A Letter from College

My transition to college life has been relatively easy. I have been making a ton of friends, I’ve joined a few clubs, I'm playing intramural sports, and I absolutely love living in the twin cities. 

 

I am currently taking Honors Physics I as well as Calculus I in the College of Science and Engineering. I took AP Calculus BC during my senior year at DSHA, so Calculus has been a breeze so far. I believe I feel so confident with the material because I had such a strong foundation from AP Calculus BC with Ms. Lundberg (Mathematics Faculty Rissie Lundberg, DSHA ’93), and I even plan to tutor calculus next semester as an on-campus job.  

 

Honors physics is definitely the hardest course I am taking this semester. On a fundamental level, physics is just hard, but it helped to be familiar with the basic material from taking AP Physics last year. I am also very lucky that the honors physics professor rocks, and his lectures are really engaging. 

 

For both calc and physics, I utilize office hours all. the. time. The professors and TAs are super friendly and are always excited to help students who want to succeed in their courses. Just like dasher time at DSHA provided students with free time to visit teachers when they needed help, office hours are an awesome tool to better understand course material as well as build relationships with the professors. Additionally, office hours provide the opportunity to meet with more students from your classes. I have met some of my closest friends in my physics office hours, and we study together before every quiz. 

 

One of my biggest takeaways from the STEM Scholars program would be to stay curious about the things you're interested in and find a way to get involved. As a requirement for the STEM Scholars program, I signed up for the DSHA/MUHS First Team® 1732 Hilltopper Robotics. I ended up loving it, and I joined again in my senior year. The STEM Scholars program encouraged me to engage with a lot of different STEM activities outside of school, and inspired me to check out all of the different clubs, research, internships, and travel opportunities offered specifically to the students in the College of Science and Engineering when I got to campus in the fall. There are tons here at UMN in particular, but it can feel overwhelming to see so many different organizations during your first few weeks. Luckily, clubs are constantly looking for new members, so once you figure out how you want to spend your free time, you can begin to get more involved with the things you like the most. As for me, I am currently a member of the Comedy Club and a few STEM organizations, but I also hope to join the Social Coding Club next semester and plan to study abroad during my junior year.

 

As a STEM major, my biggest piece of advice for DSHA students would be to MAKE STUDY GROUPS WITH WOMEN. It can be intimidating to go from an all-girls high school to a lecture hall of 100 guys and 20 girls. I am no longer automatically surrounded by women like I was at DSHA, so I had to make the effort to sit next to other women in my STEM classes. I exchanged phone numbers with a couple of girls during my first physics lecture, and it has helped tremendously both on an academic level studying with them, as well as on a personal level, being able to feel empowered by their presence in a field where many will make you feel discouraged. 

 

In my STEM classes, women are under-represented. Because of this, I’ve had frustrating experiences with classmates who have been condescending and dismissive. As a very obstinate woman, I continue to pursue my interests despite them, but the whole experience can feel exhausting at times. Being a woman in STEM, or further, a woman in computer engineering (one of the least women-saturated STEM fields of all) is a challenge beyond coursework, as your male peers may both outnumber you and may talk down to you. Find opportunities to surround yourself with other women in STEM. There should be plenty on every college campus. Personally, I try to stay involved in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and IEEE Women in Engineering, which are both fantastic campus organizations with plenty of support resources as well as opportunities to explore interests outside of the classroom.