Durham, NH: After a two-hour drive, my mother, stepfather, close friend Lisa and I arrived in Durham. My sincere interest in the field of Occupational Therapy drove me to UNH. Arriving on this clear summer day, I rolled down my window to view the string of fraternity houses lining the street near the campus. This was definitely different from high school. First, we signed in and then waited outside for our tour. As we sat, station-wagons and mini-vans passed us on their way to freshmen dorms. We heard screams of laughter as upperclassmen, surrounding the entrance, welcomed freshmen. So far the college atmosphere was perfect.

Greeted by our tour guide, Monica, a senior majoring in kinesiology, our tour began. Twenty-five minutes from the seacoast and 75 minutes from Boston and the White Mountains, UNH is surrounded by forests and farmlands. The campus is large, but structured into three zones. Each zone, located five minutes from the other, is a quick and easy walk. Renovations were in progress for a enormous recreation building equipped with basketball, racquetball, aerobics, Olympic-size pool, and squash facilities. We learned about activities including lifeguard training and a wide range of club and intramural sports, and UNH's Division I athletics, including women's crew.

Continuing, we entered the student union, housing two movie theatres, a bookstore and food-court, and a entertainment center with a dance club.

In addition to the energetic student life, UNH is renovating their library to hold over a million primary and secondary sources. The student and faculty ratio is 17 to 1 and many of the faculty members have received Pulitzer Prizes. For Internet junkies there are three computer buildings located on campus, one that is open 24 hours. Also UNH participates in study abroad programs in over 10 countries, including Japan.

Concluding our tour we stopped at the center of campus to watch buses of frenzied freshmen participating in a week-long orientation to the White Mountains directed by fellow sophomores and juniors. This impressively made my visit complete. UNH has recreation, intelligence, and beauty.f




Reviewed in 1998