Alina Taus ’08

I chose Clark because of its well-known geography program. I knew I wanted to study geography, and Clark seemed the best place to be for that.

In high school, I studied a lot of math and computer science and although I knew I wanted to study geography in college, I was curious to see how a math class is taught in an American college. I took Honors Calculus with Professor Sternberg, and she encouraged me to take more math classes. I didn't think about majoring in math until I realized I had almost completed a minor in it.

What I like best about studying math at Clark is that the classes are small and interactive and this gives students the opportunity to develop close relationships with professors. Within the Math and Computer Science Department at Clark, I discovered that a great way of learning math is by talking with professors and sharing ideas with other math students.

In my sophomore year, I had a very interesting conversation with one of my math professors about graduate programs in geography. Back then, I was interested in the earth sciences, and I was curious to see what I could do after graduating from Clark. Professor Sternberg recommended some good graduate schools to me, as well as some math courses that I should take in preparation for a graduate degree. Although she is not my academic adviser, Professor Sternberg is very helpful and a great resource for me.

After I graduate, I want to pursue an master's degree in Geographic Information Science through Clark's Accelerated BA/Master's Degree Program with the fifth-year free. I am still thinking about the possibility of returning to my home country, Romania, and working there.