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I serve on the CS advisory board at another college that competes head to head with Harvey Mudd for students. Generally, when one of these schools celebrates ha

I serve on the CS advisory board at another college that competes head to head with Harvey Mudd for students. Generally, when one of these schools celebrates having more women or a higher ratio than the others, it means they've managed to recruit more of a static pool rather than growing the pool. The college that I advise at took another approach to grow the pool while also recruiting better from the pool. They encourage profs to work with Girl Scout troops on science projects, to get students to tutor junior high and high school kids in general, and build relationships long before the normal "I have to think about college" thoughts begin.

up_and_up 11y ago
> build relationships long before the normal "I have to think about college" thoughts begin That seems crazy that `colleges` are engaging in such a long sale cycle.
- pm90 11y ago
  It seems more like they are interested in getting kids to understand technology. If that was somehow coercive, then yes. But this sounds more like a bunch of people demoing stuff and letting kids check it out.
phasmantistes 11y ago
Yep, and Mudd actually does this as well. The example that comes to mind is that a bunch of students work with local FIRST Robotics and LEGO Robotics teams, including teams consisting entirely of women or of minorities.
jacobush 11y ago
It's not like recruiting more from a static pool is a bad thing either. But it's commendable your place is actually trying to grow the pool, I have a feeling you should start 10 years earlier. Help children feel CS is a natural place for women to be, you'll be getting somewhere. This sounds like the correct approach.
- caseysoftware 11y ago
  This is less about CS specifically and more about STEM in general.. critical thinking, problem solving, and asking for help when you need it are things that everyone can benefit from more of.
caseysoftware 11y ago
I'd also like to add that since I'm referring to a teaching college, there's huge value to having professors work with students of various ability levels and backgrounds. It's a variation of "explain it like I'm 5." When someone can communicate better, it tends to make an impact on all of their other skills.

up_and_up 11y ago

> build relationships long before the normal "I have to think about college" thoughts begin That seems crazy that `colleges` are engaging in such a long sale cycle.

pm90 11y ago
It seems more like they are interested in getting kids to understand technology. If that was somehow coercive, then yes. But this sounds more like a bunch of people demoing stuff and letting kids check it out.

phasmantistes 11y ago

Yep, and Mudd actually does this as well. The example that comes to mind is that a bunch of students work with local FIRST Robotics and LEGO Robotics teams, including teams consisting entirely of women or of minorities.

jacobush 11y ago

It's not like recruiting more from a static pool is a bad thing either. But it's commendable your place is actually trying to grow the pool, I have a feeling you should start 10 years earlier. Help children feel CS is a natural place for women to be, you'll be getting somewhere. This sounds like the correct approach.

caseysoftware 11y ago
This is less about CS specifically and more about STEM in general.. critical thinking, problem solving, and asking for help when you need it are things that everyone can benefit from more of.

caseysoftware 11y ago

I'd also like to add that since I'm referring to a teaching college, there's huge value to having professors work with students of various ability levels and backgrounds. It's a variation of "explain it like I'm 5." When someone can communicate better, it tends to make an impact on all of their other skills.