Proud to be a Wildcat
The college application and decision process is an important and overwhelming experience. It’s hard to know exactly what is right for you before experiencing it for yourself. Many people get lucky: they decide on a school and love their time there. For me, I attended a different university my freshman year and then decided to transfer. My decision to transfer to UNH was an exciting and easy decision after experiencing a full year of a different college.
I transferred to UNH from a school with only 3,500 students and knew I wanted something bigger. UNH is a Division 1 school with very strong school spirit. This was important to me because I wanted to experience large sporting events and see students all over campus proudly wearing UNH apparel. I dreamed of this type of community but didn’t find it until coming to UNH.
I grew up visiting New Hampshire and northern New England every year. I have lived in New England my entire life and knew I didn’t want to leave. If anything, I wanted to immerse myself even more in the New England lifestyle and culture. UNH is in the perfect location for me because I am a skier and hiker who enjoys spending time in nature, but I also love to travel to new places and go into cities. Within an hour from campus, I have easy access to the mountains, the ocean, and cities like Portsmouth, NH, Portland, ME and Boston, MA, providing a a balance between everything I love.
Although location and activities are important things to consider when applying to college, so are academics. I was in a specific program for international business at my previous school and wanted to find a similar academic experience, but at a larger institution. At UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business, I can major in international business and economics at the same time. As soon as I was accepted, I was already planning my courses for the upcoming semester – and my remaining semesters at UNH. From there, I just continued to add more and more until I was double majoring and double minoring. There are so many options for majors and minors in a variety of areas that I couldn’t just choose one.
Lastly, I also considered the opportunities to get involved on campus. I have always been social and grew up playing sports and doing various activities; therefore, it was important to me to take advantage of every opportunity I could while in college. With over 250 clubs and organizations on campus, there is truly something for everyone. I quickly started joining some of these and haven’t stopped since. In my first semester, I became a UNH Admissions tour guide and joined a sorority. Since then, I have become a transfer peer mentor, held two executive positions within my sorority and worked on campus for Hospitality and Food Services and as a marketing intern for the communications and public affairs department. Obviously, these experiences are very unique to my interests and I am very committed to them. There are many more clubs and organizations I would love to join, time permitting.
When I stepped foot on this campus, I knew this was where I was meant to be. I am sad that I couldn’t spend a full four years attending UNH, but I am glad to have three. Choosing UNH was the best decision I ever made, and it will definitely be hard to leave when I graduate in 2022.
