Marist College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Business Administration with a focus in Marketing
Minor: Advertising
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
Student-Athlete
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Poughkeepsie, NY with about 300 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college
First Generation Student: No
Major: Business Administration with a focus in Marketing
Minor: Advertising
Extracurricular Activities: Student-Athlete
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of group projects. There are not many individual projects. There is also a good amount of reading, but not as much as other majors.
What are your major graded assignments?
They are mostly presentations. We don’t have a lot of papers. We do a lot of stuff that mimics real life business, for example, you’ll do something where you create a marketing plan. Some of it is competitions, like, there was a business who asked for a marketing plan. You present your idea to the company, and it’s your group versus the other groups, and they get to choose the best one that they like. If yours gets chosen, you can put that on your resume.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or especially poorly?
I think they have very good professors. I’ve liked all the professors that I’ve had. They’re tough in a good way. A weakness of the department is that there are more foreign professors [than other departments] and it is hard to understand them.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It can be both. It’s collaborative in that you’re working in groups and competitive in that you’re competing against other groups.
What is your favorite class in your major?
My marketing classes. I also had an Organizational Behavior class which studied how people make decisions and whatnot. I didn’t get a great grade in it because I was kind of lazy, but it was really interesting.
What is your least favorite class in your major?
Accounting. I hated Accounting. It was a lot of numbers and not much working with people.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice of major?
I really like to talk with people and work with people and business. I like the people side of business rather than the numbers side. I like advertising and how to reach people through the media and other sources. I’m happy with my major choice.
How was managing your sport and your coursework?
It’s not easy. When I was growing up I had a busy schedule, so it’s normal to me at this point. It keeps me on my toes in a good way.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a very good school that has a very good reputation.
2) It is a very beautiful school
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It’s not the most diverse campus. [About 76% of the Class of 2022 is White.]
2) Some people at Marist can be snobby, so sometimes it’s not the scene for people. [Socioeconomically, 27% of people come from the top 5%.]
3) Parking is awful.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Sheahan Building with one roommate.
Sophomore: Upper West in Building U with seven other housemates and one roommate. That was kind of a nightmare living with that many people, but it’s something people should experience because it had its fun moments.
Junior: Off-campus with three other people
Senior: Off-campus with four other people
What was your favorite living situation?
Probably my senior year because I’m with friends with everybody in my house because I convinced them to move off campus with me.
Can you describe the level of safety you experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never felt unsafe at Marist because there’s always security going around campus. There are blue lights. It’s also a smaller campus, so there are always people around you somewhere. I think it’s very safe.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Schatzi’s
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
My house
How was being a Poughkeepsie local and going to Marist?
The pros were that I knew the area so well and knew where to go out to eat, etc. But, since I knew the area so well, I wasn’t able to explore new things.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There are not many house parties, so usually I go to the bars on Friday and Saturday night.
What have been some of your favorite times at Marist?
My favorite memories come from playing [my sport] and being a part of [my team]. It’s important to find something you love in college and join that club because those are the best memories that I have.
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
One of my friends and I like going to the movies a lot.
How happy were you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wish there were more house parties so you didn’t have to go to the bars when you want to go out. House parties usually get shut down pretty fast.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friends are not on my team. I actually met them in my freshman dorm.
How would you describe the social scene?
Good. There are a lot of people who are in different clubs, teams, etc. and everybody’s really, really friendly. I like the social scene there.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s a small school, so everybody knows a good amount of people that go there.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s not the most diverse campus, but everybody seems to get along. [About 23% of students are people of color at Marist.]
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Marist by senior year? Do you think people leave loving Marist?
Yeah, absolutely.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful were they?
I went in there to help me find an internship. They helped me a good amount but I ended up finding one on my own. I have also heard of other people having good experiences there.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
I took one class that taught Excel and PowerPoint a lot. The class was called Technology for the 21st Century.