Maria Cimpean '13
Ludus, Romania
Biology Major
How did you hear about Colby-Sawyer?
I searched CollegeBoard.org and Colby-Sawyer College was one of the schools that matched my criteria. It offered financial aid to international students and had one of the majors I was interested in (Biology).
What made you choose Colby-Sawyer?
I looked on the school's website and read the My Colby-Sawyer Experience section containing student and faculty experiences. It was great to hear how both students and faculty see the school and how it shaped them as individuals. Also, I received a good financial aid offer from Colby-Sawyer, which made studying in the U.S. affordable for me.
What are some of the ways the U.S. is different from Romania?
The first thing I noticed was that people don't have high fences surrounding their property and everyone seems to have nice lawns. When it comes to food, everything tasted very sweet at first. It was like I was eating dessert all the time. The dining hall had so much variety, and I wanted to try everything. I sure learned that baked beans are very sweet here. However, I had my Friendship Family to help me get used to life in the U.S.
What has your experience at Colby-Sawyer been like?
There are a lot of clubs students can join, so I decided to join the Cross Cultural Club and the Biology Club. Also, I wanted to get a job to help pay for my tuition. I got my first job working for the dining hall, and then I got a second job working as a Tour Guide for Admissions. And then I guess I kept going because I now work as a Resident Assistant and a Research Assistant as well. All the jobs I've had so far have been very rewarding. I am mostly grateful that I have the opportunity to be part of a research project so early in my academic career.
What is one of your most memorable classroom experiences?
I was taking PHY 102 and I decided to add another component to it and make it an Honors course. I talked to my professor, Andrew Cahoon, and he suggested building a windmill. The assigned reading for the semester was “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”, the story of a clever teenager who builds his own windmill from materials that others had thrown away, so my professor said I could try to build a small windmill. Needless to say, building it was an interesting experience and not as easy as I expected it to be. But then again, 2 years ago I wouldn't have even dreamed of building a windmill for one of my courses.
