Colgate University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Psychology – On a Pre-Med Track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Black Straight Female

Summary

I’m in the Student Government Association (SGA), the African Students Union (ASU), and the Medical Association for People of Color.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: All-girls Catholic high school in Long Island, NY with a graduating class of about 900 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Psychology – On a Pre-Med Track
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the Student Government Association (SGA), the African Students Union (ASU), and the Medical Association for People of Color.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
SGA has. It’s my first real leadership position on campus, so it’s helped me get out there more and become more comfortable as a leader.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your Psychology major?
In my introduction course, we have readings every day and weekly labs.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department or Colgate does especially well or poorly academically?
What they’ve done especially well is having multiple options to get help from tutors and professors. Everyone in the department is there to help you, and there’s nothing they’ve necessarily been terrible at. We have an alumnus who holds weekly tutoring session in the evenings, so that’s helpful.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s more collaborative. The weekly help sessions we have are in groups, and people do work together.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. They have office hours, and if my schedule doesn’t work with theirs, we can just come up with a time that works for us both.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I wanted to choose Neuroscience originally, but because I wanted to go abroad it didn’t work with the schedule. I went with Psychology because I take the same classes anyway.

Reasons to Attend

1) You can travel.
2) The professors are really accessible because the school is so small.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) You can be isolated, and the social scene isn’t for everybody.
2) There isn’t much to do outside of Colgate.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: East Hall in a single.
Sophomore: Crashaw House in a single, with three suitemates.
How was transitioning from Long Island to Hamilton, NY?
The location is very different. Hamilton is in the middle of nowhere, so that has its frustrations. The transition wasn’t that terrible.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s pretty safe here. I’ve never felt unsafe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Colgate?
I don’t participate in nightlife here. I like to watch Netflix with my friends in my dorm. Sometimes we have Dance Fest, where different groups perform in the evenings. Some clubs will have pubs in the evening, and I might attend those events. A pub is when we eat and socialize in a dining hall called Donovan’s Pub.
What nights of the week do you like to go out?
Fridays, and sometimes on Thursday nights.
Is there a favorite event of yours at Colgate?
We recently had Gospel Fest. The choir and chamber group come together to sing. They usually bring in a famous gospel artist to sing for us, and it’s just a nice time.
How happy are you with the nightlife options at Colgate? Is there anything you would change if you could?
The scene is fun for a lot of people, but I don’t really like the Greek life parties. I don’t think I could change any of it.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I saw them on Facebook, so then I introduced myself and started going to events with them. They’re part of ASU and SGA as well.
Were there parts of Colgate, or American college as a whole, that surprised you?
The opportunities to travel. I haven’t studied abroad yet, but I have gone on an extended study as part of one of my classes.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
A lot of people really enjoy the social scene because a lot of people are from the same areas and have the same backgrounds. They connect, and it’s fun for them. I find that I have to force myself to have fun because there isn’t that much of an international population. There aren’t many Nigerians here. There are great people, but it would be nice to see people like me.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
They don’t. If I’m at a BSU party it’s 99% Black or Latino people, and if I go to a frat party it’s all White people with a handful of people of color. [About 22% of students are domestic students of color.]
How would you describe the international community on campus? How strong is it?
People from the same country will mostly stick together.
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It isn’t strong because the Black people here are also different and cliquish. People in The [Black] Diaspora are on their own, and African-Americans have their own thing. There’s a lot of miscommunication there as well, and some Black people are in Greek life. I don’t see a lot of effort from the African-Americans trying to understand a Nigerian or Kenyon person. The Africans who grew up here will try to stay with African-Americans because they’ve always been here.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Mostly just in the classrooms.
How do you like the size of Colgate in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [Colgate has about 3,000 undergraduate students.]
Initially, I thought that [3,000] students would be great, but I’ve since come to realize it’s too small.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used it to solidify my resume, and they’ve been very helpful with that.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve learned a lot about Excel from my statistical classes for Chemistry and Biology.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
They’ve been very helpful. That’s one of the best things about Colgate.