This week, we are featuring a guest post from the fantastic Sara Stacy! Sara is part of the Women in Engineering Learning Community.
A little under a year ago, I was getting ready to go off to my dream school: The Ohio State University. I knew it was a big campus with a huge undergraduate population from visits, but I was still overwhelmed when I first got here. On a campus with over 60,000 students, it can be easy to feel like just another number. It can also be difficult to find a place of belonging on a campus so big. That is why just under one year ago, I decided to apply to live in a learning community. By being in the Women in Engineering Learning Community, I have found a small network of people on this large campus that have made it feel a little more like home.
My time in WiE began with an early arrival program called WiE LEAP (Women in Engineering Learning Community Early Arrival Program). All of the girls in my LC got to arrive three days before everyone else and participate in both engineering related and non-engineering related activities. We built cardboard boats that we got to race in the RPAC class pool, we got to paint mugs at a local pottery shop, and we got a backstage tour of the Columbus Zoo with a zoo engineer. We were also paired with our WiE mentors, who are sophomores living in the LC there to guide the freshman through the early arrival program and their first year. Mentors also plan programs every month for the WiE residents, which are always lots of fun and a great way to further get to know the other WiE residents.
The Women in Engineering LC is currently housed with Engineering House. This living arrangement is the best thing I could have asked for. To find a study group for a difficult class that I’m in, I don’t even have to step outside of my room! The people I’m living with have also similar schedules and workloads, which means everyone around me understands the struggles that come with transitioning to college and taking the difficult engineering prerequisites. I have made some amazing friends in both WiE and Engineering House this year, and I’ve had some of the best times of my life with those people.
My favorite event so far was a trip to Kings Island where we got a backstage tour of some of the rides and got the opportunity to talk to one of the park’s engineers. It was around Halloween, so the park was set up with Halloween decorations and plenty of haunted mazes. More recently, the mentors organized a trip to see the lights at the Columbus Zoo, which was a great event to get to know the other girls in WiE a little better.
Another part of being in WiE is that all members are required to take a semester long weekly seminar. It might seem tedious to have to take yet another class just to be a part of the LC, but in my opinion, it was worth it. We had presentations on things like study habits, stress management, Engineering Career Services, all of which have really helped with the transition into engineering at Ohio State. We also got to do some fun things with the class, like yoga and going to the planetarium in Smith Lab (although I will be honest, I might have taken a nap during the visit to the planetarium. Those chairs are comfortable!).
The best part about being in WiE is knowing that I am in a community of people who are going through the same ups and downs as me, and that there is a network of people there to help me deal with those difficulties. To be successful in engineering, or in any major for that matter, you don’t need to be a member of a LC, but I would wager that it definitely helps to live with people with the same interests and classes as you. If you aren’t a woman or in engineering, go ahead and check out some of the other LCs here at OSU. There is definitely one out there for everyone, and they can all boast that they have done amazing things for their residents. I know mine has done amazing things for me, and that’s why I’m happy to say that I will be returning as a mentor next year to hopefully help give more women an experience that was just as fulfilling as mine!