Text-Only Version
Eric Martin, Mechanical Engineering Major:
"I applied to a bunch of different schools, but when it came down to it, this felt right. Now that I'm here, I've built a community of friends that are very supportive and I just love it. I love the people and I love the place.
"The engineering program is great, for one thing. Beyond that the extracurriculars that I'm involved in--ASB, Skulls, Senior Council, ASME--all these different organizations allow me to stay busy and keep myself out of trouble. ASB especially is one of the programs that's defined my college experience. The first year I went to Tennessee and helped build hiking trails. The year after that I went to an AIDS clinic in New Orleans, and last year I went to Mississippi to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
"The professors are approachable--they're not just successful, they're approachable. They're very easy to talk to and very good people, and bright at the same time. They really teach the strong fundamentals that you need. A lot of schools tend to fall in that area. They don't teach the basics, and [at UMaine] they really teach the basics to get you started off. It's a really strong program. I did an internship last summer and this summer at Ratheon in Massachusetts, and I felt like when I got there, I could just step in and immediately become productive within Ratheon because of the tools that I've learned here so far.
"It's a big school--there are a lot of opportunities--but at the same time, you can walk down the street and see 20 or 30 people that you know. So, it really is a community. You're not a number, you really are an individual.
"I really like it because UMaine is open to everybody--no matter who you are or what you stand for, you can be part of the community."
