What Students Really Say About Farmington


Tell me a bit about the History major.
You have to take the survey courses, which are United States History I and II, and Global History I and II, and then you take History 290, which is how to research different topics. The major is set up so you take x number of credits in European History and x number in American History, instead of taking all European history or all American history.

The final class you take is History 400, where you write a 20-page thesis paper on any historical topic you choose. The catch is you have to take an approach that’s different from what any other person has written about that topic. That’s where I am in right now.

How’s your thesis coming along?
Well … I’m working on it. I couldn’t prove my first one well enough, so I had to pick a new one. My new one is: “How Communism Influenced Harry Truman’s 1948 Decision to Issue Executive Order # 9981 [a Presidential order to desegregate the Armed Services]. It’s a pretty interesting topic.

Sounds like an intensive research project, problems at Farmington getting sources?
Not really. Through UMF, you can also order a lot of books from other libraries, and you usually get them within a couple of days. If you’re having problem you can always talk to one of the professors and they can always help you find what you need. In History 290, they teach you ways to do research without reading the whole book, which makes it a lot easier to do research.

What do you like about the History major at Farmington?
Everyone is really friendly. You’re never intimidated by any professors. Plus, there’s a lot more to History than you might think. You have to look at the past so you don’t repeat the same things in the future. It’s good to know what happened to America to make the country the way it is now. History’s not all just memorizing dates, like some people think.

What do you feel is a strength of UMF’s History program?
All the professors are really interesting and they provide a lot of good information. They tell stories of people that are not well-known — just common people — and how certain events in history affected them, which makes it a lot more personal and fun to learn about.

Have you taken a class that brought you outside the classroom?
I’m taking one this semester, History Living Experience, and we are going to Norlands Living History Center [a multifaceted museum in nearby Livermore, Maine that offers in-depth experiences in 18th and 19th century rural life]. We’re going to be living in 1860 for a weekend.

Have you had a favorite class?
So far, my favorite class has been the New Imperialism class with Ken Orosz [Associate Professor of History]. I had never learned much about Africa but his class focused on India and Africa and how colonization changed what happened in those places. Everything that happened in the 1800’s caused those areas to be what they are now.

Have you had class that has changed your view or way of thinking?
I think the New Imperialism class did because I never realized that colonization had that much effect on what’s happening now. When the British went into Africa to get natural resources, they’d have one tribe enslave another tribe in order to get them to get even more resources. And that’s causing a lot of conflict right now, because African tribes still have those bad feelings against one another.

What initially attracted you to Farmington?
My cousin had gone here a while ago and I had come up to visit her here. It was a small campus and everyone seemed friendly and it’s pretty.

What were your first impressions?
It seemed really relaxed and people didn’t seem to get dressed up to go to class. The professors all seemed to know who their students were and there were small classes.

So, what’s the campus environment like?
It’s very friendly because it’s such a small campus and you see everyone numerous times throughout the day — even if they live off campus. It’s basically really friendly.

What is Farmington really good at?
They’re really good at helping anyone here who has a problem. Even at the Business Office and the Registrar’s Office, they’re able to help you with anything you might have.

Was UMF what you expected it to be?
Yeah. I just wish I had participated in more student clubs. I’m a member of the College Democrats and that’s it.

What’s it like to live on campus here?
It isn’t bad. I would’ve liked to live in an off-campus apartment but most my friends are on campus, so living in the residence halls makes it really easy to visit them. And my friends who don’t live in the halls aren’t far away because there are a lot of apartments around.

Who do you go to for academic help?
For a specific class I’ll go right to the professor. For my research paper for Ken Orosz, I went to his office and he had a massive box of note cards with references on them. For academic help, I usually go to my faculty advisor.

Do you have any advice for an incoming freshman?
Yes — join as many things as you want and try to do new things and meet new people.