What Students Really Say About Farmington


So, did you come to Farmington intending to double-major?
Nope, I just declared three weeks ago, I came in Undeclared. Last year I just took a bunch of different classes and kind of found my niche.

Could you explain each of those majors?
Theater has to do with the stage and all its different components — acting, directing, play direction, and everything technical that makes a play possible. Theatre UMF [a student theater organization] does some really good shows.

And Community Health Education looks like a really awesome way to reach out to people and help them, to educate people on health issues that affect them — issues they may not even be aware of. It's just so important. I know so many people who are oblivious to different health issues and I want to help them become more aware.

Were you interested in these areas before you came to UMF or did your classes spark your interest?
I had been involved in theater throughout high school but I’d never thought about majoring in it. Honestly, I just liked being involved in Theatre UMF. Then I figured I'd try to get as much as I could out of the Theater Arts program while I was here. And with Community Health Ed ... somewhat there was an interest, but I didn’t realize it until the end of last year when I discovered I'd like to working with people — doing something to help people.

Where do you see yourself going after you graduate?
I’m not sure, actually. Maybe go to grad school or get a job in Community Health Ed as soon as possible. We'll see what happens.

So what are some of the more meaningful classes you’ve taken so far?
Right now I'm taking Intro to Nutrition and I'm thinking about having a concentration in it. We're learning the basic structure — what nutrients to put into your body and the affect food has on your body. Last year I took an Environmental Science class that was interesting. I'm not usually very into science classes, but this one was very interesting. We'd go on a lot of field trips and the material was presented in a way I could understand. I really got a lot out of that class.

What originally attracted you to Farmington?
Well, I first heard about the school at one of those college fairs my sophomore or junior year of high school. I liked the diversity of the programs and the location of the campus. I'm from as far east as you can get in Maine, so I wanted to get away a little bit. I really liked the location and just the sounds of it — that it was small but not really small.

What did you think of the campus the first time you visited it in person?
I really liked it. Even though it's small, I was kind of intimidated by it. But I liked the looks of the residence halls and everything here looks very "New England-y."

What about living on campus, are you active in student organizations?
Let's see ... I’ve been to a bunch of events in The Landing, and I'm involved in Theatre UMF, and I'm in the process of joining the Student Admissions Club — giving campus tours and stuff. Oh, and I have a work-study job on campus, too.

What do you do for your work-study job?
I work in Merrill Hall in the Visual and Performing Arts office. Mostly I do office stuff, typing and photocopying, whatever needs to be done.

Do you feel Farmington is preparing you well for entering the real world?
I hope so. Yes, I think it does as long as I can keep up with my school work.

Do you feel you get a lot of work? Are you professors too easy or too hard?
I think it's just right. Yeah, I have homework but I'm not bombarded with it. I can handle it.

What did you think about coming to UMF for the first time?
I was excited. The first time I came here I was excited but really nervous. I had no idea what to expect. I was the only person from my graduating class who came here, so I only knew a couple people on campus. I was like, “I don’t have any friends, I don’t know what to do!” But then this year, I wasn’t feeling that at all.

What would you have liked to know before you came here?
Keep up with homework! Don't let yourself get behind, and try to balance your social life with your school life.

What is your favorite part of college so far?
I really like the independence, the atmosphere, the people. It's a good place to be. I've lived in the residence halls the past two years and everyone is really friendly. Even the upper classman last year were very nice and helped us out [the freshman] out and included us in stuff. That kind of thing makes you feel good when you don’t know anyone and it's just your second day of school. It is a nice atmosphere and you can always find something to do or somebody to hang out with.

Do you feel there are things that set Farmington apart from other schools?
Oh definitely. I've visited friends at other schools, and I know that [another state university] isn’t a humongous school but it is really big for me. Walking between my friends' dorms there, it was seriously a mile and I am not used to that. And there were so many people there that was overwhelming. It made me appreciate the smallness of Farmington. I just like Farmington better.

Who do you turn to for academic advising or advice?
My peer advisor for help like pre-registration and registration and also my faculty advisor and sometimes my work-study boss, actually. Sometimes I’ll have a question and my boss will just go and look it up without me even asking her to do it.

What is peer advising for somebody who doesn’t know?
It's an upper classman, a junior or senior. They help underclassman pick out classes for the upcoming semester and they help them choose what they need for their majors and make sure they get their requirements. It's just to get the framework done for when you go and meet with your faculty advisor.

What does a Liberal Arts education mean to you?
For me it means you get a broad range of information and it's unlimited. You're not focusing on one specific thing, you're learning a lot of different things and I think that’s really good. For your General Education requirements, you need to have Humanities and Fine Arts classes, which is really good for someone like me. I don’t really like science or math but I have to take them and as much as I don’t like it, it's good that I'm not completely ignorant about those subjects.

What are three things Farmington does really well?
I think UMF does really well with students clubs and organizations. There are SO many different ones and each one seems to be really developed and people in the clubs are really dedicated — and you can tell. You can really notice this when they have club sign-up days and all the clubs are set up in the Student Center. It's absolutely packed!

I also like the Fitness Rec Center a lot. I like that there's a full gym that students can use for free.

Would you recommend UMF to a friend or family member?
I’ve already been recommending it to my sister. She has visited the campus a few times and she liked it — the size of it and the atmosphere, and that it's a “small little community.” I think she'd like the classes here, too.