I started as a biology major when I first came to Elms College. I realized that a lot of the classes that I had to take for that major, like Chemistry, weren’t really what I was interested in doing as a career. I was more interested in anatomy and other medical areas. When I talked to my advisor, Jill Bigos, she told me the Life Sciences major would be good for me because you can kind of pick and choose what kind of classes you want to take to fulfill the requirements, and you can stick more with the medical route.
I knew I wanted to do something in medicine, but I’m not exactly sure what specifically yet. The Life Sciences major makes it so I have a wide range of opportunities in the future and I don’t have to be limited to one category. When I graduate, I will have taken all the foundational courses and can go on from there.
I think I want to go to grad school for either nutrition or occupational therapy. I wasn’t interested in occupational therapy until recently. My 83-year-old aunt recently underwent open heart surgery, and occupational therapists would make visits to her house as part of her recovery. I was there for some of the sessions where they were helping her with exercises she needed to do to get better. I just thought it seemed like a really interesting thing to do for a career.
I went to Elms College because my mom recommended it. She went here. And when I visited the campus, I liked how it is a small school. I also liked how all your teachers know you personally – you’re not just a number like you would be at a big college or university. I also like the religious aspect of it. I’m Catholic so I appreciate that as well. If I didn’t go to Elms College, I would have chosen a similar-sized school. I also wanted to stay local, and not go away to college. I don’t live on campus. I live with my parents and commute. They love having me home, so they appreciate Elms too.
I have friends who go to big universities and a lot of their classes are with 300 kids. They just sit there, and the professor doesn’t know who they are or even if they show up for class. All their tests are online. They don’t get many chances to get to know their professors. It’s not really personable. I feel Elms is more personable. At Elms, your professors know who you are and when you are struggling and need help. They also know when you are not giving your best effort and can keep you on task so you will do your best. I have a 4.0 GPA so I think I’m doing pretty good.
As a commuter, I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything by not living on campus. I get all the emails for campus activities, and I’m only 15 minutes away if I want to come back for something or hang out with people. A lot of people at Elms are commuters and I feel like I fit in with all of them. I haven’t had any problem meeting people. I’ve already met several people from my classes and people who have the same interests as me.