2018 2018: Hannah Smith ’18: Psychology and math major

Hannah Smith ’18 found her passion as a double major in math and psychology. Her initial plan was to major in math, but after taking a psychology course as a freshman she decided that psychology paired well with mathematics.

“A lot of people think that math and psychology don’t go well together, but they actually do,” Smith said. “Learning psychology really helped me with data analysis, so that when I read a psychology article I understand the results.”

Experience on campus

Over the last few years, Hannah gained a lot of experience as a teaching assistant (TA) and tutor on campus. She helped other students learn the material and even taught a class filled with her peers. “Tutoring provided me with a lot of knowledge,” she said. “It helped reinforce the difficult material that I was learning in my mathematics courses.”

Her TA responsibilities allowed her the opportunity to develop strong working relationships with her professors, and it helped her network on campus, which led to so much of her success. 

“Some of my old professors would send their current students to me, so I could tutor them,” she said. “All of this networking shaped my experiences as a student and created an environment that I was comfortable in and could reach out to professors and advisors at the STAR Center.”

Continued success

Hannah’s success on campus didn’t come naturally. During her first semester at UMass Dartmouth, she almost left because she was unhappy. Becoming more involved on campus and a member of the softball team convinced her to stay. “I’m so happy I stayed,” she said “You need make the most out of your situation and use the resources that are available on campus.”

Because of what she learned while a math and psychology major, Hannah’s confident about her future. She will be attending graduate school at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and join their data science program.

“As I look back on my college career, I realize that I learned so much more than just academics; I learned how much I enjoy learning, taking different classes, and helping others,” she said. “I’m passionate about so many things, and the key is learning how to balance them all.”

As I look back on my college career, I realize that I learned so much more than just academics; I learned how much I enjoy learning, taking different classes, and helping others.