College Road Trip: Missouri University of Science & Technology
A message painted outside of the library at Missouri University of Science & Technology one day last fall read "121 daze" -- a countdown to the much-anticipated 10-day extravaganza every March that sweeps campus and the city of Rolla in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
S&T, as the school is commonly known, does not have a religious affiliation, but St. Patrick is the patron saint of engineers, and there are plenty of those here.
[Track the growth of engineering degrees with the U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index.]
"It's pretty much like Rolla's homecoming," says Steve Ludwig, a senior mechanical engineering major from St. Louis and a member of the board of the festivities, which include parties, a parade and a leprechaun look-alike contest. Even the mayor has been known to attend. As early as November, the booth selling green S&T sweatshirts is set up and in business.
Engineering is indeed one of the university's strongest departments; undergraduates interested in the field can select from 15 majors, from aerospace and ceramic to metallurgical and nuclear. All told, more than 90 percent of the student body majors in a science, technology, engineering or math -- STEM -- discipline. The rest choose from among the select few other pathways, which include business, economics, psychology, English and history.
[Get advice on preparing for college classes as a STEM major.]
The engineering bent is evident on a stroll around campus. There's the windmill that contributes to wind turbine research, and the student-built "smart" bridge spanning a creekbed that is made of material often used in advanced aircraft; sensors feed instrumentation that measures strain on the bridge. You'll pass Solar Village, where four solar homes students built over the years provide housing and a self-sustaining electrical power grid. S&T is the kind of school where students spend their free time in the advanced computer labs of the 24/7 design center, working in teams to develop everything from solar cars and hydrogen fuel cells to concrete canoes and off-road vehicles.
When they aren't studying, many students are active in the vibrant 28-chapter Greek system. To fight the common association of Greek life with partying, anyone who wants to participate is strongly encouraged to get involved in other aspects of campus life as well; some fraternities and sororities even require three other extracurricular activities. It forces you to "structure your day," says Pi Kappa Alpha member Raheel Hassan, a senior majoring in biology who has also been active in the Industrial Designers Society of America and the spring break community service program.
Women say they learn some valuable life lessons, like how to make your voice heard when you're one of only a few women in the room. (The student body is about 75 percent male.)
[Learn how colleges are working to engage women and minorities in STEM fields.]
Shelby McNeil, a senior applied mathematics major from Republic, Missouri, says that she sometimes has felt like she's not taken seriously -- when, for example, students needing help in math class bypass her, a math major, to ask a male student who is not a major for assistance.
Victoria Willcut, a junior environmental engineering student from Puxico, Missouri, has noticed that women may have to speak up to make sure they get desirable roles in group projects. But male classmates generally treat her fine, she says, and she has no doubt the campus community wants her to succeed.
Faculty describe students as both hard-working and welcoming.
"They're very career-oriented," says Jerri Arnold-Cook, director of leadership and cultural programs. At the same time, those who come to S&T really like "how friendly we are."
More From the Missouri College Road Trip:
-- Washington University in St. Louis
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Colleges 2015" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com.
