Testimonial by Patricia Hansen, NMU Parent from Deford, Michigan
How many students do you have attending Northern? What year are they/when did they graduate? What is/was their field of study?
One, who entered in 2018, 2022 graduate, in electrical engineering.
Describe your student's experience in finding, selecting, and attending Northern. What was your involvement in this process?
Our son applied to a lot of schools including Northern Michigan University and visited each. He gained admission to all of these universities, and we visited each one, he asked for and received faculty interviews, and attended a lecture at each university as well as talked to other students and faculty, spent time getting to know each campus. For a variety of reasons, small student-to-faculty ratio, the energy on campus and natural beauty, and specific opportunities he would have, he narrowed his choice to Northern Michigan U and one other school. He felt at home at NMU in a way that he didn't on the other campuses. That is saying a lot about NMU and Marquette. He had two older brothers, one at UM and one at WMU, so the natural "at-home choice" seems like it would be one of those 2 colleges. But when the deadline for decision-making was approaching, I said, "Alexander, make the best choice for you. Dad and I will figure out the finances." He instantly smiled and said, "I love NMU, Mom!" And that is where he landed. You can thank Dr. Glen Wraite, Dr. Rudisil, and Dr. Pozega for that! He had a chance to meet and chat with all 3 of them and knew they were the major key to his success. His faculty advisor for all 4 years was Dr. Rudisil, and he never steered Alexander wrongly. Dr. Pozega really looked out for her students, and I am pretty sure that 2 years post-graduation, Sanders is still in touch with her. He is successful in his career, loves what he does for a living which in this day and age is a real blessing, and has found his education to be superior right from the start to that of new graduate hires from UM and WMU. His older brothers who had of course graduated by the time he did, said they wished they had chosen NMU because their experiences were not so positive at their respective institutions.
He is also very much an outdoorsman, and NMU really had the natural beauty, setting, and activities that nurture that, even more so than MTU or LSSU.
Mark and I are very proud Wildcat Parents of a proud Alum.
Was it a difficult or easy decision for your student to attend NMU? What sealed the deal?
What sealed the deal was Alexander just fell in love with NMU and the area. It was, once he realized that we would make the finances work, an easy decision for him.
What were your main concerns about your student attending Northern? How were those concerns addressed?
Transportation. We knew how bad the roads could get in the winter, the possibility of being stranded or the Mackinac Bridge being closed due to high winds or falling ice. He didn't have the driving experience we thought was necessary for that. On top of which, finances were tight to afford college for him when his older brothers were still in college themselves so buying him a car wad, not an option. We looked at carpool options, but with his schedule, they never worked out. So the solution had nothing to do with NMU. My husband and I took turns driving him back and forth, every move-in, every break. 5 times a year, 10 round trips per year for 4 years. Is there some sort of NMU parent dedication award? We deserved it!
