Jared Gosse

McKenna Daulton Interview

Name, grade, major, minor

McKenna Daulton, Senior, Dietetics
· Question: Why did you transfer from CUW?
 Answer:
o Felt that the school was much too small for what I wanted in college
o Visited UW Madison a few times, coming back to CUW felt too small, too
sheltered, and no sufficient opportunity to grow and become independent
there.
· Question: What made you want to go there in the first place?
 Answer:
o Originally intended to go to UW Madison right out of high school
o Changed my plans and went to CUW because of the opportunity to compete
in Acrobatics & Tumbling and Track & Field there
· Question: Do you miss athletics?
 Answer:
o Yes I miss athletics, but
o Surprisingly not as much as originally thought
o Enjoy my independence and time to focus on things she loves, like hiking,
lifting, and training the way she wants to, as opposed to a fitness program
where she gets no input.
· Question: Future plans/goals
 Answer:
o Will graduate from Madison in spring 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Science in
Dietetics, then continue onto a combined program to complete my Dietetic
Internship as well as a Master’s degree in Sports Nutrition or Exercise
Science.
o Hope to work as a Sports Dietitian for a D1 collegiate sports program, and
eventually an NFL or other professional sports team.
· Question: What do you like about UW? What don’t you like? What would you change?
 Answer:
o Nothing I don't like about UW Madison.
o School is perfect for her
o Grateful I am to go there.
o Sometimes the campus feels a little too big, but loves that. You feel like you
are part of a city, part of so much school pride, and part of something so
much bigger and greater than yourself.
· Question: Was it a big culture shock to transfer from D3 to D1? Why or why not?
 Answer:
o Definitely was a big culture shock
o Went home at Thanksgiving of first semester there and remember telling her
family that she didn't like it there yet.
 o By Christmas break, was dying to get back to school because she discovered
her love for it.
o It was just such a big transition that took time to get used to.
o There were tons of people, communities are not as close as at CUW, people
aren't quite as friendly, and classes are hard
o Rewarding feeling to make friends when it seems tough
o Get an A in those classes that seem impossible
o Learn your way around a campus as big as a city
· Question: What challenges have they experienced as a college student?
 Answer:
o Never really felt challenged as a student at CUW
o Classes felt relatively easy and not much different from high school
o At Madison, classes are very tough
o This is due to the fact that lecture halls are huge (some of her classes have
800+ kids)
o Relationships with professors are almost nonexistent
o All of the other students are students who excelled in high school well
enough to get accepted to UW.
o The bar is set very high and you have to work hard for your grades.
· Question: Who or what was helpful or would have been helpful with these challenges?
 Answer:
o PEOPLE Program has been immensely helpful with transition to Madison.
o Program that she has been involved with since 9th grade.
o Because of PEOPLE, tuition is paid for, knows her way around campus, had a
feel for classes before she started there, have tutoring and guidance at her
fingertips, and have friends going into my transfer process.
· Question: What have they enjoyed most?
 Answer:
o What she enjoys most about Madison is Badger Football
o Loved being a part of the fandom, pride and game day experience.
o Switch in majors to dietetics/nutrition, has a job that allows her to work as a
Performance Nutrition Assistant under the Head Dietitian for UW Athletics
o Works directly with football and other sports teams in pre/post practice
fueling, body composition testing, practices, consulting, maintaining of their
fueling stations/locker rooms/lounges, and more
o Work experience and preparation for where she want to work in her
professional career.
o Gives appreciation to be a part of a school where people want to be
o People love Madison and are proud to go there, which is something people
rarely expressed at CUW.
· Question: What advice might they give to students like them entering college?
 Answer:
o GO ON CAMPUS TOURS! This is something she never did
 o It truly gives you a feel for the environment of the campus, the size of the
school, the attitudes of the students that go there, etc.
· Question: What advice might they give to educators/administrators?
 Answer:
o At CUW she had absolutely NO guidance when it came to choosing classes
and creating a graduation plan. This would be helpful to implement.