STEM Mentors guide local students through the college application process

The art of writing an excellent college essay and navigating financial aid and college options were some of the topics local high school students explored with their Yale STEM Mentors on Nov. 12 during a College Preparedness and Essay Workshop at the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory.

STEM Mentors is a Yale University graduate and professional student group, which works to get high school students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and career opportunities. The workshop drew graduate and professional students from a wide range of Yale STEM schools and departments, including biomedical engineering, molecular biophysics & biochemistry, chemistry, and public health. The graduate students shared their knowledge and expertise on the college application process and their specific disciplines with the future scholars.

Local high school students, some of whom are actively involved in Yale’s Pathways to Science Program, received personalized feedback from mentors about their college essays and offered advice on their peers’ essays. The event was supported by the Graduate and Professional School Senate, the McDougal Graduate Student Life Office, and the Pathways to Science Program. 

On Feb. 25, students are invited to attend a College Decision Panel, where graduate student mentors will share their personal college stories and discuss how they decided where to attend college.