Clark University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: International Development
Minor: Philosophy
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I volunteer for the Refugee Assistance Project, I’m on the Salsa Team, I’m part of the Finance Committee, and I’m involved Student Council.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school in Maine with a graduating class of about 150 students. There was not a strong culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: International Development
Minor: Philosophy

Extracurricular Activities: I volunteer for the Refugee Assistance Project, I’m on the Salsa Team, I’m part of the Finance Committee, and I’m involved Student Council.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Refugee Assistance Project has because that’s where I spend the most time and most of my friends also work there. I’m also getting very close to the students [we work with] because it’s a continual thing and I worked with them last year as well.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
A lot of my classes are discussion-based and a few lectures to supplement the discussions. [The major graded assignments] are mostly essays and we have some smaller assignments.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think it does a good job of pointing out the flaws in international development and critiques a bunch of theories within the field. In terms of poorly, you have to take a lot of introductory courses so it’s difficult to get into a specific topic that you’re interested in. I’m interested in refugee and migration studies, but it’s difficult to get into those classes until you’re a junior or a senior.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
Within my major, it’s more collaborative. The professors try to push a collaborative environment.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
There’s diversity in thought, but it would be beneficial if there was more. That’s something I would change about Clark. It encourages diversity of thought, but in practice, it’s one school of thought. Professors try to pile on different ideas within their subject, but overall, it’s the same mantra.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. It’s a small school so you can go to office hours or schedule a meeting with them, you just have to initiate it yourself.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose it because all the classes in the major were classes that I was really interested in. Before coming to Clark, I didn’t know what it was so it made it more intriguing. Now that I’m in the major I see a lot of flaws in the field but am in too far to switch to something else. I also am interested in political geography and urban geography, and a lot of those classes overlap. I wouldn’t say I’m pro-international development, but I’ve really enjoyed the courses so I’ve enjoyed the major.

Reasons to Attend

1) People will genuinely embrace your weird interests. You will find someone interested in a book or speech that you had no idea another person could love so deeply.
2) Your professors are extremely open. Some invite you to their house. You’re very connected to your professors.
3) There is a thriving creative scene. There are constantly dance festivals and art exhibits.
4) Worcester is really fun. There are some cool places, like, restaurants and student bookstores, and that type of thing.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re looking for the stereotypical college experience with football games, fraternities, and a big campus, this is not that.
2) If you want to be able to go off campus a lot and be going to different places all the time. You can do that in Worcester, but it’s not the Clark culture. People are more on campus.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Wright Hall in a triple
Sophomore: Johnson Sanford Center with one roommate in a double.
How was transitioning from Maine to Worcester, MA?
I was a really easy transition. I enjoy that it doesn’t feel like a big city where we are, but we’re closer to Boston. I like Worcester.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never felt uncomfortable on campus and I feel comfortable walking off-campus. I treat it as I did my hometown where I wouldn’t go random places in the middle of the night alone, but I still feel a high level of safety.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Dalat Restaurant. It’s a Vietnamese place.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Probably the Worcester Public Library. Not a lot of people go there but I enjoy it. I think it’s underrated.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in at Clark?
For me, it’s a lot of on-campus stuff. I like going to the improv shows and the dance shows. I also go to parties off-campus occasionally, but they’re not big parties. It’s not a campus with a big party culture. Most of my nightlife is on campus hanging out with friends.
What have been some of your favorite times at Clark?
They’ve probably been hanging out with my friends. We like to go to the cafeteria, make a ton of tea, and sit around and talk. We also like to sit out on the green during the spring and fall. My dance performances have been highlights. The South Asian Student Association puts on Diwali and they always need a lot of volunteers, so everyone gets together for that festival and puts on food and dance. That’s also when The Vagina Monologues is performed, so it feels like a lot of campus is participating and it’s a fun time.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I came to Clark because I didn’t want Greek life. I wanted the stereotypical liberal arts school with people throwing around a frisbee and then mostly focused on academics, so I personally wouldn’t change anything. Maybe I’d like more access to things around Worcester. We have an escort van that takes you to places around campus, but it only goes a quarter-mile off of campus. I think if we were able to get around Worcester more easily, we wouldn’t have to go to Boston as much.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Probably in my peer advising group and during orientation. I also met a lot of people in the dining hall. I didn’t really meet people in classes.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Clark?
It’s very close-knit. Everyone kind of knows everyone, so it’s very familiar. Everyone’s trying to be unique in some way by having some sort of talent or niche interest whether that be tattoos, an album you release, or something else that lets you stand out in some way. It sometimes seems like everyone has a brand and not a clique brand. I would also say it’s pretty open. You can say hi to someone and have a random conversation and then do that the next time you see them, but not be their good friend. It’s an open culture I think.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I pay a lot of attention to that just because my primary friend group are people of color. On the general level, I don’t think there’s a lot of mixing. You can look in the dining hall and there will be groups based on race. But, that could be because there are pre-orientation programs for multicultural, first-generation, and international students, and a lot of them find their friend groups there. I don’t pay as much attention to sexual orientation, but I think that’s more mixed than with race. Clark does try to have a lot of conversations about that, but it doesn’t seem to change a lot.
To what extent do you mix with the schools in the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts?
Before I came, I thought the consortium would be a big thing, but I’m not really involved with the other schools. I’ve gone to a few talks at Holy Cross and went to one or two parties off-campus, but that’s about it. I haven’t taken any classes at the other schools.
How do you like the size of Clark in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 2,300 undergraduates.]
It’s impacted my accessibility to professors. My classes have about 18 people in them usually, so it’s easy to get to know the professors. You’ll never fall through the cracks. Socially, you know everyone and it’s nice to see familiar faces often. It also can be suffocating if you just want to be alone because you go back to a room with a roommate or go to the library and run into people. I’m very extroverted so that’s fine, but I do occasionally feel like I want to get off-campus and not know anyone. [The average class size is 21 students.]

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not yet. I did an internship last year at the Worcester Courthouse but it was through the Pre-Law Society here. You have to be more proactive in seeking the alumni out, it’s not like they’re contacting me.
To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful are they?
The career office has been super helpful because they helped me look for an internship last year and I got involved in the Refugee Assistance Project through them. The academic advising there has been really helpful figure out classes because I’m trying to study abroad next year. It’s quite helpful.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
For my Quantitative Methods class, we had to use Excel, but it wasn’t super in-depth. I still don’t feel super competent in Excel, I’m not an expert.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how helpful is the office?
They’ve been super accommodating. I’ve had no issues with them.