Quinnipiac University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Marketing
Minors: Spanish and Management double minor
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m a Peer Catalyst, which is basically a teaching assistant for the First-Year Seminars.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school in Long Island, New York with a graduating class of about 690 students. About half of the class went to college.
First Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Marketing
Minors: Spanish and Management double minor

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a Peer Catalyst, which is basically a teaching assistant for the First-Year Seminars. We don’t do any grading, we’re just there to help freshmen inside the classroom or outside of the classroom if they’re having personal problems or a hard time adjusting.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Because I’m a Business major, we don’t have any labs besides the general requirement class that everyone has to take eventually. In terms of Business classes, it’s a lot of exams, tests, and quizzes. We don’t have anything lab-wise or essay-wise. We have to remember the knowledge from the classes and put it back down on the exams. We also have a lot of presentations as well.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
One thing that’s poor is there are a lot of foreign professors and it can be hard to understand some of them when they are teaching difficult material. I have an accounting professor who is really hard to understand. Other than that, all the other professors are amazing and the program is beneficial and has a lot of opportunities throughout the entire business school.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s more collaborative. This semester I had about four group projects that are due at the end of the semester, so that is a lot of collaborative work.
How accessible are your professors?
It’s really easy to meet with them. They all have office hours and if you reach out to them, they usually get back to emails pretty quickly as long as it’s not after 9:00 PM. They can also set up personal times to meet with you or, if you’re having other problems, they can set you up with a Learning Commons appointment and direct you to someone else who can help you.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Were there any resources in place that helped you adapt?
I didn’t seek out any resources to help transition.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I came into Quinnipiac as a History and Secondary Education double major. I liked the classes but realized that being a teacher wasn’t for me, so I switched because I liked the business environment a lot better. I talked with a lot of deans and professors in the business school, which lead me to the business school because they showed me all the opportunities you can do. It’s also a lot more collaborative work which I am more into.

Reasons to Attend

1) They’re really good with placing students at jobs. Even before your junior and senior year, there are opportunities to get started on that process early. The resources are really amazing. [Zippia.com recognized Quinnipiac as the top college in the nation for employment.]

Reasons Not to Attend

1) Parking is awful at Quinnipiac.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Mountainview with seven other roommates in a suite.
Sophomore: New Village with a suite of seven people total and I live in a triple bedroom.
What is your favorite living situation?
Probably Crescent because it’s roomier and it’s separated from the main campus so it’s less hectic and quieter.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Long Island to Hamden, CT in terms of location?
The overall feel of Connecticut is a lot different than Long Island. It was weird to adjust to how Connecticut people drive and the stores in the area. It was also easy to adapt because it is similar to Long Island in a way because it’s residential and you feel safe.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
You can’t go anywhere without seeing a public safety officer and you can’t enter the school unless you show your QCard. I think it’s very safe.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Eli’s on Whitney for sure.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Shef’s Bagels in Cheshire is really nice. It’s a local shop that is cozy and they have really good bagels.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
We like to go down to the New Haven bars. Usually, on Thursday or Fridays there are Greek life parties or mixers that people like to go to and then on Saturday is when people go to Toad’s Place in New Haven.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s not a big deal. If you’re in it, it’s a great thing and a cool opportunity, but if you’re not it doesn’t affect anyone. If you’re not in Greek life you can still meet a lot of people who are in Greek life and get invited to their parties or hang out with them.
Can you describe a typical night going out freshman year when you were less socially established?
I think that time is all about getting people who you feel comfortable with and trying to branch out together as a group instead of being shy. Introduce yourself and try to branch your friend group out.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Quinnipiac? Is there anything you would change if you could?
It’s a good balance of local parties and being able to go out into New Haven. If you want a hangout vibe, you can go to a frat party or go somewhere else on campus. Or, if you want to go out and dance, you can go to New Haven.
What have been some of your favorite times at Quinnipiac?
I know everyone likes getting together and going out a lot, but the times where we all hang out and play a board game or watch a movie and hang out are the best times. It’s nice that we don’t always have to go out to have fun.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my best friends at orientation. I was put into the same group as one of my roommates now and then she made friends with people in the other groups and we all connected together at orientation. We all stayed in touch over the summer and when we got back to school we linked together to meet new people and new friends and that’s how our friendship started.
How would you describe the social scene?
I don’t think Quinnipiac is cliquey at all. Since it’s a medium-sized school and our classes are only about thirty people or less, it’s not cliquey. If someone’s an athlete and someone’s an art student, they can be friends because they met in class. Yes, athletes will hang out with athletes, but it’s not a big deal where they wouldn’t hang out with anyone else. Everyone mixes because you have the same classes with people who are in your major, so you get to know them no matter what. It’s a big mix in that sense.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix on campus?
Our school does not have a lot of [people of color]. I don’t know why, but we have a small percentage of [people of color]. Everybody mixes fine, it’s just that there is a small percentage of them. It’s not cliquey, everyone mixes and hangs out together.
How would you describe the student body?
There’s a mix of preppy people and also a mix of people who show up in sweatpants and study. You don’t look weird if you show up dressed down or if you are dressed up. It’s a good mix of different types of people.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful were they?
I go to the career fairs but since I’m only a sophomore it’s not too crazy yet. I like to go to the career fairs now to learn about different career paths and internships.
Have you learned any computer programs through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
In all of your business prerequisite classes you have to use Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. They teach you about Excel in your Computer Information Systems classes if you’re in the business school and also in Accounting and Statistics. You’ll also use PowerPoint a lot in your group presentations.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating were they to your needs?
Yes, I have financial aid and they are pretty accommodating. Sometimes they can be stubborn about the details of your application. But, other than that, they are pretty accommodating as long as you have all of your information ready.