- Post by Deborah Carter, NewTechKids’ Founder and Managing Director
This summer, my son and I travelled to North America, in part to visit several university campuses and learn about programs which combine design, engineering and technology.
We visited McGill University in Montreal, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Stanford University in Palo Alto, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles.
It was a fascinating peak inside some highly-ranked universities in Canada and the U.S. Here are some key things we discovered:
Tech Skills are a Plus but not Mandatory: Students are expected to have a strong, demonstrated interest in technology and be willing to take coding classes as part of these type of programs. Even if students don’t have previous experience, many universities offer ‘Intro to Coding’ and digital fabrication classes which provide students with foundational knowledge.
Extracurriculars are Important and Demonstrate a Passion or Interest: I cannot over-emphasize the importance of extracurricular activities being required for North American universities. High grades and SAT/ACT scores are not enough. These universities are looking for kids who have developed interests through involvement in clubs and associations, hobbies, extra classes, mentoring, volunteering, part-time work or passion projects. For those into tech, projects, portfolios, a strong social media presence, and personal social media channels demonstrate interest and mastery. Admission officers encouraged students to talk about their various extracurricular activities which included graphic design, hip hop beat making, robotics, 3D printing, videography and photography.
Co-op Programs are a great way to blend study and work: One thing that really excited us was the integration of study and work experience that most Engineering schools offered. University of Waterloo’s co-op program stood out: the program alternates study and work terms and enables students to work for top tech and engineering firms. By the end, students graduate with their undergraduate degrees, they will have accumulated two years worth of relevant, paid work experience and first-hand experience with hiring, corporate culture and compensation packages.
University campus tours are definitely valuable learning experiences for kids and parents. Just don’t wait too late as kids should visit schools before they need to apply.
And expect some fascinating insights. We were the only Canadians in the tour group during the McGill campus tour in Montreal. The rest were American. And we were the only non-Asian family during the University of Toronto tour where none of the kids, except my son, were even close to entering university. One child was younger than 10!
Photo: Stanford University, Palo Alto, California