Major: Hospitality Management

Why UNH?

From the time that I started looking at colleges during my junior and senior years of high school, I was dead set against going to UNH. Despite my feelings about the University, I came to an Admissions Day at UNH and instantly fell in love with it. I liked UNH's sense of community. The fact that it was very "New England." And they had the major I wanted which was Hospitality Management and I knew no schools in Maine had the program. The people here at UNH were really welcoming and the food was great, too. Overall, it is just a beautiful campus.

After the visit to UNH, my mind was made up; I would attend UNH and sent in my Housing deposit immediately. After graduation, it finally hit me that I was going to college.

The First Days of Freshman Year

Freshman year started early for me because I attended Freshman Camp. Freshman Camp is the second oldest student-run organization at UNH and is facilitated by 70 volunteer student counselors. A wide range of individuals come together and enjoy sports, skits, talent shows, and traditional summer camp activities. Some of my fellow Freshman Camp attendees loved the program and some didn't. But, I absolutely loved it. I met tons of people and the lake facilities were beautiful. It had a real 'camp' feel to the trip and the bus ride was even fun.

By attending Freshman Camp, I established a network of friends at UNH before I even met the people in my residence hall. I urge everyone to get involved in something you can come early for. You'll be glad you did. Exhausted from Freshman camp, I went to meet the people who were moving into my dorm.

Two students. Picked to live in a room.

My new roommate and I were very accommodating regarding how we were going to set up our room, which made things a lot easier in the long run.  But, we soon discovered that we had two completely different lifestyles.  We had opposite schedules, different taste in music, different groups of friends in the building and even more differences that aren't mentioned here.  I couldn't figure out the best way to disclose that I identified as LGBTQ and so I didn't explain it to my to my roommate until we had been living together for about two weeks.  I decided that I wanted to get to know my roommate first before sharing my sexual orientation; I felt there was so much more my roommate could know and learn about me as a person and identify with, other than my sexual orientation.

My roommate and I ended up having a lot of educational conversations about our different viewpoints on life. I asked my roommate about his relationship with his girlfriend and he asked me about my relationships with men. While not always cheery, we began to learn a lot about each other's differences. While the relationship was rocky at times, I'm very glad that I had this experience.

Life in the Mini Dorms

I realized very quickly that, just like in high school, there were groups that were cliquish. I found that it was challenging to be with so many returners, and they were not so accepting at first. But, through my RA and a few upperclassmen, I started to make friends in the building. After a few weeks, I was friends with more upperclassmen than freshmen because I felt I could have more in-depth philosophical conversations with the upperclassmen.

After fall semester, I decided to move into a different dorm because a friend of mine was looking for a new roommate. While I was glad for the experience and knowledge that my first roommate had given to me, I decided that living platonically with another individual who identified as LGBTQ would be just what we were looking for in support and close friendship.

Life in Congreve

From the start, I knew life was extremely different in Congreve Hall. The Minis had a more mature feel and had more of a sense of community. I missed people hanging out in the public spaces and I missed the smaller environment. I even missed Pam, our housekeeper because she was like a mother to our building. Oh yeah, and I missed the carpeting.

Congreve was completely different from the Mini Dorms. While most of the students were older, a lot of the students were already pre-established in the UNH community. As a result, a lot of residents kept their doors closed. So, I was glad that my roommate was my friend. I loved Congreve because it was closer to my classes, it had walk-in closets and wide, spacious hallways, unlike my last home.

So Much to Do, So Little Time

In the short time that I have been at UNH, I've become involved in several activities on campus including: Alliance, the UNH LGBTQ Conference, LeaderShape, Freshman Camp, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Martin Luther King Jr. Summit and co-authoring a grant so that fellow students and I could attend the Midwestern LGBTQ Conference in St. Cloud. I am planning on going on the Alternative Break Challenge (ABC) during Spring Break. Through Alternative Spring Break, students take a road trip to a destination in the United States and also do community service along the way.

I think that getting involved in activities early on is the key to success and happiness at UNH. Make connections early on because these friends may be your true friends for life. A core group of friends is going to act as your support group. Which you will need at times.