Stevens Institute of Technology
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Bisexual Male
Summary
I’m part of the LGBTQ club called Stevens Torch Alliance Club, and I’m a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) where we built an off-road car.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Brooklyn Heights, New York with 300 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the LGBTQ club called Stevens Torch Alliance Club, and I’m a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) where we built an off-road car.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The SAE club has been a good experience for me. It was the first time I was able to work with cars, which is exciting. I’ve learned a lot about building and manufacturing.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
The first semester is mostly online work for the Math classes. For the Engineering classes, they are two or three-hour classes, but we did all the work while in class without much work outside of that. The bulk of our grades in Math are the tests, and in Engineering, it was mostly a completion grade for the assignments. The final grade was how well our project worked.
Is there anything you feel either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
A negative for the Math courses are online homework because it’s tedious to do.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s more collaborative than competitive. A lot of times I work o problems with people. There are lots of friendly people willing to help each other out.
How accessible are your professors?
The few times I’ve emailed them they respond pretty quickly.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m passionate about physics and I like building things.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
The Chemistry and Math departments would host reviews for the tests, which was a big help. They helped me start studying and know what to look at and what not to look at.
Reasons to Attend
1) The co-ops program is invaluable.
2) It’s a friendly community.
3) There are tons of resources to explore through extracurricular.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Some of the buildings are run down and old.
2) There were cyber-attacks and the first few weeks there was no internet.
3) There’s construction right now and half the campus is closed off.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Jonas Hall with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown to Hoboken, Jew Jersey?
I live pretty close to Hoboken and I’m familiar with the New York area. Hoboken is a small enough city where it’s not overwhelming. It’s an easy medium between New York and the middle of nowhere.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There aren’t any issues or threats to safety.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’m not a big partier, but there are parties on campus that I’ve been to. There are open mics which I like going to because my friends play in a band. There are some events in the green spaces when it’s nice at night. A lot of people go into the city at night because there’s so much to do. I do go to parties about once a month. Other than that, I’ll usually go to open mics and then hang out with friends in someone’s dorm. You typically have to know somebody in the fraternity. Some people have issues getting into places because they don’t want it to be all guys. The open mic events used to be held on the Walker Patio when it was warm out, and they moved it into a bigger classroom in one of the buildings.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It doesn’t have that big of an impact, but it does exist and you notice it. I’m not going to join a fraternity and I don’t think that’ll handicap me socially.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with how it is. Mostly on Saturdays I’ll spend the day at a fraternity, and Sundays are for homework. If I don’t go out on Saturday night, it’s not the end of the word.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any LGBT nightlife options that you like to go to?
I go to some of the Torch [Alliance Club] events at night. Sometimes they have game nights, which are fun. There aren’t that many things catered toward that group of people, but it’s definitely there which is a good thing.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my closest friend online and we talked a lot over the summer. We became good friends once we got to school.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Stevens?
I was surprised that it didn’t differ much from what I experienced in high school. It’s a pretty diverse group of people and I was surprised there were fewer nerdy people than I expected.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s a predominantly White school. Being in New Jersey where [37%] of students come from in-state, it’s not as diverse as a school with students from all over the country. They have social groups for different ethnic backgrounds, but the cool thing is people are encouraged to go even if they don’t. [The undergraduate population is 61% White, 17% Asian, 2% Black, and 12% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus? How strong is it?
It has a pretty big presence. There is a diversity and acceptance division of the Student Government Association, and they’re welcome to making it a comfortable place for everybody. The Torch [Alliance Club] meetings have 20-30 people per meeting. If you’re part of that community, it’s enough to feel at home.
How do you like the size of Stevens in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 3,700 students?]
I think it’s a perfect size. The freshman class is about as big as my high school. It’s big enough where you won’t know everyone by the time you graduate. At a certain point, the bigger a school gets the less homey it feels.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
They mix pretty well. At Stevens, it’s a secondary thing, and it’s not a place where once you join a fraternity you live in a mansion and never talk to anybody else.
Careers
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I learned C++, and I learned how to use SOLIDWORKS which helps me as a mechanical engineer.