University of St. Thomas, All Q’s Answered
Choosing a college can be a difficult task for any student! Our marketing coordinator sat down with an admissions officer at the University of St. Thomas to ask questions that could help the decision-making process be a little bit easier!
Audrey: Monica, thank you so much for taking the time to have this interview with me, I know a lot of students will appreciate it. I want to start by asking what is unique about UST?
Monica: The biggest thing that comes to mind is our community, a lot of people, when they think of Houston know it’s huge, but both our campus & community is small so we can get that small town community feeling. It really is the best of both worlds, having a small community, in such a large city.
Audrey: Right, UST is kind of that ‘hidden gem’ within the Houston community. Diving into academics, what are some unique programs that UST offers?
Monica: There are multiple, there is the JD/MBA program for post-graduates — I often get asked more about the BBA/MBA program where students are in a five-year program to earn both their Bachelor & Masters in business! Because we are located so closely to downtown Houston, we have a lot of connections with various companies and Fortune 500’s. Our pre-med/nursing programs are also very unique as we are only 15 minutes away from the Texas Medical Center. Students get to have connections through guest speakers, presentations, clinical rotations and so much more. UST really prides itself on the various resources we have!
We are also a liberal arts university, so while other universities prep you for your career path, UST does that with an additional perspective of the liberal arts. This ranges from leadership opportunities to just having a broader skill set for students to engage in and carry through to their professional career.
Audrey: That’s incredible! That leads me to: are there any different admission requirements for different departments or majors?
Monica: Yes, so for our business school [Cameron School of Business] students who apply to both UST & the CSB have to have a minimum GPA. For our engineering program there is an additional interview as well as the minimum GPA. However, our nursing program is a little different. Students who apply to UST & the Nursing School get an added benefit of taking classes that are a part of their core and curriculum their freshman year — this way they can secure their spot in the nursing school.
Audrey: Wow, that way students won’t have to compete with other upperclassmen to have a secured spot in the Nursing School. When it comes to school life, what is UST’s culture like? How would you characterize the students who attend UST?
Monica: Diversity. The student body population is a reflection of Houston’s diversity — any event you attend you will be able to find someone else that you feel connected with. There will always be that niche of UST that students find to really feel at home.
Audrey: I think that having diversity is such an important factor of universities so that students can always feel welcomed! Continuing with student life, is it possible for students to start their own organization? What is the process like?
Monica: Currently there are about 80+ registered student organizations on campus. These vary from honor societies, to hobbies and career paths! Each program also has their organization, for example the nursing school as the Student Nursing Association. The process itself is very easy for the student’s convenience — our student activities department provides training and various workshops that range from public speaking, to how to set goals, be on committees/boards, to recruiting. This is all beneficial as well, as students can take these skills into the professional world.
Audrey: I completely agree! I wanted to ask, what type of support is offered for freshman as transitioning to college can seem jarring.
Monica: There is plenty of support, especially for freshman. It begins with the admissions process, we start with a very hands-on approach to ensure that the students can transition smoothly to the campus atmosphere, to make sure we ease nerves. We also host the Mendenhall Summer Institute where there is a group of 50 freshman that can take classes early [two classes; six credit hours] and get a full experience by meeting various staff/faculty from all over campus. There are also resource presentations so by the time the first day of school comes around, they are comfortable starting. There is also freshman symposium, which is a one semester class that meets throughout the semester to check-in to see that they are on the right track.
Audrey: Wow, plenty of resources that are amazing! My last question is are there any opportunities for students to find internships, research, and employment?
Monica: Yeah, there is the research symposium where students can present their research and even go on to national conferences [we have even had students publish research]. We also have our career services office that hosts mock-interviews, resume help, and do assessments for students to see other career paths that may not have been thought about. We have plenty of mentor programs — this ranges from specific schools to our general mentor program!
Audrey: These are all great resources! That wraps up the end of our interview and I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for taking the time to do this interview!
Audrey Pena (Marketing Coordinator at Momentum Education) interviewing Monica Gutierrez (Admissions Officer for the University of St. Thomas — Houston)
