From Passionate Environmentalist to Interdisciplinary STEM Researcher
Introduction
Elizabeth* came from a family of four children, and she and her siblings all attended the same private school for grades K-12. Elizabeth was a competitive dancer and field hockey player, and she also enjoyed studying computer languages in her free time. She filled her days with activities to include her local robotics team and organizing relief boxes for the victims of the hurricane in south Florida. Elizabeth applied herself in every subject, and her bedroom walls were covered with photos of her family travels around the world and colorful paintings of computer code and molecular structures. Elizabeth had never spent any real time exploring possible majors for college, and she felt stressed about choosing an area of study because it seemed like all her classmates and siblings had already figured that out. Elizabeth just had so many different interests that she felt overwhelmed narrowing her options to only a couple of subjects. She envisioned herself as a future leader in innovation and technology, and she studied quite rigorously for her ACT test in order to demonstrate her proficiencies in math, reading, and writing.
*(name has been changed for confidentiality purposes)
Methodology
First, we focused on figuring out what kinds of disciplines appealed to Elizabeth. We analyzed everything from her personality to her extracurricular activities to her lifestyle preferences. It turned out that Elizabeth spent a great deal of her time reading about innovations in the world of environmentalism: solar panels, hydrogen cars, sustainable farming methods, government policy, robots that clean the plastic out of the ocean… you get the idea.
Solution
Since we knew that Elizabeth was likely going to be a good fit in a STEM-related college program, we were sure to choose high school coursework that would support her path, keeping her inspired to maintain her high GPA. Furthermore, we signed her up for two online college courses over the summer that supported her specialized interests. The following summer, we found an internship for Elizabeth at a local tech startup, and on the weekends she volunteered at an organic farm that utilizes sustainable hydroponic methods. Elizabeth also continued studying for the ACT after we were able to confirm that the ACT was a better fit than the SAT.
Results
After looking at university programs featuring innovative applied sciences options like renewable energy, computer science, and sustainability, Elizabeth decided that the last thing she wanted was to be at a small school with fewer program options. She was interested in so many different areas, so of course a larger school made sense. Even when considering the social atmosphere, Elizabeth wanted a huge student body, one that would enable her to meet lots of new people every day. Elizabeth worked hard on writing her essays, and I encouraged her to explain her values about community and friendship. Elizabeth applied to 12 schools and gained admission into 11. She ended up attending a large private research university on the east coast where she would benefit from an interdisciplinary education.
