WEPO vs. SHO Time

It is almost time to start your first semester at Penn State University, and you are receiving tons of emails and letters in the mail about what you need to do in order to prepare.  If WEPO ’15 and SHO Time 2015 are common letters addressed to you, then this is the perfect blog for you to read!  Deciding between WEPO and SHO Time is a big decision that seems impossible to make before you have even been to college. 

Personally, all of the letters and brochures were overwhelming and unfamiliar.  I had no clue what the real difference was between the two orientations.  I thought, “Aren’t most orientations the same?  They show you around campus and you meet lots of new people, right?”  Well, I was wrong.  That is not the only thing that happens, but meeting new people is a big part of it.  When deciding between WEPO and SHO Time and thinking about making new friends at school, I thought about how hard my major was and how big of a difference it makes to have friends to study with who are also engineers.  I also thought about how I went to SHC NSO, I am living in honors housing, and taking honors classes, all which are full of others students in Schreyer.  Meeting other SHC students was the least of my worries, and I knew WEPO would be the perfect opportunity to form bonds with women engineers just like me. 

In retrospect, I am beyond thankful for WEPO and everything I have learned from it.  As a freshman, I had so many questions about the “simple things” in college that were just unknown to me.  For example, where people went to study, what you're supposed to do on game days, etc.  It was great to have a group of students to talk to about things, and not always have to reach out to professional advisors and counselors.  Also, the students were just in the classes that you are about to take.  They know the tricks and which TA’s are the best.  They personally know which resources are helpful and what study habits worked for them.  SHO Time also connects you with a student mentor even if you decide to participate in WEPO instead, which is a great deal.  Having student mentors that keep in touch with you is a very unique aspect of the orientations. 

Overall, I could not be more happy with my decision of WEPO versus SHO Time.  I was still able to attend a handful of SHO Time meetings around the WEPO schedule, including Late Night with the Dean (which was hilarious, by the way).  WEPO Prepared me for my engineering classes, which SHO Time lacked, and I am thankful for all of the lessons and help I have received from such a great group of engineers! 

Rebecca Hazy is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering, and is a Rover for WEPO’15!