What Students Really Say About Farmington


Tell me a bit about the Art major at UMF. What are you working on?
Right now I’m taking a 2-D Design on the Computer class and a sculpting class. I’m not sure if I have to take a painting class but I know I’d really like to. Other than that I’ve done a lot of things that have to do with working in real art galleries, which is great because I’m hoping to go on to an art school to focus on interior design.

What do you like about the Art classes you’ve taken at Farmington?
I like that with my Art History professor there’s no absolute right or wrong answer — instead, it’s about how we interpret things. We can have your own opinion on things. In some other classes, it’s just the teacher talking to you and you’re listening and taking notes. But in my Art History class, not only do we take notes but we get to interact with the teacher and the paintings.

Have any of your Farmington classes changed your way of thinking?
I’ve always known there was so much more to Art than what I knew. I’ve heard other people say that they’ve seen a difference, that you can interpret something differently. I’m taking the Songs of Bob Dylan class and that has changed my view, looking into his lyrics, finding out what he’s talking about. That’s really cool.

Any professors that stand out?
Libby McFalls [Assistant Professor of Art] is a very nice teacher and helps me a lot in 2-D Design. Before I came to college, I was afraid that the teachers weren’t going to care about me, just tell me to pass things in and leave. But she’s very helpful and sweet.

Who do you go to for academic advice?
Mostly, Mike McFalls [Assistant Professor of Art] my faculty advisor. He’s really friendly and easy to get along with.

So, what originally attracted you to Farmington?
Two of my friends went to school here and they came to our high school to give a presentation about college and what they thought about UMF. At the time, I didn’t even know they went to UMF. Afterward, my high school guidance counselor told me that Farmington would be a school to get stuff done and that I'd like it, and he was right.

Was Freshman Orientation your first time on campus?
Yes. Everyone was very friendly and very nice. But it wasn’t just the school -- it was the town, too. In general, the whole Farmington place was very friendly.

Where do you live?
I live on campus in Scott Hall - North. Everyone on my floor is very sweet, very nice and I love them all. I especially like the ice cream socials we have. And we played poker last night in the lounge area. That was a lot of fun.

Are you involved in any campus clubs or organizations?
I get invited to “Stitch and Bitch” all the time. And I’ve had a couple meetings for the UMF Ski Team. But I’m trying hard to focus on homework. [Editor’s note: “Stitch and Bitch” is a student-run organization that focuses on knitting.]

You said that you ski, was that a draw for you?
Definitely, yes! I love to ski — I’ve been skiing since I was very little. Right now, I'm on the new Competitive Ski Team we have here. And the fact that we have Ski Industries Club, which I didn’t even know about until after I was accepted, was just an added plus.

What is your favorite part about being at Farmington?
The freedom and socializing with people. I like having friends from all over the place. Being able to say, “Meet me in front of the Library at 4:00 and we’ll play whiffleball.” Having a whole bunch of kids around to play between classes. Also taking naps between classes. I’m starting to love that [laughs].

Did you find yourself lost when you first got here?
Surprisingly, no. I thought I would be a little bit lost, but it’s actually very easy to move around and know where I’m going. And if I didn’t know where I was going or what I should be doing, I know at some point somebody would help me.

Is there anything you wish you knew before you came to Farmington?
Yeah, that I didn’t have to bring my car — partly because I have to park so far away from my residence hall building but also I found I don’t need it anyway. I can always bring my car home and leave it there, but I would rather have not brought it up here in the first place. I just don’t need it as much as I thought I would.

What do you think UMF does really well?
One big thing they do really well here is help out the students as much as possible. UMF has been very helpful to me. Any time I’ve had a problem, I could just talk to somebody and they could fix it for me.

Also … surprisingly, the food in the cafeteria is great! I love the variety and that it’s always fresh. And they make it right in front of you, to your order, however you want it. And I like that I can have it well balanced. The “freshman 15” is a big monster I was afraid of but I don’t feel that’ll happen to me — I can always have salad [laughs].

Would you recommend UMF to a friend?
It definitely depends on what they want out of a college. But if they were looking for a small school, not a lot of people, a smaller campus with a “college-y” kind of vibe, I’d say “Hey, come see me at UMF, we’ll have some fun.”