February 18, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR LORETTA MCHUGH IN CT
I am a mentor at WPI for their Women's Industry Network (though I did not go
to college there) and I have heard many positive comments on the GEMS
program. http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/Diversity/Girls/Gems/ I attended a
similar program before my senior year of high school and it really helped me
to decide that I wanted to study mechanical engineering in college. I
highly recommend participating in a summer math/science/engineering program
before you graduate - especially one that will give you hands-on experience.
Also, look into programs at universities that you are interested in as well.
Some schools offer programs during the summer before your freshman year. I
did one at BU and it was a great experience and helped me find my bearings
at a new school before classes started (http://www.bu.edu/eng/frop/). Some
of my closest friends from college were in the BU FROP program with me.