Photo by Jess Casey
Hi, my name is Lizzy! I’m a first year student here at UNE and I’m studying psychology but changing my major to social work for next semester. I will be graduating in 2026 with my bachelors and masters due to my 4+1 program in social work.
Going to college was definitely super exciting for me and very nerve racking. Not everyone’s first year is going to be very smooth and a breeze, I can definitely contest that. The workload here was not what I expected it to be but once I got into a routine the work was manageable. One thing I can give advice on is having new friends and living with them can be very exciting but make sure you do go to bed on a good time schedule as much as you don’t wanna miss anything. Having a good night’s sleep is gonna help you so much not just with your academics but with your social aspect and your mental processing.
This handbook is what I wish I had when I got here. So take this opportunity to use this to your advantage and conquer your college experience. This has a wide range of helpful and useful tips and tricks to have you navigate your first year in college from different grades of students and adults who work at UNE.
Photo by Haley Enos
Hey there, my name is Haley! I am a senior Psychology major with minors in Writing and Philosophy and I will be graduating from the University of New England in May of 2023.
Coming to UNE as a freshman was one of my favorite experiences that I’ve had to date. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic cut my freshman year short, and ever since I’ve yet to have another normal semester of college. As I am now in my last year of undergrad and things are finally beginning to return to “normal” I hope to make the most out of the time that I have left here, and to get involved as much as possible!
I hope that this handbook can provide incoming freshmen with some helpful advice that they wouldn’t have otherwise received. By creating this book with a group of my peers, I hope that first year students can gain some insight about life in college that they can apply to their experience here at UNE. Even if it’s only one small thing that they take away from this book, I hope that it can aid in making new students’ first year of college as great as it can be. I also hope that the advice we’ve provided can set the foundation for a successful academic experience as an undergraduate and be applied for years to come.
Photo by Brandon Cheely
Hi, my name is Sarah Bedore and I’m a first year at the University of New. I plan to graduate in the year 2026 with a degree in Sociology and Communications and hope to be certified in ESL teaching and negotiations. As I continue my education, I can only wait for the learning to be over and the work to begin. I’ve recently found myself struggling with procrastination and the reality that I need to give another 4 years to prepare myself for the future; a future which I am all too eager to jump to. I think it’s because in this new chapter of my life, there’s so much to balance, I’m not sure how to develop a schedule. But I have the tools to help myself, right in this handbook. It includes a ton of things that I’ll come back to later on throughout my time at UNE. I like to think of this project as a research tool rather than work because it was helpful and made me see a path to navigate college. I can plan around my classes and be ahead of the game because of the resources here. Students should recognize that you have to be fully dedicated throughout the process to complete the process, and this handbook can get you there!
Photo by Nick’s co-worker.
Hey guys! I’m Nick Frongillo and I am a senior here at the University of New England. I am studying Sports and Recreational Management with a minor in business and am set to graduate in the year 2023. I have also been a part of the club men’s rugby team since my freshman year and have loved playing the sport ever since I started. If there is anything I want an incoming freshman to learn from reading our handbook is that overall college is not as bad and difficult as people make it out to seem. There is a big learning curve when you first get here because it’s a new setting and you are starting to learn that piece of independence and trying to figure out how you can balance your work and social life. I also want them to know that however you are feeling when you first get here is most likely how a majority of other people around you are feeling so just know that you are not on your own.
