Durham, NH: Recently my high school offered us the "college experience" by inviting 20 or so colleges to visit our school and tell us about what makes their college so special. I was most impressed with the presentation given by the University of New Hampshire.

Founded in 1866, UNH is a public university with approximately 9,900 undergraduates and 1,300 graduate students all comfortably situated on the 200-acre campus. UNH is located in the small town of Durham, an hour north of Boston and 90 minutes south of the White Mountains.

The University offers students 100 majors and more than 2,000 undergraduate courses. UNH's Honors Program includes 600 students ranging from freshmen to seniors. The student to faculty ratio at UNH is 17: 1, which allows students to work easily with one another without feeling lost in the crowd.

Academics isn't the only great thing about UNH. Many students choose to take part in one of the many Division I intercollegiate sports. The sports include: basketball, football, indoor and outdoor track, skiing, soccer, ice hockey, tennis, gymnastics and field hockey, to name a few. If athletics aren't your thing, don't worry: UNH offers many student-run organizations such as one of the eleven fraternities, six sororities, and the Outing Club which runs about 50 trips a year throughout New England with hiking, rafting, hang-gliding and rock climbing.

Students live on campus in one of the 36 on-campus residence halls. Most of these offer a range in students from freshmen to seniors. All houses have televisions, comfortable lounges, and laundry and vending machines. Students may also choose to live in one of the many on-campus apartments.

Out-of-state student tuition is $14,395 a year and includes tuition, books, room and board, health fee and a few other personal expenses. For state residents, the fee totals only $7,845.

I would highly recommend the University of New Hampshire to anyone interested in a four- year college specialized to your needs. n




Reviewed in 1993