Maria Starzyk, nursing major

What made you decide to study nursing?
I was admitted into the U of A with pharmacy, so I wanted to (work) in the medical field. … I then switched my major to nursing, because it was important for me to stay in the medical field and help people.

What field do you want to go into in nursing?
I think I would like to go into labor and delivery. I think it will be exciting to bring babies into this world and it would be an honor to help women do that.

What changes would you make to the nursing program at the U of A?
I would make the application process include an interview, because I feel like just because people get good grades doesn’t really give you a show of that person’s character. Just because you know everything in the book doesn’t mean you’ll be great with a patient, especially since it is hands on. I think a way to get to really know someone’s personality and why he or she wants to be in the nursing program would be through an interview.

You have changed your major a lot. What other setbacks have you encountered as a student?
Another problem that I had faced in the nursing program was the switch to a four semester, which was a disaster. I was planning on applying for the spring semester and now it is going to be only four semesters, so I wasn’t able to apply. It set a lot of people back as well as made the program more difficult to get into, because everyone who was going to apply in the spring now has to apply with everyone applying in the fall, which makes for a greater applicant pool.