They have chosen to participate in Engineering Success Week, where the focus is on teamwork. A feeling of belonging is an important factor in first year academic success on a big campus, according to Bruce C. Chrisman, co-coordinator of the Engineering Success Week program. Early bonding can give students added self-confidence and positive reinforcement when the going gets tough. Media Advisory Reporters and photographers are invited to cover Engineering Success Week. We hope as a result of this program that new students will strike up friendships with individuals who may someday be their lab partners or their roommates.
Close friends are a powerful motivation to succeed in school.
More than 20 engineering juniors and seniors who have volunteered as program mentors will work with the 85 Success Week participants. Many of them are enthusiastic alums of previous Engineering Success Weeks. That mentor relationship could last through the academic year because some mentors also serve as tutors in the college-sponsored tutoring program, another strategy that helps new students maximize their academic success. Students are often reluctant to seek help from someone they don't know. During Engineering Success Week, participants will have help from mentors as they learn to navigate the university computer system, face the challenges of a hands-on engineering project, tackle the Teams Initiative at Touch of Nature, and test drive the Department of Technology hovercraft.