<p>D will be attending Purdue's STEP (Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects) this summer. I was wondering if anyone had attended previous seminars and if they felt it was a worthwhile experience? She is pretty sure she would like to study ChemE and we were hoping she might come away from the experience with better information concerning what an engineering student might expect.</p>
<p>my son attended STEP last summer. They had some flexibility in selecting the engineering disciplines they wanted to attend, went to a company’s worksite, and had time to explore campus and learn where everyone else was applying to school.</p>
<p>He said it was worthwhile to learn more about different fields, and to see if Purdue was the right place for him.</p>
<p>He ended up not selecting Purdue, but was accepted into their UHP (honors program) which looks very interesting going forward – clustered in one dorm, preferential registration, etc.</p>
<p>YES! Do this program! I recommend students interested in engineering try out a summer week-long program at ANY university (there are several that offer it). This not only will help student decide if engineering is for them…but will give them a snapshot of all engineering disciplines. It will either cement their decision to go into eng’g, or will turn them off completely. It is money very well spent! Also, if you are able to attend at a university where you might apply (such as Purdue), this will show you whether you fit in there or not, the kinds of kids it is attracting, and so forth. Student will live in a dorm situation, eat in the dining halls, and it really is a sample of what life will be like on that university.</p>
<p>My son did STEP last summer at Purdue. Like previous poster, he also did not choose Purdue (for variety of reasons). Attending the program allowed him to make a very informed decision about eng’g and also about the university that was the best fit for him.</p>
<p>I went to STEP 2 years ago and just finished up my freshman year at Purdue. It helped show me that Purdue was the school for me and became my first choice. It also helped a lot when I came to start school in August to know a bit more about navigating the campus. I unfortunately didn’t get to see anything with the engineering discipline (chemical) that I was most interested in due to the tour people being on vacation or something… I forget. I learned that I wasn’t interested at all in being a civil engineer and that Biomedical was interesting, and I don’t remember what else I went to so it wasn’t impressionable.</p>
<p>It is definitely worth the money to go to STEP (or really any other engineering camp at a university). It provides a kind of insight into the university that you can’t get on a standard tour as well as insight into engineering itself.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. We chose Purdue’s STEP program over some others because of the format and the reputation of the engineering dept… I for one look forward to her being exposed to the university environment and for her to get a taste of what engineering will be about. It’s good to know that the program does what we had hoped and that others have come away with confidence in choosing engineering. Good luck to all.</p>
<p>Our D went to Step too…for whatever it’s worth, it is a great experience and was an added piece she put on her college applications. Shows Pudue your nterest in them, and shows other schools…Purdue is also in the running…win/win.</p>