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Interview with a UNH Transfer Student from Madrid

What made you want to transfer to UNH after being an exchange student here?

First of all, as a College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) student, I was excited by all the research that we get to do at UNH. When I was in Madrid at UC3M, which is my old college, we did have a makerspace, but other than that, we didn't have all the clubs or the teachers willing to put in extra hours and help us out. The people here are just so welcoming, and the campus life is great.

"The people here are just so welcoming, and the campus life is great."

What are your on-campus jobs?

I've been working at the this semester. I also work for on campus. I love the mountains and nature. For Outdoor Adventures, I'm a trip leader. Basically, what we do is get a group of students and take them on a trip where we do some outdoor activities. We were trained on wilderness first aid and all that kind of stuff as leaders.

What clubs are you part of on campus?

I'm part of the Electrical Vehicle Organization (EVO). I joined last year and now this year I'm the director of crosskart. The crosskart I'm building with a team started as a senior project. Some seniors decided they were going to transform this crosskart, which is like a small one-person vehicle, from gas fuel to electric. So, now my team is working on it. Our goals are the same. We want to have a competition-ready vehicle that's fully electric and able to complete a race. 

How were you supported as an international transfer student?

There's this amazing orientation for international students. I feel like that's probably one of the best weeks I've had at UNH. It was so fun. As time progressed, I met more people in classes. University Day (UDay) (UNH's yearly campus-wide picnic and student organization fair) was also a great time to meet people. The reason I'm in the Electric Vehicle Organization is because I talked to them at UDay and then I saw one of the guys from the group in class. There are so many people at UNH and so many things to see. You get into a club, you get to meet all these people, and from those people, you meet more people. 

"There are so many people at UNH and so many things to see. You get into a club, you get to meet all these people, and from those people, you meet more people."

What are your favorite places on campus?

I love and the. At the observatory, you can just lay down in the grass and it's so peaceful. Honestly, I also just enjoy spending time in the CEPS building, Kingsbury Hall. Kingsbury is a really good place where you can just hang out in between classes. There's a library which is awesome and the Makerspace. I sometimes go over to the Makerspace between classes and just hang out. Even when I was not employed there, I would just go. There are some really cool people, and you can always see the 3-D printing happening. 

How is attending UNH different from going to university in Spain?

In Spain, my college was in the middle of the city and there's not much college life. You just go there to study and that's it. Many people don't live in dorms. That's not a thing. UNH is so different from that, which is one of the reasons I love this place. Here, you meet so many people just by existing. 

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself before transferring to UNH?

When I first came here, one of my friends told me something that is the best advice I've ever heard for someone that's a freshman in college: Talk to everyone. For the first week, everyone is in the same situation. Nobody knows anyone. So just introduce yourself. That's the best thing you can do. Don't expect them to come to you. Be proactive and go out and talk to people. 

"Talk to everyone. For the first week, everyone is in the same situation. Nobody knows anyone. So just introduce yourself. That's the best thing you can do. Don't expect them to come to you. Be proactive and go out and talk to people."

Do you feel it was easy to find community at UNH as an international transfer student?

I don't think it was harder at UNH than at any other place. Maybe I was a little bit more scared because of the language barrier. But people here are welcoming. I didn't feel like I was a stranger at any point. I wasn't like, oh, people don't like me because I'm from Spain. Everyone was like, oh, you're from Spain, that's awesome. You want to go and hang out? So yeah, talk to everyone the first week. Everyone's in the same situation. Nobody knows anyone. Just go and talk. 

"People here are welcoming. I didn't feel like I was a stranger at any point. I wasn't like, oh, people don't like me because I'm from Spain. Everyone was like, oh, you're from Spain, that's awesome. You want to go and hang out?"

What advice would you give to a student considering UNH?

I would say UNH is a great place. You should seriously consider it, especially if you're into nature. People are awesome. Just come to UNH.