Admissions Office
Why did you choose Union?
Searching for an American college was extremely daunting, even more so because I was looking at places in a country where I knew nobody. Still to this day, I remember flicking through books and seeing a photograph of a building unlike anything I had ever seen; the Nott Memorial took center stage on a page designated as being for “Union College.” I wanted a small school that wanted their students to make their own path and journey. Union catered to majors ranging from my own interest in Political Science, all the way to Engineering and the hard sciences. I wanted to meet people from a variety of backgrounds, have the opportunity to complete research and to learn a new language.
How do you describe Union to your friends and family?
Although this could be described as cliché, I say Union is a home-away-from-home. I think this is an important way to feel about your college, as it is where you will spend four years of your life, will grow as a person, and will always have a connection. Whenever I get the opportunity to talk about Union, and my experience so far, I jump at the chance. I describe it to my friends and family the same way that I speak about it to students on my tours: Union is a place that will give you more opportunities than you could ever imagine, but it is up to you to make the most of those opportunities. I believe that I am making my Union journey the best that it can be. I was desperate to get back to Union as soon as possible after the pandemic put an end to in-person experiences, and I am now glad to be back walking through the Schenectady streets and again being around my friends in the college community.
What has been your favorite class assignment at Union?
I always enjoy the final projects in Chinese, where we have to film a movie showing all of the language lessons that we have learned. We have filmed in Jackson’s Gardens, in our dorms, at Crossgates, while more recently over Zoom, and had a really good time doing so. Not only were we practicing our Chinese speaking skills, but we were enjoying ourselves while doing so, outside of the classroom.
What is your favorite place off-campus in Schenectady?
Union provides free access to bikes, which are really useful in taking advantage of the bike path that runs near campus, taking you past breathtaking views. Especially in the fall and spring, you can go with friends or by yourself to get a bit of time away in nature.
