Is it harder to get into an engineering program because I am a female and there are a lot of males in the field naturally?
I looked at the ratio from female:male in a typical engineering course and it is on average 2:8. So just wondering if the competition is the same no matter what or if it is different. #engineering #girls-in-stem
4 answers
Rich Woynicz
Rich’s Answer
Absolutely the opposite. If you have good grades and interest, you, as a female, are in much higher demand than males in engineering. The bigger problem you (and most women have) is getting equality and parity in terms of career salary, advancement, etc. Being a male-centric field, their continues to be bias career-wise against women not because it makes any sense, but because it has been and is.
There are many industry groups and support groups for women in engineering. Google search this. Get plugged into them to learn from other women in engineering on some of the issues and how to avoid them in your career.
Simon’s Answer
No not at all. Females are welcomed into engineering just like males. I’ve seem a big increase of great female engineers over the past 10-15 years. To get into an engineering school/ program you need to have good grades in math and sciences as well as good written and verbal skills. If you can get involved in team activities and/or engineering programs. Creative thinking is very helpful as well as some drawing skills. So being a female or male does not matter. Take control of your future by taking the right courses, getting good grades, and participating in teams.
Simon recommends the following next steps:
Ken’s Answer
The answer to the questions is no. People are admitted into any program based upon their record of achievement. The key to being admitted is taking the correct courses in high school and working hard to get the best grades possible. It also helps to do interpersonal face to face networking, (not one way internet based disjointed one way communication) as it allows for real time dialogue and exchange of information, with people who are doing what you think that you might want to do in your career. The time to start this process should really be in middle school, but most students become involved during high school. Those who do not begin this process in high school may find themselves behind by the time they reach college. During my years in Human Relations and College Recruiting I developed some important steps, which have helped many.
Ken recommends the following next steps:
Jennifer’s Answer
Not at all. I would even say there may be some advantage to being a female as there are often specific scholarships available to female engineering students to encourage the minority population in that field.