(Courtesy of Odi Nnadi’s Facebook page)
For out of state students who have never experienced Connecticut, is Storrs the best place for a first impression? An interview with sophomore UConn pre-med student, Odi Nnadi, confirms Connecticut is not where he plans to stay after graduation.
I asked Nnadi if he at all planned on staying at UConn after graduation, and why. Nnadi, a Boston, Massachusetts native, felt because his only experience in Connecticut has been the very rural area of Storrs, it strongly weighs on his nearly concrete mindset of leaving the area after he graduates.
Who could blame him? Most of the forums related to the discussion of Storrs classify it as a typical college town, with the closest city mall being in Manchester, which is about a 20 minute drive. Even though his disliking for Storrs is fairly strong, at the end of the day his post-undergraduate residence is essentially contingent off of where he’s accepted into medical school.
Does living in Connecticut really have to be an ultimatum for those who are going the medical route? Or even the legal path, if UConn Law School was in your horizon? Hartford is even aware they have to work a little harder to keep young talent in Connecticut and have created a program called HYPE, an acronym meaning Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs. Clearly, the most metropolitan area of Connecticut is giving an effort to attract graduated college students, but it seems to be making very little strides.
My next question was if Nnadi were to move into Connecticut, would he think the Connecticut economy be strong enough to support him?
Little does Nnadi know, Connecticut’s economy is making small, modest strides. The 2014 Connecticut Economic Outlook by Luther Turmelle says the states ability to add jobs is lagging behind the nation as a whole — behind a NATION. Sooner or later, Nnadi and his peers will come in contact with this knowledge, further deterring them from staying here after graduation.