The deadline for high school seniors to commit to a college is May 1st, and a year ago, I made the decision to commit to Union. In that past year, I have learned a lot about the school I now attend, from going to dozens of events to asking the Student Activities office staff questions about why certain policies exist. I feel like there are certain aspects of Union that make it unique, and I
want prospective students to know about them.
The Trimester System
Union is on a rare academic calendar, which is 10 week trimesters with an additional final exam week. We take 3 classes per trimester (sometimes 4), and we have fall, winter and spring trimesters. The fall trimester typically lasts from early September to Thanksgiving, the winter trimester lasts from soon after New Year’s Day to mid-March, and the spring trimester lasts from late March to early June.
In mid-December, I remember seeing my friends at other schools stress about final exams. Meanwhile, I was in my hometown with my family and our cats because I had taken final exams a full month before. I also know people at other schools who had midterm exams the week after spring break; at Union, we take finals before spring break, and begin new classes after it.
I also feel like taking 3 classes allows me greater flexibility in my ability to get involved on campus. I don’t have as much work as other students at any given time, and that allows me to focus on my passions here at the Concordiensis and my other clubs. When it comes to final exam season, I also feel thankful that I only have to focus on 3 classes instead of 4-5 at semester system schools.
The Support Network
Back in January, during the winter trimester, I had to travel to my hometown to get dental surgery. I missed 2 days of classes and was prepared to email professors, get notes from classmates, etc. One of my class deans learned that I would be off campus, and the Dean of Students Office sent an email to my professors asking for flexibility with my assignments. I was pleasantly surprised with this, and amazed at how there were people willing to help.
This is consistent across campus. Another time, I asked my professor a question in class, and they couldn’t answer it during class. They emailed me after the class, answered the question, and assured me that they were there to help. I frequently talk to the Student Activitie staff about how to interview community members for my articles, as well as receive advice on how to handle a situation, and random questions about Union policies. I feel like there is someone always there to support me if I need anything.
Small Classroom Sizes
If you have taken a tour on campus, you have probably heard a tour guide talk about this. I would also like to highlight the classroom sizes; the vast majority of classrooms on campus can only hold about 40 students total. There is exactly one large lecture hall, Olin 115, and I have only seen it used for one class, Professor Berk’s 100-person History of the Holocaust class. I have seen that used for multi-section final exams, large guest speakers, and large events otherwise. The rest of Union’s classrooms are about the same size as my high school’s classrooms, just with better seats.
I have no serious issues with Union.
As the News Editor, I read other school newspapers so that I can learn from other editors’ writing styles and article choices. Something that I have noticed is that some other newspapers are critical of their schools’ policies and administrations. The thing is, I don’t write or publish articles like that because I don’t see reasons to do so.
Union has had negative incidents, such as our campus center (Reamer) flooding and a robbery last week. However, in my opinion, Union administrators have handled those incidents well. The flood mainly impacted our main dining hall, Upper Class Dining Hall, and the day after the incident, dining facilities were able to serve food at an alternate location on campus. When a student was robbed in one of our parking lots, campus safety was quick to inform the community and launch an investigation. In both of these situations, Union administrators were also happy to answer my questions for Concordiensis articles.
If and when future issues arise, I am confident in Union administrators’ ability to handle it well and provide transparency to the community.
Where Should You Enroll?
Union has unique aspects to it, but enrolling in a college involves more than unique aspects. If you’re considering Union, I encourage you to ask yourself:
What do I value in a college education?
Do I feel like I can belong here?
Am I enthusiastic about what this college offers?
If you are reading this, I hope to see you on campus in the fall doing the things you enjoy. Here at the Concordiensis, we would also love to see you as a staff writer; this year, we have met on Mondays at 5 p.m. in Reamer 406.
This article was originally published in the print edition of Concordiensis on April 27, 2023.