William Woods University

Date: Aug 03 2011
Major: Animal Studies (This Major's Salary over time)
Attending WWU was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I attended a VERY large high school where I was just a number. I NEVER felt that way in the 4 years I attended WWU. The largest class I had was freshman english and there were 33 students in the class. I took a sociology class that only had 9 students in it. It was great that all my professors knew me by name and made themselves available if I ever needed a question answered or any other kind of help. The professors actually taught the classes, not a TA and I always felt like they were there to help me succeed. I orginally chose the school because of the Equine Sciences program and ended up being able to complete a double major in Equine Science and Business Administration in 4 years without having to attend summer school. My education allowed me to be successful since graduation in a variety of jobs. I have trained horses, taught riding lessons, sold veterinary phamaceuticals and currently manage and buy for a gift shop at a horse museum. Quite a variety of positions but they all have given me great satisfaction along the way. The best thing about my education at WWU was that it has allowed me to be flexible and adaptable in this ever changing job market. The skills and education I recieved was practical and very hands on. Had I aspired to going to vet school or being an equine nutritionist, the classes I had would not have been in depth enough to make me qualified but they did give me a practical working knowledge that I was able to apply in the real world. I also learned where to go for information to "fill in the blanks" as needed for more difficult questions/problems. The business classes I took were also very practical and hands on. Even though Fulton is a small town, there is ample night life between the WWU campus and the Westminster College campus 7 blocks away. Columbia is 30 minutes and the St Louis subburbs are less than 2 hours away for shopping etc.

Some of the EQS students I went to school with came from barns with big name trainers and the riders were well known on the "A" circuit prior to coming to school so there was lots of competition for the top horses to show. I came from a "backyard" barn and mostly showed at small local shows before attending. I had to work hard to improve my skills but by the time I graduated I was able to get an assistant trainer job with one of the biggest names in the industry in my discipline. I could not have done it had I not had the opportunities and connections my professors provided. The wide variety of horses I rode also taught me a tremendous amount along the way. There was also plenty of opportunity to get involved with other campus activities outside of the barn. The President of the University still remembers my name even though I graduated quite a few years ago.