Paper ID #29941 First year engineering experience from the rural student’s perspective Ms. Joanne Kay Beckwith, University of Michigan Joanne is a fifth year PhD student in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. Laura Hirshfield, University of Michigan Laura Hirshfield is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Michigan. She received her B.S. from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from Purdue University, both in chemical engineering. She then transitioned into the engineering education field with postdoctoral positions at Oregon State University, Olin College of Engineering and University of Michigan. Her research interests lie in assessing and amending curricula to help students transition from undergraduate to professional practice. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020