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.
