Choosing Mount Union
I heard about Mount Union through a friend who used to attend the University. I had no idea what it was or where it was so one day I decided to come check it out. Mount Union was actually the first and last university I visited, because I literally feel in love with everything about the campus, the people and the university itself. Everything about Mount Union just felt right to me. When I was on my second visit at Mount Union (yes, I visited twice) I could truly see myself spending the next four years of my life here. I loved everything about Mount Union. From the size of the university to the amount of students who attend it to the distance from home, it was the right match for me.
Financial Aid
I received one scholarship, the Dean’s Scholarship, to attend Mount Union. Receiving this scholarship had a huge impact on my decision to attend Mount Union. Honestly, if I would not have received this scholarship, along with the federal loans, I would not have been able to come to Mount Union.
Finding a Second Home
The people are definitely what I like most about Mount Union. I have met so many incredible people, and they have helped make this my home away from home. I truly could not imagine my life without the people that Mount Union has brought into it, because they have helped me grow into the person I am today. My first friends that I made at Mount Union are the people who helped me adjust to college life the most. We got into a groove and would study together, walk to class together, go to the dining hall together, hang out all the time, etc. They made the adjustment one that I could better manage as they were, and still are, a support system for me.
Advice for Future Students
My advice to prospective students is to make the most of out of your four years in college. People always told me that it would go fast, but you do not realize how fast it goes until it’s almost over. Take these four years to learn as much as you can inside and outside of the classroom. Try new things and expand your horizons, because there is no better time to do it then now.
Majoring in Nursing
I chose Nursing as my major because I knew I wanted to do something that involved not only care and compassion, but interaction with people on a day to day basis. I, personally, am not the kind of person who can sit behind a desk all day and work by myself. Instead, I knew that I needed to find a future job that could allow me to work with others to make some sort of difference in their lives, whether it be big or small. I have always been interested in the medical field; therefore, I thought Nursing would be the right fit for me and would be something I could see myself doing for the rest of life. Not only does it involve the care, compassion, and interaction I was looking for; it also involves life-long learning and plenty of opportunities for growth!
Hands-On Learning
Many of the experiential learning opportunities I have had are related to hands-on classroom learning as well as clinical experience. The Mount Union nursing labs are super cool because they have “patients” on which we can practice our skills on for hands-on learning. These “patients” are mannequins that can be programmed to do a lot of things that humans can such as breathe, cough, and even talk. They provide great learning opportunities because we are able to practice skills such as blood pressures, heart rates, IVs, wound changes, and many more which we then are able to take to the clinical setting. In the clinical setting itself, I have learned so much. Having the opportunities to provide care to real patients under the supervision of a nursing professor truly expands the amount of things you learn!
Faculty Attention
In all honesty, I cannot say that I have a favorite professor. The Nursing Department, as a whole, is composed of a wonderful group of professors who all have influenced my path to success. They have every student’s best interest in mind and are constantly pushing us to test and further our knowledge so that we can become the best nurses possible.
Liberal Arts Education
A liberal arts education provides the opportunity for students to become more well-rounded individuals. Because of the liberal arts education provided by Mount Union, I have taken classes that I definitely would not have taken otherwise. It gives students a better understanding to topics outside of their own major, which in turn prepares them for professional life. The Integrative Core has allowed me to improve my communication skills, which I will need when I am working in the hospital setting with fellow employees and patients as well. Speaking in front of people used to make me very nervous. However, I have been able to overcome this because the Integrative Core forced me out of my comfort zone, making me a stronger speaker.
Career Goals
My ultimate career goal is to one day be a Registered Nurse working at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I absolutely love everything about St. Jude and I would love to one day be able to work at such an incredible facility. From nursing classes to clinical, I am gaining much of the knowledge I know I will need to be able to work at St. Jude. I have awesome professors that are always there to answer my questions and help me learn, as well as an incredible, but challenging, nursing program to allow me to become the best that I can.