A Summer Camp in Engineering Physics for Incoming Freshman to Improve Retention and Student Success

Summer camps have proven to be a valuable tool to attract and recruit students interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. They have also been used to spark curiosity in areas such as mathematics, chemistry, and engineering. However, these camps do not help with issues that appear after the student has been admitted to the university. It is well known that many students suffer a shock when they transition from high-school to college. By realizing this situation, a one-week resident summer camp for incoming freshman has been created at Stephen F. Austin (SFA) State University. The goal of this camp is to help freshmen with their transition from high-school to college. During the summer camp, they review concepts related to Math and Science. They are introduced to the campus and resources available, and they meet other students who are also interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. The students stay at the dormitories located in campus; they eat at the cafeteria, and they collaborate with the professors in classroom and laboratory settings. So far, data has shown that most of the students that started an STEM major, stayed on that major at least for the freshman year.