Colgate University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Neuroscience – on the pre-med track
Minor: Africana Studies
Student Self Identifies as: Black Gay Female

Summary

I’m in student government; Sisters of the Round Table, which is a support group for women of color; and Symphonic Band.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school in Toronto, Canada with a graduating class of about 300 students. Most people stayed in Canada and only me and two other people who went to school in the United States.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Neuroscience – on the pre-med track
Minor: Africana Studies

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in student government; Sisters of the Round Table, which is a support group for women of color; and Symphonic Band.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I’ve only taken one class that’s particularly for Neuroscience, but I have fulfilled the major requirements in the other sciences. For the Neuroscience courses, it’s primarily reading and the assessments are exams. Nobody’s monitoring you on your coursework so it’s up to you to do your readings. For the other science courses, there are problem sets, quizzes, exams, and sometimes online assessments. There are readings for those classes, but I found working on problem sets to be the most helpful.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In terms of prerequisites, I don’t think the Chemistry department is that strong. There definitely is sense the courses are weed out courses because people come into Colgate as pre-med and then switch their major after. That leads to excessively difficult exams and coursework when it didn’t need to be that way. The professors are engaged and they do want to help you, but you also have to seek that help out on your own.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s collaborative. People do want to help each other in the process and help each other do well. I’ve been in both science and humanities classes, and in both of those I’ve felt mostly a collaborative effort.
How accessible are your professors?
My professors have been extremely accessible. That’s one of my favorite parts about Colgate. Whether by email or in their office hours, they’re always willing to help.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I came into Colgate as a Math major but pre-med requirements were just so excessive, I had to choose something that was more in line with that. I chose Neuroscience because of that and also that the major classes don’t have labs as well. I chose it mostly out of practicality.
How was transitioning academically as an international student? Were there any systems in place that helped you adapt?
It really wasn’t that bad. I did the IB program in high school, so I felt that prepared me well. It’s just a matter of time management and how you schedule your work because you can’t do it all and have free time to have a social life as long as you plan it out accordingly and do your work. The academic transition wasn’t as hard as the emotional transition because I was always used to being with my mother at home. In terms of systems in place, I didn’t find any personally. I figured it out on my own.

Reasons to Attend

1) Great financial aid. [Colgate is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need and does not offer loans to students with a total family income of up to $125,000.]
2) You get a wonderful education with very involved professors.
3) A lot of the programs are very well funded.
4) There are good study abroad options.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The location and how isolated it is
2) It’s small. [Colgate has about 3,000 undergraduate students.]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Gate House with one roommate and then I moved to Cobb Hall in the Bryant Complex and had two other suitemates.
Sophomore: Bryant Complex with four suitemates
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The level of safety is really unprecedented. I’ve never felt unsafe here even when I’m walking in the town. I don’t feel like there is any threat to me so I walk around alone in the middle of the night and it’s completely fine.
How was transitioning from Toronto to Hamilton, NY?
This is the hardest change I’ve ever had to make because Toronto’s a very metropolitan city and there are a lot of resources for you. Personally, going to a very rural area was a good choice for me and I realize that now. Colgate’s extremely isolated and there’s nothing to do. It’s very hard to get to other nearby places without a car, so you’re sort of stranded at school which is something I don’t like.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Colgate?
In my first year, I would find myself at events and parties hosted by cultural organizations such as the Black Student Union. Since I’m a person of color, I frequent those more than the Greek life organizations because those are mostly White events and the type of music I would like to hear isn’t found there. Now, I don’t go out as much. I go to more smaller events held by my upperclassmen friends on a Friday or Saturday.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or event on campus that you like for a night out?
It would definitely be food involved. I like going out to eat here, but that’s just about it. There’s not really much to do unless you want to study in the library.
How has identifying as LGBT+ influenced your nightlife experience? Is there a strong LGBT+ nightlife scene on campus?
There’s definitely not a strong scene for that here. But, [being gay] hasn’t affected my experience, it’s just a regular night for me.
How happy are you with the nightlife options at Colgate? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m really unhappy with my nightlife options here. I don’t consider the parties happening viable parties. I know some people do place a lot of emphasis on the events that are held here but I personally don’t. If I could change anything, I think Colgate needs to be a larger school with more diversity for there to be any significant change. It’s not Colgate’s fault that the parties are like this, it just has to be a different school. A lot of what’s geared toward people of color are BSU or the Latin American Student Organization events and they don’t happen as often as Greek life. There is just a lack of options for students of color to socialize.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met one of my closest friends in a Chemistry class. We’re both pre-med and have very similar majors so we just ended up together and ended up being really good friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
From my perspective, I would describe it as lackluster, very boring, and small. But, that’s just me. If I were White, I think I would have a great time here, but I’m not, so I feel like that does limit my social circles. I’m left with very few people who look like me who can be my friend on a high level. [About 22% of students are domestic students of color and about 4% are Black.]
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s very segregated. Sometimes there will be that person of color in a White group. In that sense, Black people stick together, Latinx people stick together, Asians stick together, and White people stick together. That’s not to say that people aren’t friendly towards each other because they are, but, in terms of friend groups, it’s very segregated.
How would you describe the Black community? How strong is it?
I feel like there are different factions of the Black community. There is the faction that is the Black Student Union and is very “pro-Black,” there are the people who are more involved with Greek life and other White-presenting things, and then there are the more international Black people from the continent from Africa. I’m from Canada, so I’m not African-American, and I don’t know what the BSU experience is like and they stick together. Among those three groups, they don’t speak that often in my opinion.
To what extent do international students mix with domestic students?
Pretty often, but it also depends on where you come from. International students from certain places might stick together more or less depending on where they’re from or how many people there are from their home country. If there’s no one from your country at Colgate, those are the types who are more likely to be integrated into the school’s population. But, the students who have lots of their countrymen at Colgate tend to stick together.
How would you describe the LGBTQ+ community? How strong is it?
It is not strong. There are some people who visibly present and are very passionate activists for the community, but that’s a very small group. We don’t really stick together, it’s more like we exist and know about each other but there is not any type of cohesion. For example, all of my friends are straight.
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.]
I do not like the size. I thought I would like it coming in, but now I realize that I should have been at a bigger school.
Were there any parts of Colgate or American university overall that surprised you when you arrived on campus?
The biggest thing that surprised me was the grading system. It’s different than what we have in Canada. I was also surprised by how much care the professors put into your education.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No. I’ve attempted to reach out but it’s been unsuccessful.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used the career office for help with writing applications for different programs. They’re really good for fine-tuning your resume and making sure it looks nice.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful professionally?
No, I have not.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how helpful is the office?
Financial aid has been extremely helpful. I’d say that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve stayed is because they’re so helpful and so willing to help you finance your education.