1. Huge Pool of Men to Date
As a woman in engineering, the vast majority of your classmates are guys. My friends and I tried to count how many girls were in our graduating class, and came up with about 30 out of 120. You would think that this would lend to competition between girls, but there is surprisingly little. The men that aren’t taken (and there are many) will give you a lot of attention because you are rare and awesome to them! One anonymous mechanical engineer says “My hot TA recognized me from class because I am one of the few girls…we ended up hooking up a lot all semester.”
2. Relationships with Faculty
Because there are far fewer women in engineering than men, your relationships with faculty are bound to be different. Male professors will enjoy helping you as a woman succeed in a male-dominated field, and it is easier for them to remember you than the vast pool of male students they interact with. Female professors will very likely enjoy helping a fellow woman out with a problem set or research opportunity. It is very important to take advantage of these relationships—getting to know your professors can expand your professional network and land you a research position or job. Says one engineer: “I felt like I can come to her whenever and she will understand. She has a better emotional approach to the situation than a guy professor.”
3. It’s A Talking Point
Whether you are meeting a guy or expanding your social network, the fact that you are a woman in engineering is fascinating to non-engineers. Most non-engineers have a great deal of respect for engineers in general, and even more so for female engineers because they are rare. It makes you memorable so embrace it!