Portrait of U N E student Siobhan Smith

Siobhan Smith ’27

Applied Mathematics Economics

Welcoming Community

The 51Æ·²ècommunity is very much like a family. Everyone says ‘hi’ to each other. When you walk by someone, they smile at you. It’s also a very safe place. You feel like you belong here. Since it’s not one of the huge schools, the campus gives a homey vibe.

[As an Applied Mathematics major], I have seen how the math community at 51Æ·²èis really close-knit too. Since it is a smaller department, the majority of your professors will end up teaching you many times. I like knowing that I can build relationships with them and get support I may not have been able to have at a larger school.

The [math] faculty are here to help you. If I need to use their office hours for some extra help, that is absolutely no problem. The relationships you can build with your professors is definitely beneficial. They learn what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Why UNE

I’ve learned so much and used tools that I’ve never used before [as a first-year] in my math classes. I took the usual calculus and stats courses, but also took a Survey of Software Tools class. Our class worked with a lot of different online programs and web tools that were new to me.

I’m excited to eventually get an internship. There are some really cool options that past students have done, like working with the FBI and NASA. Those are some really awesome organizations that not a lot of schools could offer students.