Last June, approximately 140 freshmen volunteered to participate in an experiment that administrators hope will improve grades and make the adjustment to college life a little easier. Students in the Christensen Project are residents of Christensen Hall and are enrolled in animal science 401 and English 401. The hope of those who designed the program is that living and studying with the same people will make UNH seem smaller and less intimidating to the program's first-year students, according to Judy Spiller, assistant vice president for academic support. People need to make friends, fit in, and keep friends from home.
Some people feel homesick.
If they're unhappy, Carpenter said, even the most motivated students will find it difficult to do well academically. We go out all of the time and we get along very well. Freshman anthropology major Jeff McDonald said that he has been spending most of his time with people from the program and that it seems to be working well. Spiller said the project has the potential to help students academically. They are in the same classes and they have the same paper and exam schedules.