College of Wooster

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Political Science – with a concentration in Comparative Politics
Minor: Spanish
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I [played a varsity sport] for all four years, I was part of Women’s Athletic and Recreation Association (WARA), and Hillel.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: All girls private school in Baltimore, Maryland with a graduating class of about 82 girls. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Political Science – with a concentration in Comparative Politics
Minor: Spanish

Extracurricular Activities: I [played a varsity sport] for all four years, I was part of Women’s Athletic and Recreation Association (WARA), and Hillel.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Yeah, definitely my sport. It was a close-knit group, and we hung out a lot. It was the type of a team that’s a family.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your Political Science major?
We have a lot of reading to keep us prepared for classes every day. There are probably three exams per semester and 3-5 essays which are about 8-10 pages each.
Is there anything you felt your major’s department did especially well or poorly?
Especially well, they have a good range of courses. There are three concentrations, whether that be United States National, International Relations, or Comparative Politics. They do a good job making you take a certain amount of classes in each concentration.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s very collaborative and accepting. All of the professors and students are open to helping one another.
How accessible have the professors in your department been?
Very accessible. They tell us to email them, and they have office hours you can sign up for on their door.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
For the most part, yes. The school leaned toward the liberal side of politics because it was a liberal arts school with a lot of people from all over the world and country. The professors did a pretty good job of staying impartial. There were always comments about the current political situations going on, whether that be snide remarks about Trump or the conservative party in power right now.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Either Peace Studies, or Political, Leadership, and International Relations.
What was the impact did doing an independent study have on your academic experience?
Independent Study is daunting when you first come in. You hear about it from your first day of orientation, and the school does a good job of leading up to it with research projects and helping you prepare for it. Overall, it’s very rewarding.
How was managing both your sport and your coursework?
It was very doable. I’ve never felt overloaded with the sport and my coursework.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I turned out to be happy with my choice. I went into college not really knowing what I liked, but I took a bunch of classes, and that turned out to be Political Science.

Reasons to Attend

1) The people, the dedication to learning, and the helpfulness of the professors.
2) It’s a good school where you can dive into learning and have a lot of fun too.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you really like the big town feel, or if you’re really into partying. There aren’t too many wild things going on in Wooster.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Andrews Hall in a double.
Sophomore: Bornheutter Hall’s Basement with one roommate.
Junior: Armington Hall in a single.
Senior: Stevenson Hall in a single.
What has been your favorite living situation so far?
This past year in Stevenson Hall because it was a brand-new dorm, had air conditioning, was spacious, and I had a single.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve had no issues with safety regarding townies. There was an incident with two boys and myself that was dealt with, but that was from an off-campus location. The school took care of that really well by providing no-contact orders, and by following all procedures and regulations.
How was transitioning from Baltimore to Wooster, OH in terms of location?
It was different. I definitely liked going to school in an area like rural Ohio because there wasn’t much distraction besides your friends being at school with you. There was no major city within weekend distance to go party at.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
My weekends are mostly taken up by my sport. A lot of the nights, the men’s varsity teams and fraternities would have parties that people around campus would go to. There were usually one or two main parties people would switch off between. Basketball was really huge at the school. They and baseball were our best sports. Those parties were at on-campus houses, and a lot of the seniors would get houses under the senior living, so they wouldn’t have to do a community service project. The suites in Gault Schoolhouse were really big, so you could also throw parties there.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
Wednesdays were known as Woo Wednesday, which was a good middle of the week break to hang out with friends and relax a little bit. Usually, I wouldn’t go out Friday nights because we had [sporting events] on Saturday, but people would go out Friday and Saturday nights.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It doesn’t make a huge difference, but they definitely have more [small parties] before the official parties. Almost every party opens up at 10:30 or 11 for the rest of the campus to join and go have fun.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
People spend weekends in Cleveland and even Columbus. Another alternative is just hanging out in your dorm with your friends and playing card games or watching movies. There’s a group of people that don’t go out and drink or party.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Wooster? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’d give the school more options, maybe a fun bar or two. The party scene was fun for a few weeks, then one week it would be really boring, but it’d come back around. It was kind of just a cycle of fun to boring, and it was very repetitive.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
They were part of my team. I also met a lot of people through classes. Everyone is very friendly out at parties.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Wooster?
It’s good. Everyone is friendly and outgoing for the most part. The people who go out like to have fun with a big group of people, so it’s not very exclusive. Everyone is very inclusive.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientation mix socially?
There is a group called the Men of Harambee, which isn’t exclusively African-American, but most of them are. They’d have parties and invite everyone on campus. They tend to stick together for the most part, but they are inclusive as and will go out with everyone else.
How would you describe the student body?
Very inclusive and outgoing. Everyone is willing to help one another. There’s a small community and family vibe going on.
How do you like the size of Wooster? How has the size influenced your social experience? [There are about 2,000 undergraduate students at Wooster.]
I’ve always gone to a small private school, so I think the number of undergraduates which was about 2,000 was perfect. Sometimes it did feel small because if you have the same schedule as people, you end up seeing them all day every day or just around in the dining hall. Other than that, I liked the small-town feeling.
How would you describe the Jewish community on campus? How strong is it?
The people who’re in the Jewish community are very open and accepting of everyone. They want to let people know about their religion. They host a schoolwide Passover that the whole school is invited to. You just have to sign up to be part of it. They make themselves known, but they’re not afraid of backlash.
Do people generally seem happy with their choice of Wooster by senior year? Do people leave loving Wooster?
I’d say the majority leaves loving Wooster, but some people get tired of the small-town feel and are ready to graduate and move on.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went into the office once to build a resume. They have walk-in days where you can go get help with your resume, cover letter, or anything you’re applying for. They were very helpful in getting suggestions.f
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Just from taking basic statistics, I learned how to use R. I’ve been pretty familiar with Excel growing up, and being on the computer with a job I had at school programming Excel for my coach.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
They are very easy to work with. If you have a question, you just walk in and there’s someone at the front desk.