Courtesy of depts.washington.edu
This month College Lifestyles interviewed fabulous CL intern Raquel Santos about her nutrition major, and her transition from one school to another. Read on health food fans and transfer students – and those considering becoming either!
College Lifestyles: Did you pick your school based on your major?
Raquel Santos: Well, I went to Lehigh my freshman year because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in but when I decided to major in Nutrition I transferred to Rutgers because they have a great Nutritional Sciences department and I thought I’d run into some wonderful opportunities at such a large research school.
Courtesy of collegetocareers.com
CL: Is it difficult to transfer colleges?
RS: It is very difficult to transfer schools because a lot of credits may be lost and you have to get them evaluated. It’s a long process.
CL: What was the hardest part of transferring colleges for you?
RS: The hardest part about transferring schools is that you are basically starting over in every aspect. It’s like freshman year all over again. Of course that has a good side and a bad side.
CL: Was transitioning to a new school easier because you did it sooner rather than later?
RS: Yes, I’d have to say it’s easier to transfer the sooner you transfer. The longer you are at a school, the more difficult the transition will be to transfer to another school.
CL: What advice do you have for co-eds considering transferring?
RS: My advice is be sure that all of your credits have transferred, be sure you’re familiar with the campus beforehand, try to reach out to other students prior to transferring and maybe schedule a visit, and, lastly, do not take on too many courses your first semester.
CL: Why did you pick your major?
RS: I’ve always been really into diet and fitness, so I figured why not? I might as well study something I love and go on to have a career in it.
CL: Did anyone influence your choice of major? How and why?
RS: No, not really. As I said, I’ve kind of always been interested in nutrition. It started when I began running but no one really influenced me. I just loved reading health magazines and books about nutrition and fitness.
CL: What classes did you take based on your major? What did you do in these classes?
RS: I’ve taken various nutrition courses and a food science class. Then there are all the science classes I had to take as requirements. The nutrition classes didn’t even feel like classes to me. Since I was taking advanced science courses I already kind of had a grip on the hard stuff, like the process of metabolism and absorption, so it was interesting to apply my other science classes to nutrition. We also analyzed our diets and measured BMI and body fat percentage. In food science we cooked a lot, so that was extremely fun.
Courtesy of tusconcitizen.com
CL: Did you enjoy your classes? Why or why not?
RS: I loved the nutrition classes and I did enjoy some of the science classes I had to take. Since high school I’ve been interested and good at chemistry, so taking it in college was a bit more of a challenge but I didn’t mind. Biology was extremely challenging because it’s a lot of memorization, so I wasn’t a big fan of Bio. I loved my nutrition courses though.
CL: What would you say to someone considering this major?
RS: Make sure you are willing to endure MANY science classes, and I’m talking every type of science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, they are all requirements for the major at pretty much any school. I would also say that before deciding to major in Nutrition, be sure that you are invested in it and it’s not just a healthy phase you’re going through where all you do is read “Women’s Health and Shape.” This is a very time consuming and credit intensive major, so being invested and interested is key.
CL: What do you like and dislike about your major?
RS: I LOVE that it is such a versatile major. I can pretty much work anywhere and there is such a high demand for Nutritionists and Dieticians now. I don’t really like that it does have many difficult course requirements, like Calculus and all the science classes. I don’t mind putting in the time to study and do homework, but sometimes taking a lot of challenging classes at once can be very overwhelming.
CL: Did/will you have an internship involving your major?
RS: I have not had one yet, but since I will be in school for two more years I plan on having one next summer and then applying for the Dietetics internship program for the following summer, which is a very competitive internship program.
CL: What are your future career plans? Goals?
RS: I plan on going to grad school after I graduate Rutgers University for my masters and becoming a Registered Dietician. I would love to have my own business in counseling others and writing on the subjects of nutrition and fitness.
Courtesy of Milwaukee.uwex.edu
Miss the other Major of the Month articles? Read them here:
Debra Schreiber is a graduate from Duquesne University. Follow her @debstyle89. To stay tuned to more articles for classy co-eds be sure to follow College Lifestyles on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
