STEM Mentors educates local students about college decision process

Local high school students learned about the many factors involved in choosing a college recently at an event sponsored by STEM Mentors, a Yale University graduate and professional student group that works to get high schools students excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and career opportunities.

The College Decision Panel, held on Feb. 24 at the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory on campus, featured talks by graduate and professional students from a wide range of Yale STEM schools and departments, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, molecular biophysics & biochemistry and public health.

The graduate students shared their experiences related to selecting colleges and universities, in order to educate the future collegiate scholars on some of the factors that play a role in higher education decisions.

Local high school students, some of whom are actively involved in Yale’s Pathways to Science Program, learned about such considerations as the size and types of colleges, and their distance from home, as well as other factors that can impact the decision to attend a particular college, such as the institution’s majors, minors, work study offerings, extracurricular activities, sports programs, internships, scholarships, and transfer options. Many of the high school students will be the first generation in their family to attend college. 

The event was supported by the Graduate and Professional School Senate, the McDougal Graduate Student Life Office, and the Pathways to Science Program. In April, students will be invited to attend a Career Fair where the high school students will learn about the career opportunities available through academic pursuits in STEM.