University of Vermont
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Undeclared
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Female
Summary
I participate in a very competitive club sport that has a similar workload to a varsity sport.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
First-Generation College Student: No
High School Experience: Public high school in Greenwich, CT with a graduating class of about 800 students. There was a culture of going to college.
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Undeclared
Extracurricular Activities: I participate in a very competitive club sport that has a similar workload to a varsity sport.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of reading, a lot of textbook reading, a lot of note-taking, and then we have a lab at least once a week for certain classes. We will often have to write a little essay on the topic that we’re learning about. My major assignments are mostly tests. It depends on what class it is, for one class I had to write three essays, but usually, it’s in a test format.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think it does a really good job of opening up perspectives and giving you a lot of materials to go over and go through. Poorly, I think my professor for my entry-level class was just a little bit disorganized. She was a great teacher, but just the organization part was concerning. I definitely think the programs are getting better and UVM has a really great program. You go out into the field a lot and it’s awesome.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it is particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s definitely on the collaborative side more than the competitive side. Labs we all study together and stuff like that. Even if it a big lecture class, you usually know a handful of people and I had a lot of study groups going. It’s really helpful.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
My favorite class was probably International Environmental Studies. Not necessarily because it was not much different from other intro class that I took, but it opened up my perspective. I was learning about places all over the world.
What has been your least favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
My least favorite class was Introduction to Environmental Studies because I felt like it was too broad. Having classes, like International Environmental Studies where we focused more on specific topics was more helpful.
Why did you choose that major and are you happy with your choice?
Yeah, I’m extremely happy with my choice because I’ve always had an interest in the environment and I’ve grown up basically in nature. Also, I’ve always be interested in going into the food industry and in today’s world I was really interested in seeing how food plays a role with the environment and what the consequence were as well as the alternatives we can come up with.
How was managing your sport and your coursework?
Personally, keeping a really busy schedule helps my coursework. I’m in the library a lot or if I’m not in the library I’m definitely studying in my free time. It’s not to say that I don’t have free time ever, it’s just that’s how I end up spending it. I like having busy schedules, it helps me see my workload better. In the offseason during the winter I usually procrastinate more so and I like staying busy because I don’t think about what I’m doing as much, I just do it.
Reasons to Attend
1. It has a great engineering program and great environmental science and studies program.
2. We have our own campus, it’s not in the city. You don’t have to be integrated with Burlington but you can go to the actual town and be a part of it.
3. The skiing, snowboarding, and hiking are awesome.
4. The people I’ve met are awesome.
Reasons Not to Attend
1. Sometimes you might feel like you’re a bit trapped on campus. It’s either too cold or it’s too long of a walk.
2. Public transportation system is a little difficult to understand. It’s not infrequent but it’s not very frequent.
3. The distance from a lot of things is a negative. You have to take connecting flights to get to Burlington. That’s a big part of the reason my roommate left because it was hard for her to get home.
Around Campus
Where did you live last year?
I lived in Harris Millis. I had one roommate my first semester, but she actually ended up transferring because she felt like she was too far away from home. Then the second semester I had a roommate who was on my team. Harris Millis was on athletic campus sort of in the center. I didn’t really have any problems with my roommates. I did random for my first roommate and it worked out perfectly.
Can you describe the level of safety you have experienced on and around campus?
I feel very safe at UVM. Of course, there are moments where you have to be aware of what’s going on around you and you have to be conscious of where you are in the city, but, in general, I feel very safe. I also lived close to New York City and I grew up going into NYC all my life, so I feel like that helped me a little bit in terms of knowing how to cross the street or stuff like that or being aware of who’s walking behind you. I also walk with friends, and I don’t usually walk outside alone at night.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
I really like Revolution Kitchen.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
I really like hiking when I’m off campus. I like to go hiking a lot and skiing. There are so many good hiking trails.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I don’t have that big of a list because I have such a busy schedule. I usually go out Thursday night and I go out with my friends either downtown or somebody’s house or something like that. I only go out on Thursdays because I’m usually traveling every other day.
Are there places you regularly go on Thursday nights?
I usually go to friends’ houses honestly. A lot of my friends go to bars downtown but I don’t like the bar scene that much.
Can you tell me about some of your favorite times at UVM?
My favorite time was with my friends on my floor. I had a really bad birthday and the week after that I was home. That weekend we had a scavenger hunt on my floor and my friends hid things everywhere on our floor. We ran in and there were tasks you had to do before you found anything. You would run into a room and you had to take a shot or have a drink and it was really funny and we had a bunch of laughs.
Can you describe a typical night going out your freshman year?
I get back from practice at around 7. I eat really quickly in the dining hall and then me and my friends get ready together. Then we walk downtown which is like a 20-minute walk from my place on campus. We all hang out and that’s basically the night.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my [sports] team and also through my floormates. We were a very close floor. I had high school friends that came to UVM with me who were friends of friends. Also, in my classes. I feel like I’m a very extroverted person so it was really simple for me to meet friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UVM?
I feel like some people think it’s a crazy party school, but it’s really what you make of it. I also think the social scene is pretty laid back. I don’t think anybody’s going to judge you for what you want to wear, or that sort of thing. That’s the vibe that I get.
How would you describe the student body?
Very, very caring and socially aware. Everyone’s there to look out for everyone.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Race-wise I don’t think we have much diversity, which is a big downside of campus. Sexual orientation-wise, I feel like it’s pretty well integrated. Sometimes people just congregate with the people they want to be with. [11% of undergraduates are students of color and 5% are international students.]