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(music)
I’ve met most of my best friends, currently, here at the program.
It’s kind of like an extended summer camp with engineering thrown in.
I was able to learn beyond the classroom.
I got to meet a group of really intelligent people.
We would just be able to go to different places, see the campus a little differently, and be
able to just know what’s everywhere.
ON the first day when all the other freshmentdidn’t know where their classrooms where, I was able
to show them around.
They basically let you know what you’re going to be doing here.
And so it was a very cool experience.
(music)
So Summer Scholars is an eight-week program for incoming engineering students, and we
invite them on campus to take classes, and there are many opportunities to network with
companies, faculty, and to join in getting into the community right away.
Engineering Summer Scholars program is basically a jump start into your freshman year, get
to know campus, and have this base community of friends.
You will have a group of people at the beginning of college unlike other freshmen, when they
come here alone.
The first day I met this girl, Anisa,
My mom was supposed to be with me, but she ended up having to leave because we had a
death in the family, and so I was by myself, and I don’t know anyone at Illinois because
I’m out of state, and so, my roommate’s parents took me in for the day.
We basically, like, took her in.
They walked with me everywhere, and ever since that initial meeting we have pretty much been
inseparable the entire summer.
Honestly, we’ve been like siblings, almost, for the entire thing.
We hope that they gain a lot of things: One, that they come out of it with a strong peer
group; we also get an academic head start – academics can be a hard here on campus
during the summer; that they’re able to learning the system, learn study skills
High school is different than college. What you did in high school isn’t exactly the
same as what you do in college. Your relationship with your professor is not the same.
You have to learn that the teacher is not going to come to you; you have to come to
them.
I didn’t really study much in high school. I didn’t really have to, in honesty. But
when you come here – university is on a whole other level. If you don’t study, you
won’t accomplish anything. It kind of built up my discipline to be able to sit down and
just be able to do the work that I’m supposed to do now in the fall. So that’s why I’m
able to come here now with a bigger class load and manage it better.
Also that they’re able to have a strong network of companies, of faculty members,
and of staff members as well.
WE met with companies like Caterpillar, Rolls Royce, Proctor and Gamble – and that was
incredible.
A big part of this program also is the part of being mentored by advanced undergraduate
students. And so not only are they R.A.’s in the residence hall, but they’re your
T.A.’s in the classes that you’ll be taking.
We had a projects class that we were all a part of, where basically you sit down and
break off into groups the first day, and start thinking of problems that you can help solve,
and you solve one within eight weeks.
The projects course consisteted mainly of working as a group, but within every group,
we all had our leadership positions.
Where I’m strong in one thing, someone else is strong somewhere else. And so the leadership
gets passed along throughout the course of the project. And that’s one of the great
things that the summer grade.
I would like to recommend this to all of the freshmen, because you already gain hands-on
experience as part of this program, and you also get a head start on your college.
The program has definitely given me a great GPA.
I no longer have a fear of emailing a professor and asking him questions, or going to a company
and interviewing or meeting someone at a meet and greet for engineering, because I’ve
already done it. I’ve already been there. And that’s one of the best things about
the program.
Because I got that sneak peek at that pace that significantly helped, because I know
what the workload is going to be like when I get into the full load semester. I kind
of knoew how to time –manage a little bit better because of that.
If you have a group of people to know at the beginning of the semester, you just look cool
to other people.
You get the overall college experience wrapped up in a nice, neat package.