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2002). In contrast, only 10% of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Rowan</strong> female sophomores indicated that <strong>the</strong>y were<br />

considering changing majors before <strong>the</strong>y graduated (answering “not sure,” “possible” or<br />

“very likely”), and only 5% said that <strong>the</strong>y were considering dropping out of <strong>the</strong><br />

engineering program before earning a degree 44 .<br />

COMPARISONS OF ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES<br />

The involvement of <strong>Rowan</strong>’s female engineering students in engineering activities is<br />

quite high compared <strong>to</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r female student populations in engineering. Compared <strong>to</strong><br />

results from <strong>the</strong> national WECE sample of engineering women, <strong>Rowan</strong>’s women are<br />

more highly engaged in enrichment activities: much higher proportions of <strong>Rowan</strong> women<br />

read engineering newsletters or listservs, heard engineering speakers, and went on field<br />

trips <strong>to</strong> industry (Table IIH-2). Higher proportions of <strong>Rowan</strong> sophomores and seniors had<br />

internship experiences, although slightly lower proportions of <strong>the</strong> junior women did.<br />

<strong>Rowan</strong>s engineering students in general, and especially females, are also more<br />

involved in enrichment activities than <strong>University</strong> of Washing<strong>to</strong>n (“UW”) engineering<br />

students45. About 17% of <strong>University</strong> of Washing<strong>to</strong>n students are active in student<br />

professional societies and engineering related activities-- similar percentages of males<br />

and females (16.6% of <strong>the</strong> males answered 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 “not at all” <strong>to</strong> 5 “very<br />

much”, compared <strong>to</strong> 17.7% of <strong>the</strong> females). As we have <strong>see</strong>n, at <strong>Rowan</strong>, a much higher<br />

proportion of females than males were involved in <strong>the</strong> professional societies and also<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r enrichment activities (<strong>see</strong> Table IIH-2).<br />

44 The discrepancy may be that 5% were considering changing majors within engineering.<br />

45 Based on unpublished data provided by Suzanne Brainard and Penelope Huang of <strong>University</strong> of<br />

Washing<strong>to</strong>n. See also Brainard and Huang (2002).<br />

IIH-270

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