Enrolling more women, campus leaders said, was not just a matter of equity but of bringing fresh ideas to computing and ensuring a sufficient supply of workers for high-demand jobs.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
For first time, CMU welcomes female-dominated freshman class
Enrolling more women, campus leaders said, was not just a matter of equity but of bringing fresh ideas to computing and ensuring a sufficient supply of workers for high-demand jobs.
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This is a huge accomplishment for Carnegie Mellon University. While I am not interested in STEM, I have watched a lot of my friends deal with male dominated classes and complain about teachers not treating the females the same as the males in CS and general science classes. I think it’s frustrating that it has taken this long for this to happen - however it is definitely a step in the right direction. One of the main reasons I came to CMU was for its interdisciplinary atmosphere. The fact that my grade is mainly females makes me hopeful for gender equality in STEM programs. When I consider the current political climate in, where our VP will not eat dinner with any women that are not his wife, I can’t fathom how women will move forward. All I’ve hoped so far is that we won’t move backward. But CMU’s class of 2021+ gives me hope that even in this political climate women can persevere.
This is such exciting news! I was an Orientation Counselor this year, and one of the presentations that is given to the entire staff during training is about the various statistics of the incoming freshman class. When the presenter announced this statistic - that the incoming class would have a majority of female students, the entire staff cheered. While in our school there is a pretty even split of male and female students, there is no denying that STEM definitely is stereotypically predominantly male. Even though this majority is tiny (51 to 49), it is a huge step for the university. Carnegie Mellon is known for its computer science and engineering, and this news will set an example for other STEM heavy schools, and it will also show women seeking to pursue STEM that they are definitely not alone. While there are certainly more steps to take for women in science, it is a great move in the right direction.
I don't know why sciences are so male dominated but I'm very glad to be at a university where the face of said science programs are shifting. Females deserve the same support when entering the sciences as men do and I think that starts way before college around puberty. Little girls tend to be outgoing before their preteen years but end up getting shut down in their math and science classes the older they get.
This is a phenomenon that I hope to see change with the help of universities like CMU and the female students who are committed to helping female middle schoolers learn more about the sciences that they are passionate about. Females make up roughly half of the world population and thus deserve to be seen in almost all job industries at that ratio rather than so many industries being so ridiculously male dominated. I believe that one day in my lifetime this will be the case and I cannot wait for that day.
This is incredible news and I am so excited to be at the university when things are changing in such a substantial way. My parents went to CMU and graduated in 1989, my dad was in the business school and my mom was a chemical engineer. I could write this whole comment about how incredible and brave it was for my mother to attend CMU in the 80's as a women wanting to get a degree in STEM because she is incredible and the best person I know. When she went here the percentage of women chemical engineers was 17 percent. I can not even fathom being so out numbered by men every single day of my life. It must have taken so much will power to keep going and to keep proving herself. I am so honored to be a part of this university now and to know that it has grown so much in the past 30 years but there is so much more work to be done. We have to make sure that when those women in stem get to their jobs that they are given fair treatment and that they are respected. My sister is a senior in high school now looking to study neuroscience (which it just took me a second to spell) and so I am cautiously optimistic that in the coming years things will only continue to get better for her and that the bravery of my mother 30 years ago to do what so few women were doing was worth it.
It is promising and inspiring to see so many talented and intelligent women come to CMU this year. Given that CMU is renowned for its illustrious history of success in the STEM fields and that women are generally underrepresented in STEM this is an even more important milestone. Female students are often ostracized in male-dominated STEM classes and as a result are less likely to flourish. Having more female students in these sorts of classes will be to the benefit of all students. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for other schools that look to become more diverse and inclusive in STEM jobs.
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