The SeaPerch Curriculum

SeaPerch falls into two categories, both designed to help students explore robotics. The first is , a series of modules designed for use by educators to introduce students to robotics and how they work in an aquatic environment. Now, you do not need to partake in the curriculum to compete in SeaPerch, but doing so is a useful way to get a grounding on the basics of underwater robots. 

Now, much of this does involve making purchases from SeaPerch, especially kit parts for robotics. Their goal is education, but robot parts cost money. You do not need to take part in their curriculum materials or become an educational partner of their program, especially since this choice is best left up to your school.

If you are part of a robotics club, however, then it may be worth investigating what they offer, both for curriculum materials and otherwise. Do not feel pressured to buy something just because it exists; Arduino and related 3D printing resources can often work just as well, if not better. Students in middle school may benefit more from beginning with a kit, but in high school, the process of making the parts yourself can teach you quite a bit. 

The SeaPerch Competition

The SeaPerch is held annually, and is invitation only. There are two ways a team can qualify to be invited to the competition:

1. Regional Qualifiers
2. Wildcard invitation

A full breakdown of what the competition entails can be found , but we’re going to sum it up for you briefly. Each robot must complete two tasks in the pool, and obstacle course and a mission course: 

• : The robot must navigate through a series of hoops underwater. Points given are based on time it takes the robot to do this.
• : Each year, the competition introduces a mission which the robot must complete, with certain objectives it must secure. 

In addition to the physical actions the robot must take, each team is required to provide to cover their process for creating and programming their robot. This has both required and optional components. While some of these are optional, exceptional completion of them can lead to additional awards.

This is the most common way to qualify, as volunteer coordinators around the world hold competitions for students near them. These are all associated with the main event, but are all administered separately, and so vary a lot in terms of scale and scope, from ten teams to two hundred. 

Each registered event gets a limited number of spaces to send the top qualifying teams to the main event. While each competition is different in the specifics, they all make teams face the same core challenge. This generally consisted of navigating through a specific underwater obstacle course in a pool, using a robot you built. The exact specifics do change from year to year; you can see the details for the 2026 challenge . 

Wildcard Applications

Students may also apply to head directly to the final competition through wildcard applications. These are intended for teams who do not have access to a regional competition. Teams which attend regional competitions may still apply for one of these spots, but preference will be given to teams who did not have the option to attend regionals. 

Applications must include team information, a brief overview of their ROV design, and a statement about what participation at the international challenge means to you. All applications need to be completed by the teams themselves, not by coaches or others associated with the team. These applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Wildcard spots are limited, and when they’re full, they’re full. 

Eligibility and Logistics

The tournament is open to elementary, middle, and high school students. Teams do not have to be associated with a school, though many are. There are students compete in: middle school, high school, and open. The classes have variations in their rules for robot design and modifications. Awards are available in all three classes. Note that the open class is intended primarily for college students, but high school students and others can and do compete in it. 

Students travelling to the international competition must be accompanied by a . All teams qualifying for the finals must register, and pay the non-refundable registration fee. This is currently $350 per team and $80 per team member or chaperone. Teams are limited to twelve total members, up to four of whom may be chaperones.

Here is the timeline of SeaPerch:

• Regional events are hosted according to the schedule of volunteers; they may be held at any point between October and April. You may find your regional event (if it exists).
• Wildcard applications may be submitted from December 1 to February 1, though these are processed on a rolling basis.
• Wildcard invitations are issued February 11.
• Registration is open for the finals from early January to early April; all teams must register before the deadline, even if they win a regional competition.
• The final competition is held at the end of May.

Awards

are available for all three classes in the competition, and for multiple categories within each. The prize in each case is the award itself; there are no scholarships or monetary awards associated with the contest. What you get, generally, is the prestige of having won, much like in other academic competitions like Odyssey of the Mind. 

Scoring for the event is done by category; you are scored both on the and on your . The rubrics they use are fairly straightforward. Note that optional documentation does not contribute to overall score, and is not scored generally, but can still qualify you for specific awards. 

Is SeaPerch Right for You?

There are many possible competitions out there, and many of them are quite a serious time commitment. Building a robot takes quite a while, so the question is whether or not this is a good opportunity for you to pursue. The answer is, of course, that it depends, so we’ll look at some things that recommend it, and the kind of students who would benefit most from participating.

The first major commendation point is that SeaPerch is open to elementary and middle school students, and has a bracket for middle scholars specifically. Middle schoolers are always more limited than high schoolers when it comes to serious competitions available to them, so anything that lets them explore engineering and compete at this level is notable. 

For older students, this is a good opportunity if you are especially interested in robotics and engineering. There are numerous different robotics competitions out there, each with their own unique twists; it is entirely possible to participate in multiple of these, and gain an overlapping portfolio of skills. 

If you aren’t particularly interested in robotics or engineering, then this likely isn’t a good way to spend your time, though it can still be an exciting thing to participate in. High school students should determine based on their prior skills whether to compete in the high school or open division. 

Final Thoughts

SeaPerch is one opportunity amongst hundreds, but for certain students, it can be a great way to show off what you care about, and how well you can actualize your passions. We hope this article has given you needed insight into SeaPerch, and let you determine whether or not it’s the right place for you to spend your energy.

Finding the right extracurriculars to meet your passions and let you explore them fully is often a challenge for students. There are so many possibilities, and so many of them may not be worth the time invested. If you are looking for help finding activities that are a good use of your precious time, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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NASA’s Pathways and OSTEM Internships

NASA’s premier internships are the and programs. Both of these are intended for college students, but high school students can sometimes take part in the summer internship programs. Note that most applicants are college students, and that the level of these internships is geared towards that. We recommend only advanced high school students with significant math and science knowledge apply for these internships. 

You must be at least 16 and enrolled full time to apply for either program. They do not just take engineering students, but also have paths for those interested in programming, math, database management, and other STEM fields. Yes, these programs are great for engineers, but they are worth checking out for students interested in other fields as well. 

You must apply to both of these online, through NASA’s site. For Pathways specifically, you must apply through the governmental jobs . This will require creating an account. Note that none of these internships provide housing; they advise only applying for programs near where you live, especially for high school students. You will be responsible for your own transportation to the internship each day. 

There are set application periods for both; for summer internships, applications are due in February. We advise working on your application and submitting them early, just to be safe. These sites are generally reliable, but internet connectivity issues can happen, and you don’t want that to be the reason your application wasn’t submitted. 

Your Resume

The Pathways internship requires a somewhat unique resume, one you’ll need to build specifically for this application. This isn’t too hard to do, but can trip you up if you aren’t expecting it. 

Your resume should be in chronological order, and should be in a narrative format. For each past position you have held, you should clearly and concisely explain what you did, telling the story of your time there. Specifically, they want to know the following: 

• Challenges; what problems or opportunities did you encounter while in this position
• Actions: What specific actions did you take in response to those challenges
• Results: What were the results of the actions you took, and how did they address the original challenge

They encourage you to be specific, and include quantifiable data where possible, to give a sense of the scope of what you did. You should do this for each past job or position, describing what actions you took and how you faced the challenges at each, telling the story of you through your resume. This can and should be longer than a regular resume, but is not an essay. You should still be concise with these, getting to the point and sticking to the facts. 

You should also include any skills you gained over this time. They are interested in both soft and hard skills; here’s some examples of both: 

• Hard Skills: programming languages, software experience, equipment experience (such as welding)
• Soft Skills: communication, leadership, teamwork

Finally, make sure you include your contact information. They will primarily reach out to you through the email address you provide, so make sure it is one that you check regularly. 

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Internship

The is one offered by NASA specifically for high school students. While competitive, it is significantly less so than the OSTEM and Pathways ones, and is a better option for students with less STEM or engineering experience. Offered in partnership with UT Austin, this is a summer internship for students currently in grades 10 and 11. 

The program is free of charge, housing, tuition, and meals during the program are provided by the program. During the program, students work on a project in a specific area under the guidance of a mentor; this begins with remote work, and then there is an in-person portion of the program. Students are also expected to complete learning and training modules before beginning work. 

This program doesn’t provide college credit, but students are introduced to many concepts they otherwise would not be, and have the chance to do hands-on engineering and STEM work under the guidance of a mentor. 

Applications to this program must be submitted , and are due in February. The application requires answering a significant number of essay questions; they advise writing these in a separate document, and then pasting them in when you’re ready to apply. Here are the questions they ask; you must respond to each in 250 words. 

• What subjects interest you most?
• What is your current academic path?
• What are your career plans, and how might SEES affect them?
• Describe important academic STEM experiences (courses, science fairs, school competitions, etc.). OR Describe important life STEM experiences outside of school (e.g., cooking with the scientific process, caring for animals, exploring nature, video game or code development, hobby astronomy, math clubs, robotics, tinkering, or crafting).
• What skills have you gained from extracurricular activities that will help you as a research team member?
• How did you hear about the SEES Internship Program?
• Have you participated in similar STEM programs, or is there a lack of STEM opportunities in your area?

A single recommendation is required. This is not a letter, but rather a form your recommender must complete by the deadline. This must come from a teacher, counselor, youth leader, or principal. These are due by the 1 of March. We advise asking your recommender well in advance of this deadline, ideally in January, to make sure they have sufficient time to complete it. 

The application requires a short video introduction. In this, you must explain who you are, where you’re from, and why you’re interested in being a NASA intern. This must be uploaded to a hosting site, and the url shared in your application. Make sure the video is not private or password protected, this will result in your application being rejected. They want videos to be unlisted. 

Finally, the application requires a transcript or a report card. There are no minimum GPAs required to attend, but they do want students with the academic aptitude to succeed in a rigorous program. Students with high GPAs are more likely to be accepted. They also want to see that you have some grounding in math and science coursework. 

NASA Student Launch

is a nine month engineering challenge where students design, build, and launch a rocket carrying a scientific or engineering payload. This culminates in launches from Huntsville, Alabama. This competition is open to students in Middle school, high school, and college, across different divisions.

Students submit designs for their rockets, which are then competitively reviewed by NASA subject matter experts and third party contractors who do the work of rocket design for NASA. Teams must pass multiple stages of design review before they are allowed to build, and more before they launch. This is designed to exactly mirror the processes NASA uses with their own rockets, to ensure the safety of the systems and those who use them. 

Teams must be registered through your school, and applications are submitted by a school for their team. This may be done . If you are interested in competing in this challenge, you will first need to assemble a team at your school, including a faculty member to oversee the work you are doing. This can be a challenge in itself, but is one well worth doing. 

Dream With Us Challenge

The challenge is open to teams of students in grades 6-12, who are asked to design aviation-related systems in response to a specific engineering problem set each year. This is an engineering challenge, asking students to create a practical solution to a real world problem. 

Teams register in September, this is done through your school. Teams of three to seven students are allowed. Submissions are due in January; there are several rounds of judging, with finalists invited to present their designs in March (though this is by invitation only). This is quite competitive, but is a great way for students interested in engineering and design to gain some hands-on experience, especially for students with an interest in aviation and aeronautics. 

Other NASA Opportunities

NASA offers other ways for students to get involved, though these are their main internships and competitions. They list all of the upcoming ones online ; you can filter this by who the opportunities are intended for, or the subject area of interest. 

Many of these opportunities are designed primarily for college students, but there are plenty of ways for high schoolers to get involved as well. Other activities can be found on their website , though this is primarily educational activities and competitions, and solely for students in high school.

NASA is a government agency, and is reliant on government funding to operate. During budget crises and shutdowns, these programs may be unavailable, and some may be cancelled if budgets are cut. These programs seek to draw students into NASA, to inspire the next generation of engineers and explorers, but are not critical to the agency’s functions, so may end up on the chopping block if things get tight. 

Final Thoughts

NASA offers students a lot of options to get involved in their programs, at many different levels. Some of these are more competitive than others, especially those aimed primarily at college students, but they are all quite popular with students interested in engineering, and for good reason. If you are interested in engineering or STEM, then these are definitely something you should consider taking advantage of as well.

If you are looking for help finding the right opportunities for you to take advantage of, or for the best ways for you to get involved with engineering in high school, then Ivy  Scholars can help. Our mentors are experts at helping students find the right opportunities for them, and apply to them strategically. If you are looking for help with your own applications or endeavors, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We’re always happy to hear from you. 

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That’s quite a mouthful, but what does this new center entail, and why are they opening it now? More importantly for the students we work with, what does this mean for undergraduates at NYU, and how can this (and other such initiatives) impact your college admissions strategy? In this article, we’re going to delve into the answers to all these questions, to give you a peak behind the curtain. Let’s jump right in!

What is the Center for Robotics and Embodied Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence, and the pursuit of it, has made the news a lot recently. Colleges exist on the cutting edge of research, and many of them see new investments into AI research projects quite valuable. This is both in order to better understand a rapidly evolving field, and to attract the interest of donors and grants; colleges need money to study things, and right now a tremendous amount of money is being put into researching AI. 

As for why New York University is specifically combining this with a center for robotics, that’s because of a specific theory in the development of AI. Recently, progress on purely software models has slowed down; ChatGPT and other LLMs can do some remarkable things, but theorists believe we may be hitting the limits of what they are capable of, that these models can only go so far, and that adding more training data and processing power will not be sufficient to get them to take the next step. 

One theory as to the solution to this is “Embodied Intelligence”. This holds that the best way for AI to take the next step is by putting it directly into a physical form; an AI that exists as software can only interact with the world through training data, while one with a more physical form is able to gather much more data about other states of the world. 

This is where the name of NYU’s new center comes from, and is a clear impetus for its construction. NYU already has some programs to study both robotics and AI, and a very strong engineering school, but until this point had no place which combined all of those things beneath a single roof administratively. The new center offers them just that, giving them a secure base on which to build future investigations and investments. 

NYU’s New Center and Undergraduates

The main students impacted by this center are doctoral students, who are the ones who do much of the legwork of research. PhD positions are supported by grant funding, and centers like this exist to bring that funding in; this is still a ways in the future, but we do anticipate further faculty and PhD positions being announced, even as some existing research projects are moved to the new venue. 

For undergraduates, however, the center offers a number of new opportunities, mostly in terms of expansions of existing fields. There are no specific majors or minors directly associated with the new center, at least not yet, though this may of course change going forward. 

Instead, the center offers new resources and research opportunities for students in a number of major and minor programs, across the fields of engineering and computer science. Students in these programs will not need to involve themselves with this new center, but will have access to a new suite of initiatives, and new research projects looking for employees to aid in the long hours of work many of these projects take. 

New research is exciting, but we are going to include our standard warning here that research projects can be rather dull on the minute level. The day to day of research projects, especially for the tasks that undergraduates are hired to do, often involve long hours of setting up equipment, recording data, and observing and notating results. These are all key pieces of the scientific process, and integral to its success, but are rather less exciting than what you may see on TV. 

New Centers and College Applicants

What then does NYU’s new center mean for students who are applying to NYU? It is, of course, the most impactful for PhD candidates who wish to study in these particular fields, especially if these new labs do create new opportunities for them at NYU. This may be a long way off for you, but is worth keeping an eye on if you want to seriously consider a PhD in these fields in the future. 

For students applying at the undergraduate level, these centers can have a variable impact. NYU’s center, for example, doesn’t offer any new majors to apply to; some new centers do, and this can be worth investigating, as new majors are often less popular, and schools look to fill them up, to justify the expense of creating them. Finding these, especially in fields related to your passions, is often a great way to get into a top college you might have struggled with otherwise. 

The other place you can consider mentioning these is in your essays. NYU specifically does not ask students why they want to attend, or at least they didn’t this year. Many colleges, however, specifically ask students to write an essay explaining why they want to attend this college in particular; what draws them to it, and makes it a perfect fit for their needs and interests. 

These essays are a great place to discuss these new initiatives and programs. Now, you should only do this if you are genuinely interested in these programs, but doing so is a great way to show off the research you have done about that school, and to demonstrate how neatly your passions dovetail with the school’s own priorities. 

Starting a new program is always something of a risk, and schools want to make sure they get a crop of talented and motivated students enrolled in any new programs as soon as possible. Mentioning these programs specifically when you are applying gives schools that confidence, especially if you can tie work you’ve already done to the exciting new opportunities these programs will afford you. 

The other place you can discuss this is in why major essays. Now, do not currently include one of these, but many schools do. Talking about why you want to study a major, you can line up your experiences with what a new program offers. You can say this explicitly at the end, but in the bulk of the essay you should focus on what you’ve done in this field already, and let anyone who reads it come away understanding exactly why this new center is the right place for you to thrive. 

Final Thoughts

Colleges frequently open new centers and begin new initiatives, especially as research progresses and technology drives innovation forward. In the 1980s, computer science majors were rare; now they are almost ubiquitous. NYU’s new Center for Robotics & Embodied Intelligence is the latest in a long line of bold decisions by colleges, and one which opens up some truly incredible new opportunities for students at NYU, graduate and undergraduate alike.

If you are interested in pursuing this program at NYU, or are looking for a college with the perfect programs to help you explore your passions, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors have a deep understanding of the college process from start to finish, and are skilled at assisting students in finding the exact programs to best meet their particular needs. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help make your college journey smoother. 

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Finding a good place to share your research is often a challenge for high school students; many professional journals and conferences do not accept submissions from high school students. In this article then, we’re going to go over one excellent option for publication, the IEEE family of conferences and journals. We’ll cover what these are, how they review papers submitted to them, and some that łÔąĎąŮÍř’ students have published in before. Let’s get started!

What is IEEE?

The (IEEE) is a large professional organization for, as the name suggests, electrical and electronics engineers. Beyond this, they have a large focus on technology generally, and publish a significant amount of research on the frontiers of technology. They especially are one of the premier places that computer science research is published. While they aren’t alone here, they are one of the best known and respected research venues. 

You do not need to be a member of IEEE to publish or present with them, though membership may be a good idea to gain access to what they do. There are reduced for students; while it isn’t necessary to join, we recommend investigating whether or not it would benefit you. 

Most of their access for students is through conferences. IEEE sponsors conferences at a lot of colleges; these are generally aimed at undergraduates, but almost all of them will accept work from high school students if it is done at a sufficient academic level. These conferences all have their own themes, both broadly and annually. For example, a conference may be devoted to computer science research generally, and choose one year to focus on novel applications of LLM systems. 

Where to Publish with IEEE

łÔąĎąŮÍř has helped students present their research in a number of IEEE conferences. Here is a sample of them, to give you an idea of what these conferences are like, and how they operate. 

This is a true international conference, and is held abroad as frequently, or more so, than it is held in the US. Their subject matters vary, but tend to cover information technology, including data science, big data, cyber security, machine learning, and the application of information communication technologies (ICT) to various fields. 

Papers must be submitted , and must meet the conference’s formatting standards. All submitted papers will be peer reviewed by the organizers of the conference. 

Note that they expect all authors to their papers at the conference. As this conference is often held outside of the US, this may be prohibitive for some students. Work with your mentor to determine if this is feasible for you, or if you should focus on submitting your paper to a conference which allows for poster presentations instead. Papers which are not presented may not be published in the conference proceedings. 

As the name suggests, this conference covers all aspects of machine learning, and how that can be applied to different facets of daily life or other industries. This conference may be held in the US or abroad, depending on the year.

Submitted papers must meet all of their . Papers will be subject to a double blind review, and must cover original research. Papers may be submitted for oral or poster presentation, which have different . We recommend students do poster presentation papers in most circumstances. Information for poster presentations is . You will need to attend in person to hang and discuss your poster, which may be an issue for some students due to scheduling. 

Held annually at MIT, this is our most popular destination for research presentations, as it is the most accessible to students, both in terms of research level, and in terms of physical access. The conference is run for and by undergraduates (both form MIT and around the country), but high school students are also welcome to submit papers for inclusion. 

Submitted papers must meet their ; in general our students submit for poster presentations. It is encouraged to attend the conference to discuss and present your poster; this also gives you a chance to visit MIT’s campus, and perhaps other colleges in the Boston area. Presenting here does not give a specific boost when applying to MIT, but can still bring you into contact with professors or others from the school.

Another moving international conference, held in a different city globally each year. The conference focuses broadly on the applications of computer intelligence, and accepts papers within that category. They accept papers for oral and poster presentation; students generally benefit most from submitting posters. 

All submitted papers must comply with their . Submitted papers will be subject to double blind review before being selected for inclusion. You are encouraged and expected to make your data and code available upon acceptance of your paper, or to have a justification for why you cannot. They recommend having a stable link to the code somewhere on your poster. 

All papers must be presented, whether orally or via a poster, and all authors are expected to attend the conference. Depending on location, this may not be the best venue for submissions. 

How IEEE Evaluates Submissions

When a paper is submitted to a journal or conference, it is reviewed before being accepted and published. This is to make sure your research is valid, and conducted to the standards the organization holds. This is true of IEEE conferences as well; while each has their own slightly unique approach as decided by their organizers, overall they are looking for the same things, and review research in the same ways. 

When you submit research to IEEE, it is reviewed by two independent peer reviewers. These reviewers do not know who you are, nor do they read each other’s comments; each reacts to your research independently, and reviews it based on specific metrics. Depending on their review, your research may be accepted, rejected, or returned for further revisions. 

The following metrics are what you are graded on by reviewers:

• PROBLEM STATEMENT AND GOALS: Are the goals of the work/project well-developed and explicitly stated?
• SCHOLARSHIP: Is the paper grounded in relevant literature?
• METHODS: Rate quality of methods and/or research approaches. Methods may be qualitative, quantitative, mixed, or more specific.
• RESULTS (Full Paper): Are the analyses and results thorough and appropriate?
• WIP Results: Rate the Work-in-Progress analysis and results.
• CONCLUSIONS (Full Paper): Rate the quality of conclusions and future work (if any) for this full paper.
• WIP Conclusions: Rate the Work-in-progress conclusions and the scope for future work
• WRITING: Rate the writing style and mechanics of the paper/abstract/proposal.
• Poster Introduction and Background: Rate the Introduction and Background sections of the abstract. Are the problem and goal statements clear? Is context/background provided?
• Poster Methods/Process: Rate the described methods and process. as applicable.
• Poster Results and Future Work: Rate the Results and Future Work sections of the abstract.

For each of these, you are given a ranking of 0-3, depending on how well the work you did aligned with their view of what ideal research should be. Research is accepted if all of these come back as 2 or higher. 

In general, these are going through the same steps your research mentor took you through in formulating your research and drafting your paper, and then judging how well you executed on that. They are looking for research which clearly states its goals, has well described and thorough methodologies, well supported conclusions, and with an analysis that fully explains what happens, and what the impacts of this research are. 

You will be graded on this metric by both peer reviewers; they may assign different scores on different categories, but tend to be consistent. Peer reviewers are all experienced researchers, and know what to look for when reading a paper in this discipline. 

In addition to the metric rankings, reviewers will also give a sentence or two of feedback on the paper as a whole. This feedback is meant to be constructive, illustrating what you did well, or noting places where you may need to add more focus. Here are examples of feedback received by a past IS student on a paper submission:

• Extremely interesting paper! You did a very good job of going through the steps/procedures that you took in great detail. The explanation of the results were also very well done. Definitely continue working on this project in the future as it could make a huge difference in the world!
• Well organized and well written paper. Author should mention where this work was carried out.

This feedback is quite valuable, as it shows where you are doing well in your research and writing, and where you should focus your efforts on improving for the next time you submit a research paper. 

Final Thoughts

Doing research is an excellent way to stand out to colleges, but the only way for them to know how legitimate that research was is to disseminate it. The point of research is to create something new and novel, and then to share that new knowledge with the broader field, so other researchers can build on it in turn. This is how human knowledge increases as a whole, and progress is made. 

There are many possible venues to share your own research, depending on topic and field. We hope this article gave you a good introduction to one, and showed you just what you can accomplish as a high school researcher. If you are looking for help pursuing your own research projects, łÔąĎąŮÍř research mentors can help. These are professional researchers with years of experience under their belts, who can teach you exactly how to conduct and publish your own research study. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.

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We’re going to explore what this fair is, how it works, and how you can enter it. We’re also going to look into whether you should consider doing so, and why colleges hold this fair in high regard. We’ll also give a few tips on the best ways to prepare for and compete in science fairs generally, so you know what you’re doing when you do. Let’s get started!

What is ISEF?

First founded in 1950, ISEF is an annual science fair and competition. It attracts more than 1,800 submissions on average, with students from more than 75 countries and territories competing each year. Regeneron Pharmaceutical is the principal sponsor of the fair, but other technology companies contribute as well. Winners at the fair can receive a variety of scholarships, grants, and other prizes. 

The 2025 fair is their 75th anniversary, and is occurring May 10-16 in Columbus Ohio. The venue of the fair changes from year to year, but is always in the continental United States. The available are as follows:

• Each of the 22 categories has their own Grand Awards of 1st through 4th place, with a cash prize. 
• A number of other awards are then distributed among the winners of the top awards; these are scholarships of $10,000-100,000 in value. 
• are also given by independent organizations who want to recognize work in specific disciplines done at the fair. 

You are fully responsible for choosing which you compete in. We describe this in more detail, including advice on how to pick a category, in a later section. ISEF allows submissions in the following categories:

• Animal Sciences (ANIM)
• Behavioral and Social Sciences (BEHA)
• Biochemistry (BCHM)
• Biomedical and Health Sciences (BMED)
• Biomedical Engineering (ENBM)
• Cellular and Molecular Biology (CELL)
• Chemistry (CHEM)
• Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBIO)
• Earth and Environmental Sciences (EAEV)
• Embedded Systems (EBED)
• Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design (EGSD)
• Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics (ETSD)
• Environmental Engineering (ENEV)
• Materials Science (MATS)
• Mathematics (MATH)
• Microbiology (MCRO)
• Physics and Astronomy (PHYS)
• Plant Sciences (PLNT)
• Robotics and Intelligent Machines (ROBO)
• Systems Software (SOFT)
• Technology Enhances the Arts (TECA)
• Translational Medical Science (TMED)

The fair itself operates in a funnel. Students first compete in regional or state fairs, and the top entrants from those are selected to attend the main ISEF competition. 

How to Compete in ISEF

Step one for competing is to find an . These regional fairs send the best entrants on to the main annual fair, and are a chance for you to familiarize yourself with the format of the competition, and to receive feedback on your submission. While ISEF is only open to students in grades 9-12, there are regional fairs open to students in grades 6-8. This is a great chance to get a head start on exploring science, and refining ideas you may investigate in greater depth in the future.

Fairs in the US are generally held between January and March, with the exact dates being determined by the organization hosting the fair. International fairs may have different schedules, but all take place before the main competition occurs in May. 

All submissions must abide by ISEF’s . These exist to make sure research is conducted safely and ethically, and in a manner consistent with scientific rigor. We recommend reading the rules in full yourself if you are going to compete, but here are the core points:

• All of the work must be done by a student (or students; teams of up to three are allowed to compete). Adults may sponsor or supervise the work, especially if there is a potential for hazard, but the work itself must be done by the student.
• An adult sponsor is necessary to oversee the project, as is a qualified scientist. 
• Any project involving human participants must be approved by an (IRB).
• There are further specific rules for projects involving human participants, nonhuman living participants, and hazardous materials.

Review these rules carefully when planning out your project; you don’t want to go through the entire research process only to have your work invalidated because you did not properly follow these rules. 

There are a variety of forms you must fill out when beginning your project to confirm that you are operating in accordance with the rules. These may be found . Again, make sure these are in order before getting started on your project.

Next, you need to decide what question you are researching. This is up to you; it must fit within one of their , but it is up to you which category specifically your project is entered under, as many projects may have aspects which line up with multiple different categories. 

Finally, this is a science fair; all research is to be presented in a standardized format, so it may be reviewed by judges and explored by attendees. The rules for your display may be found . This is not something to worry about so much when actually conducting your research, but does become a major factor later on. 

Judging at ISEF

Judges for this fair must have either 6 years of professional experience in a related field, or hold a PhD or MD, or be a graduate student within a year of their dissertation defense. The goal is that all judges be experts in the fields they are judging on, and fully qualified to understand the research being undertaken. There are policies in place to make sure there are no conflicts of interest for judges. 

Projects are judged on the following criteria:

• Creativity. All research should be original, but they also look to see if you have demonstrated unique perspectives or taken an original approach to a given problem. 
• You are judged on how much assistance you received, and how much of the work you did on your own. 
• Your research question should have a clear purpose, identify the contribution to the scientific field of study, and be testable.
• Your methodology should have a well planned design and data collection methods, and have well defined variables and controls.
• Your data collection should be systematic and replicable. You should apply relevant statistical methods to analyze it. You should have collected enough data to support your conclusions.
• Your poster needs to be logically organized, with clearly readable figures, and supporting documentation included as necessary.
• Your presentation needs to show that you understand the science behind the project, be able to answer relevant questions, and understand the results and the limitations of your conclusions.

These factors are used to determine how well you understood the research you undertook and the potential impact and relevance of the conclusions you came to. 

Is ISEF (or Science Fairs Generally) a Good Opportunity for You?

Many high school students want to explore the fields of science or engineering in more depth than is available in their classes. In the case of most of these fields, the only way to truly understand them is to do them; some things can only be learned by doing, and research is one. 

Thus, students who think they might want to pursue science, but are unsure, or who know they want to pursue the field but can’t get the experience they need through coursework, should definitely consider ISEF or other science fairs. The experience of formulating a research question and pursuing it is valuable, regardless of whether or not you end up placing in the end. 

Of course, there is significant value to be found in doing well in one of these fairs as well. Colleges admire significant academic achievements, and receiving a top prize at a major science fair such as ISEF definitely qualifies. Doing so allows you to show off your interest in science, while also providing an external confirmation that you’re pretty great at it, something colleges love to see. 

Choosing the Right Topic

As a final note, a big portion of both doing well in a science fair, and impressing colleges with what you’ve done, is choosing the right topic to investigate. Science is an incredibly broad field; the 22 different categories offered by ISEF help illustrate that. Here is our guide to finding a good topic for your project:

1. Start broad, then narrow down. It’s good to start with a general field, then pick ever more niche subfields within it. You might start with ecology as a whole, then narrow to wetlands ecology, then narrow further to frogs and their habitats. 
2. Do your background reading. A lot of questions have already been asked, and you don’t want to simply recreate work that’s already been done. Once you have your narrow field, read papers in it, to see what kinds of research questions other scientists are asking. Many of these may also suggest topics for future study, including things available to you.
3. Understand your limits. Scientific research as a whole does not always require a laboratory and specialized equipment, but some definitely does. Know what resources you have access to when deciding what question to investigate; the amount you will be able to do with access to a science lab at your high school is more than you could do at home in your kitchen, but less than what could be accomplished with full lab access. 

Finding a mentor to help guide you through this research process is key as well, be that a teacher at your school, a professor at a local university, or a research mentor like you can find at łÔąĎąŮÍř. In any case, you should look for guidance while undertaking your research. You must do the work yourself of course, but a mentor can make sure you are undertaking your experiments in a safe and ethical fashion, and following the best practices for research in a field. 

Final Thoughts

Science fairs have a very old tradition (as we can see with ISEF celebrating its 75th anniversary), and remain a great way for students to get involved in the scientific research process. We hope that this article has given you a good insight into one such fair, and what it takes for you to partake in what it offers. 

Standing out in college admissions is an ever present challenge, especially as top schools receive ever more applications. If you want help finding the right opportunities to help highlight your strengths, or for planning your own science fair project with one of our research mentors, schedule a free consultation today. We’re always happy to hear from you.

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This is easier for some fields than others; majoring in public policy because you want to enter public service and help others is a clean and simple narrative. For engineering, however, it can be more challenging to position your candidacy in this way. In this article, we’re going to explore some ways you can do so, and how you can make your interest in engineering into something grander.

Why Do You Want to Study Engineering?

The first step is to determine why you actually want to study engineering in the first place. Maybe you like the joy of creation. Maybe you want to work at NASA. Maybe you just want a job that is both challenging and high-paying. These are all reasonable options for you, but colleges tend to want something deeper. 

You should not lie about your own motivations of course, but you should couch them in reasonable terms, so you come across in the best possible light. We recommend never mentioning salaries, your parent’s wishes, or specific companies when talking about your motivations for or future plans in engineering. 

As you consider your motivations, both current and future, you may realize you have more than one, or that you’ve not thought in detail about your future plans. This is completely fine; high school students shouldn’t need to have every aspect of their life mapped out. In the next section, we’ll cover some potential grand motivations to position your engineering candidacy, and explain your interest in the field.

Grand Engineering Challenges and You

The National Academy of Engineering has proposed fourteen for the 21st century. You can find a full list of these ; the general thesis, however, is that engineering has long striven to make life better for people, and has made great strides in improving the quality of life for millions of people. These are the challenges that current technologists see engineers needing to tackle over the coming century. Things that the students of today may well find themselves addressing.

These challenges are incredibly broad and tend to be open-ended. These are not product ideas or even defined projects, but grand goals within engineering as a discipline. Thus they are excellent for students looking for a grand ambition to get into engineering, or who are uncertain how to otherwise position their engineering candidacy. 

What is Positioning?

First, a brief aside to explain what we mean by “positioning.” The activities you do, the classes you take, and your stated extracurriculars position you in the mind of admissions officers, especially if there is synchronicity between them. For example, a student who takes classes in coding and robotics, competes in and wins robotics competitions, and who writes essays about their love of automated systems is well positioned for a program which specializes in robotics. 

Positioning yourself well through your activities and goals can help you stand out from the vast sea of applicants who all want to study the same discipline, and who likely have similar preparations and experiences. 

How to Position Yourself With Grand Engineering Challenges

This works best for younger students, but can be done even if you are applying right now. The first step, of course, is to read all fourteen of the challenges, and see which speak to you. Not all of them will; they cover a broad range of fields and disciplines within engineering, and some will be far outside your range of expertise and interests.

Some however, will pose questions you find interesting, or may have never considered before. Questions about how engineering will impact life; tomorrow, ten years from now, and in the next century. These are broad questions of course, just a starting point, but that’s part of the point. 

Once you have picked one, start thinking about what specifically interests you about the question, and which aspects you would want to work on. As an example, we’ll look at one question in detail, to see how a student may engage with it. For this, we’ll use #7: restore and improve urban architecture. 

We are an incredibly urbanized society, with most of our population living in ever bigger cities. These cities then face a significant number of challenges; of course you can’t solve them all yourself, so begin looking into them, and see which appeal to you, and how you might solve them using different engineering methods. 

We’ll take air pollution as an example. There are multiple possible approaches. Perhaps you can create more efficient filtering methods for industry, to prevent pollution from entering the atmosphere in the first place. Perhaps you can design electrified transportation methods, to reduce the pollution from cars and buses. Perhaps you can work to redesign urban areas to reduce the amount of personal transit needed entirely. Perhaps you can find a way to introduce more greenery to an urban area, to naturally filter pollutants out of the air. 

Each of these then requires mastery of a different field of engineering, and offers diverse options to approach. This by picking an interesting question you want to investigate and answer, you suddenly have access to a whole list of things you need to look into. You can find clubs, competitions and activities directly or tangentially related to these, and in so doing determine if this is something you want to pursue in the long term. 

Once it comes time to apply, you have a ready-made narrative to tell admissions officers. You saw the challenges facing the future; and one caught your eye. When investigating it, you fell in love with the processes you found and saw along the way, leading you to want to study one field of engineering in more detail, to give you the tools you need to approach these problems at the highest level. 

What if you’re already applying?

Of course, this is slightly more difficult if you’ve already reached the point of applying to colleges. In this case, it’s slightly too late to go back and change your extracurriculars, or work in a few new ones. In these cases, we do have a trick: back formation.

First, go back over your activities list, and look at what you’ve done. Pick out threads and patterns, and try to construct a narrative based on them. This can (but certainly does not have to) relate to one of the challenges; instead the goal is to form a unifying narrative in your experiences, to help form the story of why you want to study engineering. 

In doing this, you may find it quite useful to draw from the challenges, to discuss the kinds of issues you would like to address with your engineering degree, or what you hope to accomplish in the future through your studies. You do not need to do this of course, but this kind of grand structure can be helpful when organizing your thoughts, and deciding on what kind of story you want to tell admissions officers. 

Final Thoughts

Engineering is a discipline about creation, making something new to impact the world around you. This is an incredible thing, and colleges want to know what you’re going to do with that. They seek to understand the story of you, the story you tell to explain who you are, and who you want to be. 

We hope this article has explained how to tell this kind of story, and how to let admissions officers know what you value within engineering, and how you will use the knowledge they provide to tackle the major issues of tomorrow. Of course, writing all of this in an essay and coherently exploring your ideas can be a challenge itself. If you are looking for help finding the perfect engineering opportunities for you, or writing essays explaining your story in engineering, schedule a free consultation with us today. We have helped a great many students tell their own stories, and become the people they’ve always wanted to be.

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This is especially true for students interested in studying engineering. Engineering is one of the most competitive majors at major colleges, because there are a lot of students who want to partake in the major. Setting yourself apart from this group is important, as this is often the difference between acceptance and rejection.

But how do you do this? There are many viable ways, and no single silver bullet. In this article, we’re going to discuss one such way: engineering competitions. AFter all, winning a competition and getting third party confirmation that you really are great at engineering looks pretty good on a resume. We’ll break down some of the top engineering competitions for high school students, and explain how you can get involved. Let’s jump right in! 

(ISEF)

Frequently referred to as Regeneron or ISEF alone, this is one of the largest pre-college science and engineering competitions, drawing students from around the world. There is a $25 registration fee to participate. 

Students begin by competing at a state, regional, or local fair, and progress from there, with the top participants moving on to the next level. Depending on your location, there may be one or two rounds before you proceed to the international competition. 

Projects for ISEF must be in one of their 22 . They realize that many projects may qualify as more than one category, you should pick whichever one best fits your particular project. Note that not all categories may be available at state or local fairs. Your choice of category will impact who judges your project, as judges are selected based on their expertise with a particular category. 

Winning students receive based on their placement within their category; further prizes are selected from among the first place finishers. Prizes include both cash awards and scholarships. 

This contest is somewhat different, as it is generally run by teachers and completed by students. A teacher applies to have a class compete, and then the students take on the engineering challenge of that year’s contest. This is only open to schools which are at least 50% publicly funded, and to students in grades 6-12.

There are both state and national competition rounds; winners at the state level get a small prize and proceed to the next round of the competition. Prizes include cash awards and technology, both of which are meant to aid the teacher and school in educating more students. This is always a team event, with groups ranging from 4 to 60 students competing on one team.

(HERC)

Sponsored by NASA (surprise!), this contest challenges students to design and build (and race!) rovers meant to explore extraterrestrial terrain. The event is held annually in Huntsville, Alabama, with teams competing from around the country. 

Both high school and college teams are to compete. Students must first submit a proposal; if this is accepted, they will be invited to actually build their design and compete. The specific details of the challenge, including the route and any additional tasks teams will need to complete, vary from year to year. 

There are no major prizes for this one, though design elements from winning teams may be incorporated into future NASA designs. 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was founded after a group of at Caltech almost burned down a barn experimenting with homemade rocket fuel. The American Rocketry Challenge continues this legacy (though unaffiliated), by welcoming students to build and launch homemade rockets each year. 

There is an $85 fee to register a team. There is a strict to follow for teams of students, and two rounds of competition. Rockets must meet certain benchmarks to qualify for the national round. Both middle and high school teams are eligible to participate. 

are awarded to the top placing teams, with supplemental prize categories for marketing and presentation. The competition is sponsored by the aerospace industry. 

(TEAMS)

This is an academic competition, akin to academic decathlon, where teams of students complete a series of tests and challenges. There are three portions, an essay, a multiple choice test on engineering applications, and a design section, where students create a solution to an engineering challenge. 

The competition takes place at the regional and then national level, with teams who succeed locally going on to the next level. There is a $150 registration fee required per team. There are two competition brackets; one for middle school, and one for high school. 

Teams may consist of 2-4 students, and must have an adult acting as their coach. Coaches may have more than one team of students, but students may only be on one team apiece. The prizes are certificates and awards.

This is a multifaceted competition, where teams try to design and build cars which get the greatest possible fuel efficiency, or which run entirely off of renewable resources. Sponsored by Shell, there are regional competitions across the globe, held at different dates. This competition is free to enter. 

The are updated every year, and eligibility requirements often depend on the region of the participating team. High school teams are allowed to compete, but are somewhat rare, due to the technical knowledge and level of resources required to compete successfully.

In honor of the famous and his fanciful contraptions, this contest assigns a simple task (the 2025 one is: feed a pet), and asks them to design and build a machine to do so in a highly complicated and convoluted manner. All machines must both complete the task at hand, and fulfill the spirit of the competition. This is not a project with a base in efficiency.

Teams compete locally or regionally live; winners are then selected to compete nationally, where you may compete live or digitally. There are different divisions, and students from elementary school through college are allowed to compete. Teams are allowed to enter from across the globe.

Prizes are general small cash awards, or merch from the Rube Goldberg association. This is a less serious competition, but lets you apply a great deal of creativity to solving a problem without the constraints of efficiency or reason. 

Illinois Tech runs this competition, which challenges students to make the most efficient bridges possible out of balsa wood. This contest is free to enter, and has regional competitions leading up to an international round. The contest is run by the . 

If you are not in an established region, or if your school does not participate, they encourage you to get involved. This competition is not as popular or well known as some of its fellows, but is quite reputable, and a valuable resource for students interested in civil or materials engineering.

Final Thoughts

This is not an exhaustive list of the engineering competitions out there, but a broad sampling, with the idea that one or more of them may appeal to your interests and fit in with your strengths. Engineering is a broad field, with multiple disciplines within it, and the variety of engineering competitions available to students reflects that. 

Of course, there are many possible ways to show your interest in engineering to colleges, and competitions are just one of them. If you are interested in exploring more opportunities, but don’t know where to begin, schedule a free consultation with us today. Our candidacy building service helps students explore their passions in great depths, and we love helping students reach the height of their abilities.

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While this is a somewhat popular major, it is not offered by all schools. And as with all other majors, not all schools which offer it do so equivalently. This isn’t to say you have to go to an Ivy League school to get a great outcome, but some biomedical engineering programs are stronger than others. In this article we’re going to look at some of the best biomedical engineering programs, so you can evaluate your options. Let’s get started!

The Colleges

We are presenting this list in alphabetical order, for ease of reading. We will briefly explore the major at each of these colleges, and any particular offerings it has which set it apart from its peers.

Hosted by the Pratt School of Engineering, BME students at Duke experience both a full liberal arts curriculum and cover all of the needed core subjects for engineering mastery. Students can choose an area to focus on further if they wish, from four specialties available. You can also double major in computer science or another engineering discipline, if you want to investigate the intersections of multiple fields.

Of special note is the program, an intensive program intended to provide students with practical design experience pursuant to finding careers creating medical technology. Students in this program will design and fabricate a medical implement based on a need identified by a clinician at the Duke Medical Center. This program is a series of design courses, culminating in a capstone. 

They also share graduation experiences, showing off how their students are. They send students on to a number of highly competitive careers, and to top graduate programs, both for BME and medical school.

Georgia Tech has the #1 ranked graduate biomedical engineering program in the nation by US News, and its undergraduate program is no slouch either. Students are all encouraged to take part in research, and have ample opportunities to do so in any of the labs on Georgia Tech’s campus. 

Georgia Tech also collaborates with a number of international universities, so students can while continuing their focus on BME. This includes both standard university coursework and lab opportunities abroad. 

All students have access to career services, tutoring, and advising. This significant support network exists because Georgia Tech is known for its academically rigorous curriculum, and wants to ensure that all students have the tools they need to succeed within it. There are nine potential areas for you to focus on, or you can mix and match to create a program that mirrors your own interests.

The top ranked biomedical engineering program by US News, Johns Hopkins is well regarded for its offerings, and for good reason. The program emphasizes research and project based learning, and student collaboration is a key aspect of it. You can expect to work with your fellow undergraduates during your entire journey, both in coursework and in laboratory settings. 

The curriculum is cumulative, with courses building upon themselves and becoming more in depth and specialized each year. They have seven areas of focus for students to choose from, and an ability to take courses from more than one of these areas to meet your specific interests. 

Finally, they have a 3+1 program, wherein students can earn both an undergraduate degree and a masters in as little as four years. A masters degree in engineering significantly increases your earning potential, and being able to do one so quickly is a major advantage when looking for careers. You apply to this program during the summer of your junior year. 

MIT is known for its strength in pretty much every field of engineering, and biomedical engineering is no exception. The curriculum requires a mix of core courses to build your foundational skills in math, biology, and other key competencies, and electives which allow you to explore areas of focus in more depth. Many of these are taught jointly with other departments. 

Students have the opportunity to pursue research, and are encouraged to do so. Students in their junior year who choose to begin exploring independent research projects have a chance to complete an undergraduate thesis based on their work. While this is not required to graduate, it is recommended for students who want to pursue higher degrees, as these often have a research component. 

We should note that this department is technically in biological engineering, rather than biomedical engineering. While the skills and applications are quite similar, they are not truly identical.

Consistently ranked in the top ten nationally, Rice offers a BS in bioengineering, with a combination of a liberal arts core with strong fundamentals of engineering and medicine. Located adjacent to the Texas Medical Center, students have ample opportunities to pursue research there, and are encouraged to do so. 

Students also have the opportunity to pursue practical design coursework and opportunities all four years at Rice. This is helpful for graduates, with slightly over half the students in this program going on to pursue advanced degrees, including both bioengineering and medical school.

The department facilitates for students during summers, including study abroad opportunities with Rice’s partner universities. These include both research and entrepreneurship focused opportunities.

Stanford refers to this as Bioengineering rather than biomedical engineering, but the principles and applications are the same. The program is jointly run by the schools of engineering and medicine, and students have access to the expertise of professors from both. 

All students in the program have a chance to pursue research with professors and labs on campus, and this is encouraged. You can also pursue the honors program, wherein you must complete independent research and write a thesis in order to receive your degree. This is quite valuable for students who intend to apply for advanced degree programs involving research.

Stanford also offers a in bioengineering, wherein you are enrolled in an undergraduate and graduate degree simultaneously, and have the chance to graduate with both degrees in just five years. This is ideal for students who know they want to pursue an advanced degree in this field.

Part of the McKelvey School of Engineering, WUSTL’s BME program allows students to work with faculty from both the engineering and medical schools, pursuing a BS in the field. The program begins with two years building a foundation of math and science knowledge, while the second two years allow you to explore higher level topics in more depth, preparing you for a career or advanced degree. 

There is an option for current undergraduates to enroll directly in a master’s program in biomedical engineering. Thai allows you to complete both degrees in just five years. This may be done during your junior year, and is dependent on having solid academic performance in your courses thus far.

They encourage all undergraduate students to pursue research, and opportunities are available through both the program and the medical school. They also have specific resources for pre med students who are majoring in the program, as pre med is not a major in itself, but complements BME quite nicely.

This is a relatively new department at Yale, founded in just 2003. Despite this, it has already become quite well known for its quality. Their undergraduate program combines faculty from both engineering and their school of medicine, with the goal of helping students devise novel technological solutions to cutting edge medical issues. 

Students take courses on the core competencies of biology and engineering, including a year-long laboratory sequence which teaches them the principles of working in a modern research laboratory. Students are also encouraged to pursue research in Yale’s various laboratories alongside professors. Students also complete a senior project involving completing their own research within the field.

Yale does offer a combined BS/MS degree in biomedical engineering. This may only be applied to by current students who have done exceptionally well academically, showing they can handle graduate level work. This program allows students to graduate with both degrees in just five years.

Final Thoughts

This article doesn’t cover every great biomedical engineering program in the country, but is a sampling of some of the best. Our goal was to help you understand what some of these programs offer students, and how they help prepare you for what comes next, be that an advanced degree or entering a career. Each program has its own unique quirks, and can help students in their own ways.

Of course, determining which program is the best fit for you can be something of a challenge, especially given just how many programs exist. If you are looking for advice for your own applications, or want assistance when applying to one of these incredibly competitive schools, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience helping students find the college that best fits their needs, and are always happy to hear from you.

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Of course, not every college is created equal, and some do a better job preparing their students to enter the workforce than others, due to advantages in networking. In this article, we’re going to examine career outcomes for students at some of the US’s top engineering programs, so you get a sense of how well each of them does at preparing their students for what comes next. Let’s get started!

What Makes for a Successful Engineering Career?

Before diving into the data, let’s briefly discuss what the data is, where it comes from, and what it means. First, a brief note on how engineering careers work. After graduation, you need to take an exam and become certified in whatever discipline of engineering you are pursuing. This is a relatively straightforward process, but needs to be done before you can begin an engineering career.

Many students begin a career straight out of undergrad, but some engineering professions require higher education, such as a master’s degree or a PhD. These jobs are often more highly compensated, but have a higher barrier to entry. In this article, we are only looking at career outcomes for students with an undergraduate degree.

Our data comes from two sources. The first is College Scorecard, which is data collected and presented by the US Department of Education on career outcomes for students from various universities. This data comes from four years after graduation, enough time for students to have become settled into their new careers. Note that this data only comes from students who received funding from the federal government (including grants, loans, and work study), so does not capture the experiences of all students. That said, it is still a good representative sample.

The other source of data is universities and departments themselves. While not all of them publish data, many colleges enjoy showing off the successes of their alumni believing, quite rightly, that the success of their students reflects well on them. This usually comes from voluntary surveys sent out to students at the time of graduation, so is rarely fully complete, but again gives a good sample of what a school offers. 

We won’t be discussing every engineering program, just a selection of some of the best. Just because a school isn’t on this list doesn’t mean it can’t prepare you for a great career in engineering. 

Finally, most colleges offer multiple engineering majors. We will be taking data from general engineering where possible, and indicating what major we are looking at otherwise. 

Here is a chart summarizing our findings, read on to learn more about the specific outcomes of top engineering schools:

MIT

MIT has a serious reputation for the strength of its engineering programs, so its inclusion on this list isn’t a surprise. MIT doesn’t have a general engineering major, so let’s look at the career outcomes on for what they do have: 

• Aerospace Engineering: $109,873
• Biomedical Engineering: $116,182
• Chemical Engineering: $99,799
• Electrical Engineering: $172,897
• Mechanical Engineering: $98,644

While all of these are quite strong earnings, the discrepancy between different majors is striking. We will see more of this going forward. MIT themselves release the ; while this doesn’t differentiate by major, it provides a good overall look at what graduates from MIT can expect. The overall average salary they reported for graduates was $126,841.

Stanford

Stanford is known to have strong programs in myriad majors, and engineering is definitely one of them. This is backed up by the data from , which lets us see how well they do in different engineering majors: 

• Electrical Engineering: $154,251
• Engineering, General: $96,205
• Mechanical Engineering: $115,915

While they do have other engineering majors, these are the only ones with earnings reported on College Scorecard. Their own reporting of student outcomes is done by department. Unfortunately, none of the engineering majors track this for graduates, at least publicly. That said, the strong earnings data indicates that graduates from Stanford’s engineering program have no difficulty landing great jobs.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is a public school, but is well known for the strength and rigor of its academic programs, especially engineering. It attracts students from across the country for this reason, not just Georgians. This is backed up by the data collected by , which demonstrates the success of their many engineering majors: 

• Aerospace Engineering: $90,670
• Biomedical Engineering: $89,405
• Chemical Engineering: $92,771
• Civil Engineering: $82,297
• Electrical Engineering: $96,402
• Industrial Engineering: $101,070
• Mechanical Engineering: $87,372

Unlike some of the other schools that we’ve looked at, Georgia Tech’s engineering graduates have a similar level of career success regardless of major. They have their own on this, which is wonderfully comprehensive, breaking down earnings by major and level of degree. These are earnings right out of undergrad, but still give a sense of what graduates can expect from their careers. The median salary across engineering majors was around $100,000, which matches the data we saw from College Scorecard.

UC Berkeley

Berkeley is known for their strength in many academic areas, and engineering is one of them. They have a college specifically dedicated to engineering, and have a history of turning out tech entrepreneurs, with a special program dedicated to just that. Their overall engineering program sees plenty of success from graduates as well, as the data from illustrates: 

• Chemical Engineering: $108,607
• Civil Engineering: $91,006
• Electrical Engineering: $202,911
• Mechanical Engineering: $98,455

As we have seen with some other schools, while all of their graduates go on to successful careers, some fields are more lucrative than others. UC Berkeley themselves tracks student outcomes, though they gather . This is a useful picture, as you can refine it by both college and major. From this, we can learn that Berkeley does a great job of preparing engineering students for both employment and higher education, though it sadly does not include any income data.

Caltech

Caltech is widely regarded as one of the best schools for engineering, and for good reason. They have an intensive curriculum and significant industry connections, especially with NASA. The Jet Propulsion laboratory was founded by Caltech alums, and is still located right next to their campus. Of course, they do more than aerospace engineering, though the data is unfortunately not reported for any of their engineering majors. The overall median earnings for Caltech graduates is $104,209, which is still quite impressive. 

Caltech collects some data themselves, but unfortunately does not differentiate by major. They a median salary of $110-119,000 for graduates across all majors, slightly higher than the College Scorecard figure, but in the same ballpark. Even numbers of graduates enter employment and continue with higher education, and Caltech does a good job with both.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The flagship state school in Illinois, UIUC has a number of very strong programs, but is perhaps strongest in its business and engineering schools. This is reflected in acceptance rates, with the engineering school being far more competitive for admissions than UIUC generally. The college is especially known for its research output, spending significant amounts and publishing great volumes of literature on engineering. Their graduates prosper from this, as demonstrated in the data from :

• Aerospace Engineering: $93,533
• Biomedical Engineering: $94,434
• Chemical Engineering: $93,416
• Civil Engineering: $79,514
• Electrical Engineering: $90,757
• Engineering, General: $84,332
• Mechanical Engineering: $87,705

In addition to this data, UIUC themselves a great deal of data about the success of their graduates. The average salary for newly graduated engineering students is $84,075, with most graduates entering employment directly, though a significant number pursue graduate education. A plurality of graduates find jobs in Illinois. 

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Another flagship state school, the University of Michigan is well known for both their football team and their academic prowess. Their College of Engineering has large and varied offerings, covering most fields of engineering. The college is also notable for its honor code, which students are required to adhere to, and which allows for most exams to be non-proctored. The average graduate of the school is quite successful, but engineering students out earn the average by a significant margin, according to :

• Aerospace Engineering: $97,263
• Biomedical Engineering: $84,138
• Chemical Engineering: $92,027
• Civil Engineering: $85,123
• Electrical Engineering: $97,459
• Mechanical Engineering: $91,187
• Marine Engineering: $80,267

University of Michigan collects a fair amount of data from graduates, and displays it conveniently on their site. A few trends emerge from this; the first is that most graduates immediately enter the workforce, and salary data is in line with that provided by College Scorecard. Second, that students who graduate with master’s degrees outearn those with just a bachelors, and PhD students outearn both. This is well known, but the presentation on their site lays out just how stark the difference is. 

Carnegie Mellon University

CMU is well known as a college with a focus on technology, and the strength of their engineering program confirms that. While they do not have the same size as the state schools, they excel in research, and have numerous industry connections through their engineering college. These partnerships help not just with innovation, but in helping students find internships and career opportunities, as can be seen in the data from : 

• Biomedical Engineering: $82,463
• Chemical Engineering: $102,617
• Civil Engineering: $93,769
• Electrical Engineering: $149,740
• Mechanical Engineering: $97,151

While these are all successes, we see here the same earnings disparity among majors as observed at other private colleges, though to a somewhat lesser degree. This is born out by CMU’s , which is wonderfully comprehensive. The average salary among graduates from the College of Engineering is $90,000, though a slight majority of students pursued higher education, rather than immediately entering the workforce. 

Final Thoughts

Engineering is an important field, as engineers are in charge of designing most everything we use, from the roads we navigate to the phones that help us do so. From the career data in this article, we can see that while all engineering careers can allow for success, some are better compensated than others. In addition, graduates from top private colleges in specific majors significantly outearn their peers, though this is not true for every major, or even every private college.

One thing which we did not touch on in this article, but is still good to note, is how competitive entry into engineering programs is, especially top programs. Many students want the chance to become engineers, and competition for seats is fierce at these top schools. If you want advice on your applications, or on finding the right activities to make you stand out to admissions officers, schedule a free consultation today. We have a deep understanding of what admissions officers are looking for in students, and are always happy to hear from you.

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One of the best ways to make yourself stand out in a crowded field is with top summer programs, ones which provide you with practical experience in engineering. After all, the best way to prove you are capable of doing something in the future is to do it now. In this article, we’ll review some of these opportunities, and explore how you can get involved with engineering while still in high school. Let’s get started!

(HSHSP)

This is a seven week research summer program held on MSU’s campus. Students are invited to work on hands-on research under the guidance of faculty, staff, and graduate students while experiencing what life is like on a college campus. Research is the main focus of the program, and students will have the opportunity to work on their own research projects as part of it. Many of these projects are entered in science fairs or submitted for publication, and tend to do quite well at both, though this is not the primary point of the program.

Current high school juniors residing in the US are eligible to apply for the program. Applications must be , and are due on March 1st, though later applications may be accepted if there is room in the program. We recommend making sure your application is in by the deadline however. The application requires a transcript, standardized test scores, two letters of recommendation from teachers (one of whom must be a science teacher), and two essays. These are the prompts: 

•  A personal essay of 400-600 words. The essay must be neat and should address your interests in scientific research and in attending the HSHSP; what do you think you can contribute and any other significant related events in your life that you feel would be helpful to the Director in evaluating your application. I do not want to receive an essay that details your lifetime awards and honors, but rather an honest and compelling story about why you want to spend 7 weeks of your summer away from family and friends, doing full-time research, and why your participation would make difference in your life. Your personal essay will be typed or copy/pasted into the application.
•  A second essay of the same length in which you describe the impact a book you have read has had on your thinking or any aspect of your life. This book can be one assigned in a course or one you chose to read for pleasure. Your second essay will be typed or copy/pasted into the application.

The program costs $4,000, this covers room, board, and instructional costs. There is financial aid available, but you must indicate that you will be applying for this when you apply.

(RISE)

This six week summer program is run by Boston University, and hosted on its campus. The program has two tracks, both of which are open to residential or commuting students. On the internship track, students spend forty hours a week working on a hands-on research project under the guidance of a faculty member or graduate student. This concludes with a poster symposium where you will present the results of your research.

The other track is the practicum, where students conduct group research under the guidance of a faculty instructor. The practicum is focused on computational biology; so only students interested in that field are encouraged to apply. You will also present the results of your research at the final poster symposium. The total cost for either track is $8,558; there is limited financial aid available.

Only current juniors are eligible to apply to the program. Applications to the program open December 15, and must be submitted . The application requires the online form, two recommendation letters (one from a science teacher, one from a counselor or teacher who knows you well), your high school transcript, and your standardized test scores. There are three essays required, the prompts are: 

• Why you selected your subject of interest (300 words)
• Your academic achievements (250 words)
• Why you want to attend the RISE program (200 words)

(BWSI)

This is a four week summer program hosted by MIT, which is offered both virtually and on MIT’s campus (though some courses are only offered in person). The program is the culmination of a much larger engineering experience offered by MIT, and students are encouraged to participate in the entire thing. The program is free, and supported by sponsors. That said, housing is not provided, and students are responsible for securing their own accommodations and transportation to MIT’s campus.

You must first be nominated to take an online course offered by MIT; this begins in February and runs through June. Students who perform well enough in this course are then invited to apply to the program itself; these applications open March 1 and are due by March 31. Students must complete the online course by June in order to begin the summer program. 

(MITES)

This program is run by MIT, and has the explicit goal of introducing members of underrepresented communities to engineering and the sciences. The program lasts for six weeks, and is hosted on MIT’s campus. It is free for participants. Students take five rigorous courses, tour labs, complete hands-on projects, and receive college counseling. The program’s goal is to promote equity in and access to STEM for these communities. 

The program is highly selective, and only US citizens or permanent residents who are currently high school juniors are eligible to apply. Applications are , and require the application form, optional standardized test scores, three letters of recommendation (1 math or science teacher, 1 humanities teacher, and a counselor), and five short answer essays. These are the prompts: 

• Share with us how aspects of your identity (e.g., race, culture, first-generation college student status, gender, etc.) shape your aspirations.
• What are you passionate about? How have you spent time developing this passion?
• What do you hope to gain from participating in the MITES Semester/Summer program? If selected, how would you contribute to the MITES Semester/Summer community?
• Tell us of a time you experienced a significant challenge in your life. What did you do and what did you learn?
• The STEM field uses science, technology, engineering, and/or math to understand more about the world around us and to solve problems. If you could develop, invent, or innovate anything to change the world for the better using STEM, what would it be and why?
• (OPTIONAL): If you could meet us in person, what would you share with us about you that isn’t already in the application?

In the application, they look for students with a demonstrated interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. Students who are eager to explore those fields, and who have shown the intellectual capacity and curiosity to do so if given the chance. The application is open to all, but they encourage applications from underserved and underrepresented populations. 

(SSEP)

This program has two two-week sessions, and is meant for high achieving high school students interested in science and engineering. Hosted on Smith College’s campus, students take research courses, where they work alongside their peers and Smith faculty to learn about and conduct research on a specific topic. The courses offered change each year. 

Smith College is a women-only institution, and these programs are only open to high school girls; those entering grades 9-12. This program is meant for students who have shown clear interest in and aptitude for the sciences. Applications open December 15, and are due February 5 for the priority application deadline. Applications may be submitted online, and require a letter of recommendation from a teacher, an official transcript, and a response to one of the two following prompts: 

• Tell us about the experience, event, book, movie, person, place, etc. that initially sparked your interest in science. What was it about this event, person, etc. that inspired you?
• Tell us why you want to attend an intensive program in your chosen field at Smith College?

The program costs $4,630 per two week session, which includes tuition and room and board on Smith’s campus. Financial aid is available, and may be applied for through the program’s application.

This is a two week summer program run and hosted by Tufts University which allows students to work with Tufts faculty in their engineering lab. Students will take classes and work with design and fabrication equipment to complete a hands-on project. Students work in small groups on their projects, which are focused on solving real world problems. 

The program accepts applications from current high school students. You will have the option to live in dorms on Tufts’ campus, or commute in if you live locally. Students living in dorms must be at least 15 by the start of the program, and no older than 17 by the program end date. The application opens December 1, and is due in March. The application must be submitted . The application requires one letter of recommendation, and an official high school transcript. There are two sessions of the program offered each summer.

The program costs $4,000 for commuter students, and $5,500 for residential students, with an additional $200 materials fee. There is limited need based financial aid available. The program does require students be vaccinated, and have evidence of such. 

Final Thoughts

Engineering is a popular and competitive field, and as ever more ways to get involved in high school appear, the more colleges expect students who are interested in engineering to have demonstrated their passions. While this list of opportunities is not exhaustive, we hope it has given you a sense of what options are out there, and how you can explore your passion for engineering right now. 

Finding the right summer program to explore your passions can be a challenge, as can applying to these programs, and writing the requisite essays. Our candidacy building service helps students connect with their passions, and explore them in depth. If you want to hear how we can help you, schedule a free consultation today. We’ve helped thousands of students achieve their dreams, and are always happy to hear from you.

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