Transfer Student Spotlight

Kaitlin Frary

Students looking for a role model for how to be a successful transfer student at the U of U should look to Kaitlin Frary’s example.  Kaitlin is an exceptional U of U transfer student who attended Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University, and the University of the Virgin Islands before coming to the University of Utah.

Kaitlin is majoring in Mining Engineering and has been extremely involved in extra- curricular activities related to her major including being Vice President of the Women in Mining Club and being active in The Society of Mining Engineers. Before she transferred she was very involved in the Engineering Club and the Chemistry Club at UVU.

She also just completed an exciting internship with Bowie Resources at their SUCFO mine in Salina, Utah. It is an underground coal mine. She worked with the reclamation and permitting group.   Kaitlin had an amazing experience working at Bowie Resources, “I learned so many things there that can’t be taught in a classroom. I would encourage all students to get an internship at some point in their college career.”

Kaitlin is also the primary care-giver for her 92 year grandmother, so she is a very busy person!

Kaitlin’s long-term goals are to work in project management at a mining company. She is especially excited about the possibility of working for international mining companies, so that she can live and work abroad.

Kaitlin chose the U of U because she wanted to stay in-state to take care of her grandmother, but also because the cost of going to the U was so much less than other schools.  Another big selling point were the many scholarship opportunities the U- especially the College of Mines and Earth Sciences - offered her.  She is the recipient of 3 scholarships: the WAAIME, the Freeport-McMoran, and the Browning.

Kaitlin admits that transferring to the U was pretty scary. It was hard to be thrown into a new group of people; she was worried about making new friends.  She now feels that her fears were unfounded. Joining clubs and doing extracurricular activities has helped her meet plenty of people in her department. She also appreciates the small size of her major; everyone gets to know each other because they take the same classes. She has also been able to really get to know her professors. She’s impressed by their concern for her academic success.

All transfer students should consider Kaitlin’s example of involvement when they begin their academic experience at the U.  Clubs, professional organizations, and internships are absolutely essential to building your resume, and they are a great way to network and make friends.

Kaitlin also provides a great example of how to fund your schooling at the U of U. General scholarships for transfer students can be hard to find, but departmental and major scholarships are much more plentiful. Transfer students should talk to their U of U major advisor about scholarships within their department and college.