Joe Barr

Student

Joe Barr wearing a personal protection equipment mask

Joe Barr, now in his junior year at Bay College, is majoring in business administration. During his first few years of college, Joe had to take some time to decide what he wanted to major in – and Bay proved to be the perfect place for him to go through this process.

Joe graduated from high school in Manistique, about 50 miles east of Bay’s Main Campus in Escanaba. After graduating, he was still unsure about his plans for the future.

“When it came time to decide what I wanted to do, I was a little indecisive,” Joe said.

His parents – who had both attended Bay College in the past – offered to pay for his tuition at Bay, and he started taking classes there in the fall 2018 semester.

“I just kind of fell in love with it, so I’m still here,” Joe said.

One of Joe’s favorite things about learning at Bay has been the fact that classes are not as large as they are at other colleges.

“I love the class sizes – they’re small, so the professors actually get to know you,” he said.

Joe said he has made “a number of good friends” since he started taking classes at Bay, as well.

When he started studying at Bay, Joe was a biology major. However, this soon changed.

“After the first semester, I realized that that’s not what I wanted to do,” he said.

While searching for a new major, Joe signed up for a number of classes that sounded interesting. One of these classes – an intro to business administration course – helped him make his decision, and he decided to change his major as a result.

For the fall 2020 semester, Joe is focusing entirely on business-related classes. While these classes have been difficult at times, the effort he has put in has already proven to be worthwhile.

“I love what I’m learning – I love the people I’m in class with,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also created some challenges for Joe as he works to complete his college education, but he has been impressed with Bay’s efforts to keep things going despite this.

“Bay College really works hard at helping its students,” he said, noting the college’s faculty and staff have gone “above and beyond” in their response to the situation.

Currently, Joe is taking classes through Bay’s LSSU Regional Center.

“I am participating in the partnership Bay College has with LSSU,” he said.

In winter 2022, he is set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from LSSU. He is looking into the possibility of becoming a human resources manager after college.

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