Student Engagement

The best thing about studying Applied Exercise Science at UNE is an extremely well-rounded approach to the subject matter and a strong knowledge-base of the human body. Professors have a deep understanding of how the body’s basic physiology changes from things like sickness or exercise, and they really share that with students. You get to learn when the body is at its weakest or at its strongest.

Now, I’m getting my master’s in exercise science. UNE helped me get there by preparing me for the rigor of a master’s degree and also by providing a connection to other universities for post-grad.

Beyond the Classroom

After joining Outing Club my first year and doing some hiking in the Whites — I had never hiked in the White Mountains until my first-year orientation trailblazer trip — I heard about this thing called the 48 4,000-footers. It’s a challenge where you do all 48 of the 4,000-foot mountains in New Hampshire. I decided then that I was going to try to do them all in the four years before I graduated.

Eleven of the 4,000-footers are grouped together there in a 30-mile ring called the Pemigewasset Wilderness. I’ve had some truly amazing moments in that wilderness on those peaks. It’s my favorite place in the world right now. Another thing that’s cool is that the Whites are only about an hour and a half to two hours away from UNE so it’s a really doable challenge if you space it out across four years.

These kinds of endurance events are furthered by my studies in AES about learning how the body reacts in those situations — to train the body to take something that seems super hard so that it feels like it was not super hard after the proper training and adaptations.

I did my first semester of college at a large state school in Massachusetts. During my first semester, I felt lost. It was a very big school, and I felt like I was being treated like a number. I didn’t feel personally connected to my professors. No one really knew my name. After the first month or so, I knew it wasn’t the right fit for me, so I started looking at other schools. I had always known of UNE because I grew up vacationing in Old Orchard Beach with my family.

UNE felt comfortable and there is so much opportunity for global exploration and experience. Coming back after time away, professional staff and fellow students are like, “Oh my gosh, we missed you.” I don’t know any other college that welcomes you in like that. UNE embodies what I really want out of a school. It makes me my best self in every way possible. Also, I am able to be an athlete here and balance it with my academics, fieldwork, and research. I feel so well-rounded from my experience already. I am really grateful for my UNE community.

At UNE I always feel seen and heard, and I have never been spoken down to here because I am a student, because I am young, because I am female, or for any other reason. Even as a student athlete here, I have always been treated with so much respect, love, and kindness. UNE is a place full of people with passion for what they are doing. I am inspired by this place and its people.

I love the education program. All of the professors are amazing, and everyone has their own kind of niche, which is really cool. I've had classes with all of the professors and my [academic advisor]. My advisor is all about special education and innovation in the way of different kinds of learners. She has taught me a lot about adapting to students’ different learning needs. 

Another of my professors is all about technology, innovation, and global studies. She has taught me a lot about education here in the U.S. versus other parts of the world. Then another is such a humanitarian. She cares so much about people, equity, and welcoming different kinds of cultures. 

It’s so interesting to get diverse perspectives from my different professors.