University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Top Questions

I have become more socially and academically confident as a result of my college experience. Before college I was somewhat shy and rather insecure. When setting off for college, students are vulnerable and really putting themselves out there without knowing what to expect. College forced me to put my fears and shyness behind me. I find myself much more socially confident which has made me happier and more successful in every aspect. I'm walking away with a large social network and a plethora of social skills. My academics have improved tremendously as well. I have finally found my passion, psychology, and have found myself eager to keep learning more. During my college experience, I was able to explore the counrty of South Africa for five months. This experience taught me that learning doesn't just take place in a classroom. Going abroad really forced me to maintain an open-mind and it taught me to appreciate all people and their differences. Overall, attending college has been and amazing and valuable experience. It has created an environment of learning in all areas, not academically exclusive.

So far, my college experience at the University of New Hampshire has been a rewarding one. I graduated from a highschool of just about 1,300 students and when I entered college as a first-year student of 13,00 other undergrads, I was intimidated, but also eager to take full advantage of the opportunities college provided. Future opportunities are so crucial to myself and my family since I am a first-generation student. My family came to America when I was two years old from Damascus, Syria and from the time we moved, they have demonstrated how important a college education is. I am currently a nursing major and hope that I can help others to the best of my ability once I graduate. I continue to guide my younger brother as he journeys through his education and I strive to instill the very morals in him my parents have so successfully demonstrated towards me and my older sister. I sincerely believe education is the most important investment one can make and I live by this statement, in order to make the most out of what is available.

I have received a lot of knowledge from the business school I attend. I have learned to really work for what I want and to take things more seriously. It is valuable because it professionalism is a characteristic that is needed after college is over.

In my college experiences I have learned that one must get involved with extra curricular projects. These projects open a doorway to meeting new people with like interests. In the career field nine times out of ten it is who you know rather than what you know, but it is always a good idea to make sure what you know holds value. When there is a balance of who you know and what you know you become professionally well-rounded, therefore making you a valuable employee/entrepreneur. It is no surprize that what has been most valuable to me in attending college is my studies teaching me how to be valuable.

As a California native, I went to college in New England to experience new and outside my comfort zone. I lived in the dorms, sang in an a cappella group, rowed for the Women's crew team and was the first to declare a dual major of Nursing and International Affairs. I had excellent guidance for study abroad in Africa, the Caribbean and Central America and unmatched support for creating a tailored curriculum. I would recommend the school to any student looking to marry nature with nurture, as my University of New Hampshire experience centered me in the peaceful surroundings of the New Hampshire coast which grounded me as a young adult and simultaneously thrust me into a competitive and academically challenging environment. I had the chance to grow as a young person and to become a confident woman with aspirations, goals and the resonating understanding that success is within my grasp. My college years are remembered fondly and with recognition of the hard emotional and physical work it is to grow up. My college experience provided the necessary support for that challenge and gave me a foundation to build upon in my personal and professional life.

Before coming to college I never had anything I wanted so bad I would do anything for. Now that I am in school, I have decided that I really want to be a teacher when I graduate. I have worked assistant teaching in the past and I loved it and it is absolutely what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. The education program at UNH is very competitive and hard to get into. I applied to it in the fall and was rejected so every since then I have been working extremely hard, meeting with my teachers outside of class, doing every extra credit opportunity that arises, so I can improve my grades and hopefully be accepted in when I re-apply in the spring. I have never wanted anything so bad in my life and being at college has taught me that life does not just hand you what you want; you have to work hard to get it. The general education I will receive here is going to be so valuable for me when I enter the "real world" along with the life long friends and experiences I will have gained.

When I was younger, I was attached to a doll my mother had given to me as a gift. Unlike most other young girls I didn’t fix her hair or match her shoes with her outfit. I was constantly pretending that she needed surgery for a bizarre disease or a cast put on her broken arm. If she was sick or hurt, I was there to help. Ever since I can remember I have wanted to help those who are sick and I am determined to follow my dream. I have always been very driven in anything I set out to accomplish. My most recent goal is to become a registered nurse. More specifically, I want to work with children as a pediatric nurse. I have a big heart and I know if I were given the chance to follow my dream of helping children, that I wouldn’t just be caring for them with bandages and medicine.

I have learned a great deal from my college experience, as much socially as educationally. I have learned many valuable life skills like patience, tolerance, and acceptance. Living with two other people in a small dorm room, and 30 people sharing the same common areas demands each of these on a daily basis. I strive to avoid conflict with all these people, and learn as much as I can from the unique knowledge they bring from their very different life experiences. I think that I have learned a lot form all these people, and have become a much more well rounded person because of this. I enjoy living at UNH, and wouldn't want to go anywhere else.

College has given me the opportunity to meet new people and discover new aspects of my education and life. Through my short time already on this campus, UNH has shown me that there is a plentiful array of choices to make in life and places to explore. Whether it's talking to a fellow student or approaching a friendly faculty member, I have found that people in this world are friendly and here to help me on my journey. I am getting an education while in college that deals with my profession, but I am also learning what it is to live a life with those around me instead of just drifting through the years with no interactions.

Choice - College is a time when one is really given the opportunity to chose who they want to be, what they want to stand for and how they are going to accomplish their goals in life. I was amazed to see students around me settling for less. Whether it was taking the easy road in terms of their class load or choosing to not stand up for something they believed. I saw laziness take a hold of many students. This made me sad, however, it also inspired me to change what I could and to work hard to get as much out of the experience I could. I think one of the best things I did in college was spending the year as a dorm resident assistant. As hard as it may have been to balance all the expectations of the job and my academic work, I learned a lot about myself and about what it meant to live in a community of diverse people. I was constantly pushed out of my comfort zone and was also constantly inspired by the residents who lived on my floor.