Classes were just hard. I have to work now, not like in high school. As if this weren't challenging enough, consider the confusion and anxiety that most first-year students experience with their chosen major. The voluntary program pairs 80 freshmen with upperclassmen who share their ECE experiences and provide advice on anything from study habits to favorite ECE electives. The mentors and underclassmen typically meet during lunch or communicate through e-mail.
Most freshmen enter college with only a vague idea of what they can do with their major.
I was interested in circuitry and computers, so my high school physics teacher steered me in this direction. Computer engineering freshman Chris Fava thinks the mentor program is a great idea. His mentor, senior Brian Bruenig, has advised him on job availability, the sequence of classes to take, and good companies to interview with in Chris' area. Eighty pairs of students are participating in the program. Electrical engineering senior Jonathan Ashbrook became a mentor because it seemed like a great way to help an underclassman without having to make a huge time commitment.