Alumni, Family and Friends
Name: Mariah Arsenault
Class Of: 2017
Program: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bradley Three Year Honors Program
My first impression of SNHU was that it was very fascinating, because it has the degree in three program. The fact that SNHU allows students to complete their bachelor’s degree in only three years was, and still is, amazing to me. I chose to come to SNHU after applying for the Bradley Three Year Honors program and I knew that if I got accepted, it was an opportunity that I could not pass up. Just a few weeks after my interview I got the letter in the mail saying that I got accepted, and I knew that I was going to go to SNHU.
My hope in receiving a college education was to acquire the skills to help me in my future. I was unsure what skills I would gain by going to college but I knew that they would be essential in the work force. My experience has been different than what I imagined because of the program that I am in. In my program there are 19 of us who have all of the same classes and the same schedule. We are together 24/7, meaning I can ask anyone for help and we all want to see each other succeed. It is nice to have people you can fall back on when you are struggling and I know that I could ask them for anything. The skills that I have learnt thus far and continue to learn are ones that I know will help me wherever the future takes me.
I believe that the community at SNHU is very friendly and supportive. Everyone here wants to see each other succeed and there are so many resources to help those that may be struggling. There are tutors and mentors along with each and every professor. I have never had a professor that is not willing to help me when I am struggling. On a personal level the tutors have helped me a lot. Whenever I am stressed with anything, I go to the library and ask them to explain it to me. My professors are excellent too, they are always willing to either stay after to help figure out the issue or schedule a time when we are both available.
Throughout my first two years at SNHU, the biggest influence has to be Professor Scott Milne. Scott taught the math courses to our cohort during our freshman year. I am not the best at math and had a difficult time understanding the concepts. Along with teaching at SNHU Scott also taught somewhere else making his free time very limited. Despite the fact that he was a busy man, he always made time to stay after class with me, and even come in on weekend before an exam to help anyone that had questions. He taught me that having patience and being able to help whoever you can goes a long way. Those two things can make a big difference in someone’s life school-wise and on a personal level. Scott is an excellent professor, and although I don’t like math, I would take another course if he were to teach it.
At SNHU I have been involved with Penmen Athletics. I have a job in athletics and I work as much as I can due to my financial situation. Although I would like to volunteer, I have very limited time with all of the work from my program along with my jobs on and off campus. However, this upcoming year I am going to be a Resident Assistant, something that I am very excited about. I cannot wait to see what this amazing opportunity holds and get involved in the SNHU community.
If I had to describe myself as a student I would say that I am an organized and conscientious individual. I always want to get things done right the first way and I like to stay organized while doing it. I am quite a planner when it comes to school and life in general. I write out all of my due dates at the beginning of the semester and have an ongoing list so that when I complete one thing I can start on the next. By doing this I avoid a lot of stress and by getting ahead, I can fix something if I did manage to do it wrong.
The thing that I find most challenging is time management. Time management is so important, especially when you are trying to balance multiple classes, assignments, and jobs. I deal with this by writing out all of my due dates and everything that needs to be done. I tend to get ahead of myself and work on things that aren’t due until a few weeks later but by doing this I avoid a lot of stress. I am the opposite of a procrastinator.
I am proud of the school, work, and social balance that I have been able to maintain. I manage to get good grades while making money and putting aside time to hang out with my friends. At times, things do get hard and I may work seven days in a row and I don’t get to see any of my friends but I know that it is not going to be like that forever. My grades are something that I am the proudest of. Even though I am in an honors program it is very difficult for me to understand concepts. Something that may take another person five minutes to understand can take me up to an hour. It sets me back from most of the people in my program but I am okay with the fact that I have to put in more time to study and understand things. I work very hard for everything that I have, whether it is the things that I own or the grades that I get. I am proud of how independent I am.
One of my best SNHU memories was at the end of my second year in the program when my advisor pulled me aside. He told me that I had received the Martin Bradley Three Year Honors Program Scholarship that I applied for. Aside from that exciting news, he also informed me that everyone who read my essay agreed that I truly deserve this scholarship. When I heard this news I actually had tears welling up in my eyes and I called my dad to tell him. I am not an emotional person, but to me it felt like one of the first times that I have actually been recognized for all of my hard work.
The best advice that I would give to an incoming student would be to try your best, and not to stress. I know that going from high school to college is a huge change and can be scary, but there are so many people that are willing to help you. Everyone at SNHU is friendly and wants you to succeed. There is not a person here that wants you to fail. Using your resources whether it is for help with work, help with your bill, or even information on how to get involved will really change your experience at SNHU for the better. There is so much that you can do here and succeed in it is just a matter of finding it. With the people that work here and volunteer in groups it is easy to find what you enjoy to do while staying on the right track.
Being a part of the Martin J Bradley Three Year Honors program makes me want to continue to stay involved in SNHU even after graduation. This program is the reason that I went to SNHU and I want to encourage other people that are in it to really get involved and make a difference. I would love to come back to SNHU and discuss what the program was like for me and what opportunities it opened up for me.
My favorite course was Financial Accounting with Bryan Bouchard.
As of right now my favorite TV Show is Grey’s Anatomy. I honestly have not had a lot of time this summer to watch TV or read books, so I guess it’s a good thing that Grey’s isn’t on in the summer! The last movie that I saw was Finding Dory and I thought it was very cute.
My favorite place to do any work is at the SNHU library. I like to either get some friends together and book a room or go up to the quiet floor.
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