University of Maine Top Questions

My experience as a major in the department of food science and human nutrition has been a great experience. As a senior currently attending the University of Maine I have gained and learned many skills pertaining to this field. And it has only further expanded my interest in many areas! I became very intrigued with the field of nursing. I learned of the many career opportunities and specialties available, including pediatrics which I am interested in. The nursing shortage had also come to my attention. Nursing career opportunities are greater and more varied than ever before, and the demand for qualified nurses has increased dramatically. An increasing number of aging baby boomers need medical care, but a third of the aging nursing workforce is preparing to retire and there are not enough nurses to replace them. I feel this would be a very rewarding career. As a student about to receive a Bachelor?s degree I feel I am qualified to do the program as I am a serious and dedicated student. I love to work with and help people in regards to improving overall health and wellbeing.

So far, as I have only been in college for a semester and a bit, I have been able to look around and find activities I would be interesting in helping with and joining. I came into college looking at my freshman year as trying new things and seeing what I enjoy. Because of this, I will be more directed next year in choosing my extracurriculars, I have applied to be a Resident Assistant, and I have chosen a completely different major than I came into college with. With the opportunities I have and will continue to explore, I am sure I will go where I want to after undergraduate studies. I wish to work for the government and get a high-end job in or around either Washington, D.C. or New York City. The University of Maine, I am sure, will point me in the right direction.

If I could go back to my senior year of high school, knowing what I know now about college life I would change one thing. I always felt pressured to chose a major and have the rest of my life planed out before I even started college. I chose a major in psychology and told myself that I really wanted it. After my first year of college I found myself very bored with my choice and needed to do some soul searching. When signing up for classes for my sophomore fall semester, I added a mix of classes, medical, business and liberal. This was the smartest thing I have ever done for myself. I was so intrigued by my anatomy and biology classes, I knew that I had to change my major to the medical field. I am now a nursing major and loving every moment of it. Taking a mix of classes helped me find what I was really interested in. Choosing a major, just to have one isn?t a good idea. It?s important for high school students to know that life can?t always be planned out! Take your time, and find what you love.

In high school, I would have told myself to focus more on my studies instead of friends. I believe I would of been more prepared for the reading and workload my freshman year of college if I would of had this advice. I am independent; therefore, the transition into college was not incredibly difficult compared to others' experiences.

After experiencing a full semester of college, I would love to be able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior. Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself that the transition to college is just as hard as everyone says it will be. However, it is probably one of the most fun, exciting, and one of the best learning experiences I will ever have. There are the seemingly obvious things I would tell myself, such as not to skip as many chemistry classes, study harder for exams, and try to get more sleep. Then there are the things that I never would have thought of. Such as socialize the most in the first few weeks, because that is when the best bonds are made. I would also like to tell myself to get a job as soon as school starts. Deciding to settle in and wait until the second semester for a job will leave you broke. After giving myself this advice I would also say that college is the time to find yourself and make friends and have the time of your life.

Bring more warm clothes. It's colder than you think. And keep yourself on pace with school. Missing a few social events won't kill you. Even though you are capable of getting above average grades only partially trying, you won't be happy with yourself for not doing your best and you know it because that's how you've always been. In addition, ask lots and lots of questions. Don't be afraid to piss off professors with your amount of questions, especially when it comes to your thesis.

I would tell myself to apply to a different major than my first choice. My current major is going to help me a lot more in my future careers and I enjoy the material I am learning. I would also tell myself to brace for a hard Calculus teacher and get ready to study a lot more than I previously did in high school.

Senior year is possibly the greatest time in your life. You're excited, you are in your last year of high school, which everyone thinks is the best thing in the world. Then you wake up the day after graduation and think, man, what did i get myself into? When i was preparing for school i was a bag of mixed emotions. I was so excited to be done with high school, i was nervous about going off 8 hours away living on my own, and i was stressed about how i would handle all the situations college would throw at me. I was worrying about the littlest things, like what would happen if i wanted to drop a class? How do they treat outsiders who aren't from Maine? If i could tell myself one thing, it would be rather simple. To relax. I would tell myself everything works out, and that i can handle anything anyone throws at me. I would tell myself the experiance is completely worth it and to take everything in stride. I would remind myself that im a New Yorker, i'm tough, no one is going to stop me.

If I were to go back in time to give myself advice, all I would say to myself is always try your hardest. I would not want to give away any other information. I am happy with where I am in school right now, and I couldn't be happier. My highschool self made the right choice as to where to come to school, although one can never hear enough that they need to always give it their all in school. This schooling is my future, this is helping me complete my lifetime dream. Nothing is more important that always doing your best. So, i would only give myself words of encouragement, but not warnings or previews. College is something you need to take as it comes. There is no warning because everyone's experience is different.

I would tell myself how to better prepare for the academic challenges that I would face. I would take more advanced classes in high school and overall take all of my classes more seriously. I would also tell myself to look more closely at what the social life at the school is like and to consider how what I am looking for in a social life matches what is common at that school.