6 Questions with a Political Science and Geography Double Major
What are UNH professors like? How do you make friends in college? Welcome back to our Student Spotlight series, where you can explore answers to these questions, meet real UNH students and learn more about why they love UNH. Meet John Shortis '25, a double major in political science and geography.
John Shortis '25
1. Why did you choose UNH?
I eventually settled on UNH when I toured the campus. Seeing how nice the campus was, how friendly the students were and the fact that it felt like a welcoming atmosphere, it just felt like the perfect fit.
Coming from Chatham, Massachusetts, Durham seemed different enough from home that I felt like I was experiencing somewhere new while not shipping myself far away from home.
2. How did you choose your major?
While I did not come into UNH undeclared, I was not exactly sure why I picked the major that I did at the time. I had been picking different majors at different schools I was applying to and honestly did not put a ton of thought into it initially.
I figured that I would rather go in with a field that I had done well in during high school, political science. I had some great teachers in high school that I connected very well with in this field.
I decided to stick with my major since I found the subject matter so interesting and the discussion-based classes particularly engaging. However, I eventually decided to double major in geography as well, since I discovered how cool GIS programming was and I have always had a passion for maps.
3. Why do you love your major?
I love the department of political science here at UNH for a variety of reasons. The staff and students I have interacted with daily have been dedicated to open and honest communication. They are open to conversations that are often uncomfortable, complex or theoretical. I believe that in the department of political science, the professors succeed in providing real-world knowledge on the political landscape from a local, regional, state, national and international perspective, as well as giving the students room to germinate their own thoughts and opinions.
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4. Who has been your most impactful professor and why?
I have had many incredible professors who have introduced me to lots of valuable knowledge. If I had to choose one that was the most important, Professor Tama Andrews has definitely left the largest lasting impact on my education here.
Including the credits from my internship last semester, I have taken 20 credits with Professor Andrews here at UNH. Throughout these courses, Professor Andrews and I have had many productive conversations about political science and what it means to work in politics.
Discussion-based classes, such as her American Political Thought class that I had the pleasure of taking last spring, really encouraged me to think of political science through my own lens and to try to identify sources of bias, prejudice and influence that all of us are susceptible to.
Additionally, going into my internship with the New Hampshire State Senate, I was particularly nervous about what it was like to work in a professional setting since I had never been there before. However, through conversations with Professor Andrews as well as the other interns, I managed to make myself comfortable within a new and tricky environment.
5. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned at UNH so far?
Humans are social creatures. We need each other, and communication is key to developing strong personal and professional relationships. Initially, I was anxious talking to different groups of people because I was worried about how I would be perceived or if people would want to interact with me. I have since discovered in my years at UNH that while not everyone can or should necessarily be your friend, if you are friendly to people and remember different things about them as a person or their interests, you can end up building some really cool relationships in places that you really would never expect.
6. Have you received any scholarships or funding from UNH that made a difference for you?
One of the reasons that made the choice to come to UNH easy was the fact that UNH provided me with more scholarship money than any other school that I had applied to. This scholarship money has taken some of the stress and financial burden off of me so that I have been able to live more comfortably here than I may have been able to otherwise.
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