an ability to conduct independent research
essential to the problem solving you’ll experience as a STEM undergraduate.
Bonnie R. Rabin, Ph.D.
Educational Consultant
Professor Emeritus, Cornell University Alumni Admissions Representative
Serving Clients In-Person & Remotely throughout the US
Experience the Difference!
