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We asked the peer mentors to answer some questions about their time here at UConn and give some simple tips and tricks to navigating the campus. Meet Jenny! A senior here at the University of Connecticut Majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Biomechanics and Mechanobiology.

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Jenny Field

What semester is this for you?

8th semester

When are you graduating?

May 2022

What’s your major?

Biomedical Engineering

Do you minor in anything or have a specific concentration within your major?

Concentration in Biomechanics and Mechanobiology

Where are you from?

Brentwood, New Hampshire

Are you in a learning community? (which one) How has it helped you?

Honors Program; Helped me meet like-minded people

What on-campus activities/organizations are you involved in?

I am the President of Confetti for Kids, a fundraising club that buys birthday presents for foster kids in Connecticut. I also participate in intramural soccer and volleyball. HuskyThon is one of my favorite activities. 

Where is your favorite spot on campus to study or hangout?

The South Lawn is the perfect place to relax, have lunch, or play games like frisbee and Spike Ball

What is the easiest part of your academic career at uconn?

The easiest part of my academic career was keeping up with deadlines and staying organized. Content Area classes outside of #3 were the easiest for me. 

What is the hardest part of your academic career at uconn?

The hardest part of my academic career was transitioning in and out of online classes. I lost a lot of my attention span. 

Any plans after graduation?

I signed on with Draeger Medical in Andover, Mass. I will be doing Validation and Integration Engineering on patient monitoring systems! 

What is your advice to incoming freshmen (in your major or in general)?

My advice is to try and get to know your professors. Especially in the gen-ed classes that have 300+ students, it’s still possible to make connections. It’ll be especially helpful if you need letters of recommendation for internships or graduate school!

Do you have any tips for navigating the campus?

Remember that everyone gets lost! Google Maps has good directions and you won’t be the only one using it

How did you handle online schooling vs in person schooling? Which do you like better?

Online schooling tested everyone in different ways. Learning to remain focused through a screen with all of the possible distractions was a big challenge but I think students are more resilient. There are definitely pros and cons of each learning modality, but I do like being in person. While I can’t roll out of bed and be “in class” 10 seconds later, I’m more engaged with the professor and I like learning with others. During online, you can’t really read the room and see if others are as confused as you may be.

How was adjusting to life at uconn like for you as a freshman? Would you do anything differently?

I think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone a bit. I was afraid to go to parties as a freshman because I didn’t want to break rules and wanted to fit in and make friends. I found out that you can go to parties to make friends, but you can also join clubs and play sports! Don’t be afraid to change friend groups too! There’s sometimes a lot of pressure that you have to “Meet your bridesmaids” in college but it can put too much pressure on having to stay friends with people who may not have your best interest. 

What resources are most helpful for the first years coming into the school of engineering?

I think groups like the Peer Mentors are the most important. Going to an Advisor is great, but sometimes you get a sugar coated answer from someone who hasn’t gone through the program. Asking other students will get you the real answers that you’re looking for. SI sessions are really helpful, and just in general going to class and being engaged. 

Any fun facts? 

This might not be super fun but I can read and write backwards and upside down.

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We asked the peer mentors to answer some questions about their time here at UConn and give some simple tips and tricks to navigating the campus. Meet Noah! A Senior majoring in Computer Science and Engineering with a concertation in software design.

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Noah Picarelli-Kombert

What semester is this for you?

2nd semester, senior year

When are you graduating?

This May

What’s your major?

Computer science and engineering

Do you minor in anything or have a specific concentration within your major?

A concentration in software design

Where are you from?

Simsbury, CT

Are you in a learning community? (which one) How has it helped you?

I’m not sure if it counts as a learning community, but I’m in the honors program. While I
have to admit that much of the requirements for honors come across as busywork, the
program has encouraged me to also attend more events on campus and look deeper
into the topics of my classes.

What on-campus activities/organizations are you involved in?

Before low membership and COVID forced it to shut down, I was the vice president of
Escape Storrs. We were a club that made small escape room puzzles and then let
students play through them.

I’m also a member of the UConn UPE chapter. We meet to work on coding problems,
talk about job applications, and such.

I’ve worked at the UConn Engineering Tutoring Center for several semesters as well. I
tutor students on various CSE topics and help them with their assignments. I can’t say
it’s easy, but I still enjoy it.

Where is your favorite spot on campus to study or hangout?

My own room, for sure. It’s quiet and all of my materials, books, and the like are there.
But I suppose that I technically haven’t answered the question since that’s not on
campus.

Speaking solely of campus locations, I’d pick any empty classroom. There’s plenty of
space and, should what I’m doing need it, a projector. The catch is that it’s not really
feasible to use one until very late in the day when most classes are done.

What is the easiest part of your academic career at uconn?

The CSE course requirements are extensive enough to fill most of one’s entire
undergraduate schedule. Within the realm of major-fulfilling credits, there isn’t too
much ambiguity in what I could choose to take. Some might not like the lack of
flexibility, but it’s made planning each semester very easy.

What is the hardest part of your academic career at uconn?

I think it should be a given that taking classes is the hardest part. Who would’ve thought
that computer science would be a difficult field to work in?

Any plans after graduation?

I’m heading to Boston. I’ve got a job offer there for software and systems design.

What is your advice to incoming freshmen (in your major or in general)?

For students majoring in CSE: Find people in your major and groups that relate to it.
Work with each other and practice what you learn. You’ll gain so much more from
applying the things you’re taught than just taking the classes. Not to mention, there’s a
lot of practical experience that classes just can’t give you. Oh, and make sure you learn
how to use Git.

For everyone: make good use of the next four years. You’ll be surrounded by resources
and opportunities that you likely won’t have for the rest of your life. I don’t just mean in
terms of academics, but in recreation as well. People don’t just get free passes to
massive gyms, after all. Use this school for everything it has.

Do you have any tips for navigating the campus?

It’s a good idea to walk through your schedule before classes actually start so that you
can plan out where you’ll be during the day and what routes to take between locations.
Also, you should use the myUConn app. I can’t speak to its other utilities, but it has a
very useful campus map that you can use to identify different buildings.

How did you handle online schooling vs in person schooling? Which do you like better?

Well, each certainly has its merits. In-person classes allow for a higher degree of
interactivity and provide you with the ability to meet people and work collaboratively.
They’re also the only real option for anyone who’s taking a lab course like chemistry or
physics.

However, there’s a lot of convenience in online classes. I don’t need to walk a mile to
campus to attend them, and one has the ability to schedule office hours and meetings
with more flexibility since travel time and preparation are eliminated. Perhaps I’m in a
unique position since my major involves constant computer work already, but I found
the actual work to be similar between the two class types. I handle online classes almost
exactly the same as in-person ones.

How was adjusting to life at uconn like for you as a freshman? Would you do anything
differently?

The biggest problem for me was that, despite having my major declared when I
enrolled, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. So my most notable adjustment was
attending my classes and club meetings and finding my interests. It was because of that
that I switched my major to CSE.

What resources are most helpful for the first years coming into the school of engineering?

The tutoring center, the q center, professors’ office hours. All of these are very helpful
for anyone struggling with certain topics.

Engineering is also a very extensive field. It’s worth talking to several professors about
their work and learning what each discipline entails.

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We asked the peer mentors to answer some questions about their time here at UConn and give some simple tips and tricks to navigating the campus. Meet Nathan! A Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Astrophysics and a concertation in Aerospace.

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Nathan Wetherell

What semester is this for you?

8th (final) semester

When are you graduating?

May 2022

What is your major?

Mechanical Engineering

Did you minor in anything or focus on a specific concentration within your major?

Minor: Astrophysics

Concentration: Aerospace

Where are you from?

South Windsor, Connecticut

Are you in a learning community? (which one) How has it helped you?

Honors (sophomore and junior year). It is good to have a smaller community of people to be around to push you towards your academics.

Are you involved with any on-campus activities or organizations?

Peer mentors and the Concrete Canoe. The University Design project is also very time intensive.

Where is your favorite spot on campus to study or hang out?

2nd/3rd floor of the union. Especially during finals week when the library is busy, if you find a quiet corner in the library, you can get lost for hours without being interrupted.

What would you say is the easiest part of your academic career at UConn?

Didn’t have to write that much. No super long papers to do.

What would you say is the hardest part of your academic career at UConn?

Coming to UConn, the hardest part is balancing all the different aspects of your life. Learning to adapt to sudden changes is a skill that needs to be worked on. Focusing on your schoolwork and making progress takes time and consistent effort.

Plans after graduation?

Doing a MED program at Pratt & Whitney.

Is there any advice you would give to incoming freshmen (in your major or in general)?

Make sure you have a passion for what you do. Take the time to figure out what it is that YOU want to do. When you have a passion and drive for what you do it won’t feel like work.

Do you have any tips for navigating campus?

• Take advantage of the tours
• Reach out to peer mentors (I’ve always wanted to give an informal tour)
• Be your own advocate – If you reach out and look you will find someone who will help you

How did you handle online schooling vs in person schooling? Which do you like better?

• In person is better, personally (a lil old school)
• With online schooling, it is harder to pay attention
• To compensate, try to make the online environment reflect the in person environment.

How was adjusting to life at UConn like for you? Would you have done anything differently? 

Going from a known support base was difficult but getting involved is important. It is easier to drop things than to try to pick them up later.

What resources would you say are the most helpful for first year School of Engineering students?

Peer mentors, the W and Q center, the tutoring center are all great examples of helpful resources. It is important to be your own advocate and look for help, because there are multiple resources you can take advantage of.

Any fun facts?

The summer after my freshman year I had to leave a camping trip early because a bear stole our food.

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We asked the peer mentors to answer some questions about their time here at UConn and give some simple tips and tricks to navigating the campus. Meet Jon! A senior here at the University of Connecticut Majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Music with a minor in math.

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Jonathon Don Santos

What semester is this for you?

8th semester (last semester)

When are you graduating?

2022

What’s your major?

ME bachelor of arts of music

Do you minor in anything or have a specific concentration within your major?

Minor in math

Where are you from?

Tolland Connecticut

Are you in a learning community? (which one) How has it helped you?

No

What on-campus activities/organizations are you involved in?

Peer mentor, Flag football (freshman year), and Mentor robotics off campus

Where is your favorite spot on campus to study or hangout?

To study: the 3rd floor of the lib by windows

To hang out: the Union or the music building

What is the easiest part of your academic career at UConn?

Freshman year was the easiest because the workload was light.

What is the hardest part of your academic career at UConn?

Second semester of sophomore year because it was the heaviest semester (workload wise), and Covid happened.

Any plans after graduation?

Interviewing for multiple jobs right now

One formal offer  (Tracy California)

Plan on going to engineering

Owning a coffee shop in the next ten years

Owning a automotive boat shop

What is your advice to incoming freshmen (in your major or in general)?

Grandfather’s piece of advise was: “forty hours in the week you can have the weekend off”

Treat it like a job

Do you have any tips for navigating the campus?

Use the buses (make sure you know what the current app they are using because it changes a lot)

Know which buildings you can cut through to stay warm (the Student Union is great)

Wear gloves

How did you handle online schooling vs. in person schooling? Which do you like better?

In person is better. And for online schooling, “teamwork makes the dreamwork”

How was adjusting to life at UConn like for you as a freshman? Would you do anything differently?

It was tough adjusting. May have talked a little too much and got way too involved with too many people. Close connection friendships don’t happen overnight, but don’t get discouraged, and don’t overload yourself with too many people.

What resources are most helpful for the first years coming into the school of engineering?

Upperclassmen, peer mentors, get to know people, they’ll stick with you the whole time and help each other through adulting, some TAs are pretty good, some professors and pretty good, ask questions

Any fun facts? 

Only started singing classically at UConn (dad says he’s a terrible singer, anything is possible)