The Simmons Scholars Program is contemplated in part as an academic and professional accelerator for students.  Simmons Scholars are connected with robust academic and professional development opportunities, Simmons Scholars report that these connections have generated a powerful impact with respect to their academic and career goals.

Simmons Scholars remain engaged with their academic and professional pursuits through non-academic semesters.  In 2023, approximately 13% of Simmons Scholars have earned a competitive academic research position, either with Cornell Faculty or as part of REUs nationwide.  26% have earned internships at companies such as Boeing, EY, and in the office of the Governor of Pennsylvania.  13% of participants have been accepted into competitive academic programs, such as the Engineering Summer Math Institute at Cornell (ESMI), and the Summer Exchange Program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.   17% of Simmons Scholars will continue to take engineering classes over the summer outside of Scholar programs, some in anticipation of early admission to the M.Eng. program in their senior year.

DPE connects Simmons Scholars with undergraduate research opportunities and graduate school pathways through Engineering Learning Initiatives (ELI), ESMI, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) REU, ESMI, the Cornell Undergraduate Research Board, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, and the Office of Undergraduate Research.  Additionally, DPE connects aspiring academics with graduate fellowship programs that support both admission and funding.  DPE also works closely with the Engineering Career Center to support Simmons Scholars’ access to professional internships and career pathways.