Questions About UNH, Answered by an Admissions Officer

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Karoline Goulart and Aja Altenhof in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

 

What’s Covered:

• What Were Some of Your Favorite Moments at UNH?
• Are There Any Fun Campus Traditions at UNH?
• Can You Talk About Some of the Clubs at UNH?
• What Are the First-Year Dorms Like?
• Can You Clarify the World Language Requirement at UNH?
• Do You Have Any Advice for Students Interested in UNH?

 

 

In this article, we will be sharing some students’ questions about the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and the answers provided by Karoline Goulart, Associate Director of Admissions at the school and a UNH alumni.

 

What Were Some of Your Favorite Moments at UNH?

 

When asked about her favorite moments at UNH, Karoline shared several experiences that particularly impacted her. According to Karoline, many of her favorite memories related to the day-to-day happenings of being a college student and being able to live in the same building as some of your closest friends.

 

Acclimating to College

 

Karoline shared that as a first-generation college student, she did not know what to expect about the college experience or how to make friends. While this was stressful in the beginning, she remembered that in her first week at school, UNH hosted a variety of different socials where students had the opportunity to meet in the lobbies of their dorms and participate in different activities. 

 

At one of these socials, she, along with other students, painted bricks meant to be used as doorstops to encourage them to keep their doors open and to meet new people. She remarks that this was a “really fun, low key way of meeting people.”

 

Long-lasting Friendships

 

Beyond these initial experiences at UNH, Karoline shared that she appreciated the long lasting friendships that she created at school. From having ice-cream movie nights in the dorms, or making plans to eat together in the dining hall throughout the week, these moments with friends at UNH are what Karoline misses the most about being on campus.

 

Are There Any Fun Campus Traditions at UNH?

 

Often, prospective students are curious about campus traditions at UNH. When asked about these traditions, Karoline shared several fun events that she experienced during her time on campus.

 

Wildcat Days

 

When students first move into campus, UNH hosts “Wildcat Days” which is essentially a large carnival for students. At Wildcat Days, students can participate in different fun activities like getting a massage, bouncing in a bouncy house, listening to live music, going to a comedy show, and eating snacks like fresh popcorn.

 

University Day

 

During the first week of school, UNH holds an event called “University Day,” which is a big, community-wide barbecue. At this event, the school shuts down both ends of Main Street, and lines it with different food vendors. Students can have everything from burgers and wraps to french fries, ice cream, and cotton candy. Additionally, each UNH student organization has a table where they give out swag items and encourage students to join their organization. This event is a fun tradition and an awesome way to visually see all of the different ways in which you can get involved at UNH.

 

Finals Week Traditions

 

UNH has several traditions associated with finals week. Before finals week, they host a late-night pancake breakfast for students, where students head to the dining hall to share in a fun meal.

 

During finals week, UNH has traditions to help students de-stress called “Frazzle-free Finals Week.” For this tradition, they have special activities in the library, like bringing in puppies for students to interact with, giving out cookies, or the “Primal Scream,” where students gather to all scream together and release stress.

 

Can You Talk About Some of the Clubs at UNH?

 

At UNH, there are many clubs to choose from. When asked about her involvement at UNH, Karoline shared that the main club she participated in was Mosaico, UNH’s Latinx student organization. She joined during her sophomore year after seeing a small Brazilian flag on a flier in the UNH student center. It was important to Karoline to find a community that reflected her identity. 

 

 Being involved in Mosaico was a great opportunity for Karoline as she was able to hold a leadership position, becoming chair of the club for two years. Through that experience, she coordinated various cultural events for the campus community, like  Brazilian Carnival Night, the Latin Heritage Luncheon, and workshops. Additionally, through Moasico Karoline met friends from around the world and learned about different cultures.

 

In addition, Karoline worked for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and coordinated the events for them. She was also part of some campus Christian organizations and participated in residence hall activities.

 

What Are the First-Year Dorms Like?

 

Many students are curious about first-year dorm options at UNH. Karoline suggests that you first consider the following questions: “Who are you and what’s the easiest way that you make friends? Where do you feel most comfortable?”

 

First-Year Residence Halls

 

At UNH, students have the option of living in residence halls where all residents are first-year students, and most of these are larger halls. These residence halls tend to be better spaces for students who like busy places. Karoline lived in one of these residence halls during her first year, and found that it was a good place for her to get used to what the university was like and familiar with different resources on campus.

 

Smaller Halls and Themed Housing

 

If you don’t want to live in a first year only hall, you can choose a smaller hall or a themed residence hall. Smaller halls in particular are good for students who prefer quiet communities and smaller places. Themed residence halls are good options for students who find it easier to make friends with people who share common interests.

 

At UNH, every residence hall, no matter what type, will always have other first year students living there. What is most important to consider when exploring first-year housing options is what setting you’re most comfortable in.

 

Can You Clarify the World Language Requirement at UNH?

 

When asked about UNH’s world language requirement, Karoline shared details about this policy. At UNH, a world language is not required as long as students have 15 year-long units of core courses. 

 

For example, if a student has four years of English, four years of math, and four years of science, they already have 12 units of core courses. After this they would only need to have three social science courses to meet the requirements.

 

While two years of world language courses is generally the minimum for most universities. UNH is moving away from this because they know that many high school students have different interest areas and some high schools are removing their language classes. 

 

Additionally, UNH considers the level of the language that you’ve taken. If, for example, you took level two-Spanish, then this counts for two years of world language.

 

Do You Have Any Advice for Students Interested in UNH?

 

Many students are interested in advice for the UNH application process. Karoline advises that students start the college process early because the college search can sometimes be overwhelming. Additionally, participating in activities like virtual information sessions are really helpful in narrowing down which schools will be a good fit.

 

If you can visit, Karoline highly encourages that you do this. Visiting campus can be a great way to get a sense of whether or not the campus feels like a place where you belong. When visiting campus, pay attention to the little things. Are the people friendly? Will they hold the door open for you? It’s the little things that really make a difference, and you can use those notes to narrow down your list.

 

Finally Karoline shared that at the end of the day, no matter where you go, you will be successful as long as during your search, you use the resources available to identify schools that have opportunities you’re interested in.