Hi everyone! My name is Jake Hewins and I am one of the interns for the University of New Hampshire Office of Undergraduate Admissions this summer. Beyond my position, I am a rising senior at UNH majoring in business administration with a concentration in information systems and business analytics. I am originally from Hingham, Massachusetts, but I now live in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Now that I’m going into my final year at UNH, I can say for sure that this school was the right choice for me. However, that was not my feeling during my college search. When I started my college search process, I was looking at smaller schools with less than 6,000 students. My parents, who are both alums, encouraged me to tour UNH even though it was a bigger campus than what I was looking for.
What stood out to me while touring the campus was how kind, open and helpful the community was. If I had any questions about the school or the business program, they would be able to answer it for me or point me in the direction of the right resource to contact afterwards. In addition, UNH stuck out to me because it has a beautiful campus, one of the best-ranked business schools in the country and the option to take an additional year to pursue my master’s in business administration. Even after touring smaller schools around New England, UNH stuck as my favorite school. I’ve continued to be confident in my decision in the three years I’ve been a student here.
A major reason UNH is right for me is the variety of classes available to all students, the encouragement to explore different courses by taking part in the discovery program (general education courses at other universities) and elective space to pick up a minor or another major while still graduating on time. For me, while I am majoring in ,and have enjoyed, my business administration courses, I also have an interest in renewable energy. Through the discovery program, I was able to take two classes, Energy and Environment and Energy and Society, where I learned more about how renewable energy sources are made and used, as well as their impact on the environment and society. Taking these and other courses outside my major, I have made new friends and new connections with professors, who I can reach out to later for letter of recommendations.
I have also enjoyed my time at UNH due to the variety of ways I can get involved outside the classroom. For me, I am involved with the UNH tour guide program as well as Meeple Tabletop Gaming Syndicate. I got involved in the tour guide program because I am very proud to be a part of UNH and I want to let others know all it has to offer. In addition, the tour guide program has been a great opportunity for me to constantly improve my verbal communication skills. I got involved in Meeple Tabletop Gaming Syndicate because I really enjoy playing board games and I wanted to make friends with an interest in tabletop games. These are only two of the over 275 student organizations you can get involved with while at UNH, meaning that if you have an interest in something, more likely than not there is a club for it. In addition, there are university-wide events you can attend to get the most out of your college experience, such as talks with guest speakers, movies, fairs, etc.
UNH has also given me the opportunity to take part in many different professional experiences. For one, my experience working with the admissions office for two consecutive summers. Beyond giving tours, I work on projects alongside admissions counselors. This helps me understand the importance of my job and gives me a better sense of the duties of an admissions counselor should I decide to pursue this field upon graduation. My other experience is taking part in the Washington Center. Through this study away opportunity, I spent a semester in Washington D.C., taking part in a professional internship, learning about different energy policies in the U.S. and E.U., as well as taking classes on professional development and nonprofits, all while still earning a semester’s worth of UNH credits. You can find out more about this experience in my study away blog post. This opportunity gave me a glimpse of what adult life is like after college and how much more responsibility I will have. These opportunities have helped me develop as a professional and be a better applicant in the job market upon graduation.
To those prospective students reading this, I want you to know that your experience will be different from my experience. With numerous undergraduate degrees, involvements and opportunities, I know you will get what you are looking for while at UNH if you decide to choose this university. If you have any questions about the university, please feel free to reach out to the UNH admissions office and we will answer your questions as best we can or get you the right resource to reach out to. Good luck with your college search process!
