Sophomore students are familiar with the demands of an engineering academic schedule; now their focus turns to gaining professional skills and learning about various resources beyond the classroom.
To aid them in their efforts, the Dwight Look College of Engineering’s Engineering Academic and Student Affairs (EASA) office recently hosted the inaugural SophoMORE Week.
“The purpose of SophoMORE Week is to help second-year students become more engaged with engineering and learn about various career opportunities for engineers”, said Dr. Kristi Shryock, senior director of retention in the Look College.
Different events were held during SophoMORE Week to facilitate interaction among students and between students, faculty and staff members. The week started with an ice cream social to help students socialize and get to know each other better. Students also had an informal luncheon with engineering academic advisers to become familiar with the faculty and staff advisors and to practice the art of networking. The informal luncheon helped students feel comfortable approaching their advisors as resources throughout their time at Texas A&M. While networking is crucial for engineers, most sophomores have not had the chance to practice networking, which is useful when students seek jobs or internships.
SophoMORE week also included three short, but informative presentations. Representative from the Texas A&M Career Center talked about career and professional development with regards to building careers, obtaining internships and becoming well-rounded applicants. The Engineering Global Programs office informed students of the different study abroad opportunities that the Look College offers. Studying abroad is a great way for students to stand out among their peers in the workforce. The students also heard about several undergraduate research opportunities, including the Undergraduate Summer Research Grant (USRG) program.
SophoMORE Week ended with a bowling social, which allowed students to relax after a difficult week of midterm exams and mingle with other students they met during the week.
Shryock looks forward to continuing to focus on activities related to the sophomore year and is already making plans for next year’s SophoMORE Week.