Muhlenberg College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Public Health
Minor: Sustainability Studies
Student Self Identifies as: African American Straight Female

Summary

I’m a student-athlete, I’m a resident assistant (RA), I’m in the Muhlenberg Scholars, which is a leadership honors program, and I do research with my advisor

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: African American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Chatham, New Jersey with a graduating class of about 280 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Public Health
Minor: Sustainability Studies

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete, I’m a resident assistant (RA), I’m in the Muhlenberg Scholars, which is a leadership honors program, and I do research with my advisor
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
My athletics, role as an RA, and my research are the main three that have had an impact on me. I’ve been able to make a lot of connections with other students, but I also met good mentors through these things.
What was the process of getting involved in undergraduate research?
To get involved with the research I spoke with my advisor. She was the one doing research, so I went to her during office hours and asked if she had space for a new student.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
We usually met twice a week for three hours in total. For the most part, the coursework is reading, reflecting, and drawing information from other classes to our lectures. It’s also very paper-based. The bulk of the final grade is from group work, reflection papers, and research papers.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
My major is very good at having courses that are interdisciplinary because public health touches on so many different aspects. We don’t have courses that are only about public health. The psychology, business, and math courses are all encompassed in my major, which helps expose you to different topics while fulfilling the major.
One thing I wish is to have more than one statistical analysis requirement. I wish there was another math or analytics-based course required for my major.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s a mix of both. When I was in the bigger introductory classes people were very competitive about grades, but it’s also a pretty collaborative environment. We have a strong Academic Resource Center with tutors. The classwork helped emphasize collaboration because we have group assignments pretty frequently. I think the competitive nature isn’t from the teachers, it’s sometimes from the students. There’s a competition of saying how much you’re involved in and how busy you are. Muhlenberg emphasizes getting involved and building your experiences in other activities besides school and I think that’s where the competition comes.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. Other than a couple of introductory classes, the classes are pretty small. You can email the professors or stop in their office during office hours. After class, you can always set up a time to meet with them. I’ve never had any issues getting in touch with professors.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I am happy with my choice. I’ve always been interested in public health, but I never knew what the name for it was. I always like documentaries that were social commentaries on obesity or other issues within our current environment. I took an Introduction to Public Health class and spoke with the director of the program. Talking to her and sharing my interests with her is how I choose Public Health as my major. It continued to build my interests and passion for it as I continued into the core courses of the major.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
I’d say yes, very much so. People don’t hesitate to express their identities or views. It’s not met with any negativity. The biggest example I can think of is with gender expression. There’s a lot of comfort in sharing your experiences. It ties back to the accessibility of our administrators. It was never a challenge sharing how I’m feeling when an incident happens or there’s something I want to bring attention to administration. It’s encouraged to share how you’re feeling on campus.

Reasons to Attend

1) It allows you to take part in the different passions you have. I was able to do athletics, focus on academics, and try new experiences being an RA and doing research.
2) Going into college as someone who was nervous, it was a comfortable transition. During your first year, there’s lots of support with your first-year seminar, and people checking on you to make sure your adjustment is going smoothly.
3) The food is really good. It’s the #1 dining hall in Pennsylvania.
4) It’s a close-knit community.
5) There’s a lot of support from faculty, friends, and other connections. I think that’s because the school is so small.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s a predominately White institution. Economically, the student body is pretty affluent. [The undergraduate population is about 72% White. Socioeconomically, about 41% of students come from the top 5%.]
2) It’s a more liberal institution, so that might not be the environment for someone with different views.
3) It’s small and can feel cliquey.
4) It can feel a little removed from Allentown. There’s the Muhlenberg bubble where people don’t get off-campus. It’s in a more residential part of Allentown, which could be a turnoff compared to a bustling city center.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Brown Hall with two roommates
Sophomore: RA in Walz Hall in a single
Junior: RA in Brown Hall in a single
Senior: RA in Taylor Hall in a single
How was transitioning from your hometown to Allentown, Pennsylvania in terms of location?
I wouldn’t say I had a hard transition because the demographic environment was similar to my high school. The biggest thing was I wish the shuttle ran more often to get off-campus. The shuttle is free with a student ID.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel very safe on campus and have never felt unsafe. Campus safety drives around all the time, and there’s a blue light system. In the beginning, during orientation all the students have to register for an alert system, so we get a text and an email if an incident happens. There was one time we had a lockdown for an armed robbery situation, but that was all communicated through the alert system.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I mostly have [sports events] on the weekends, but nightlife-wise there are a few clubs in Bethlehem that are usually frequented by Muhlenberg students and I go a couple of times a month. There are also activities on the weekends hosted by the Muhlenberg Activities Council (MAC), and the Center for the Arts often has dance performances or shows. I’d normally go to parties hosted by my team, but fraternities have parties every weekend as well which are accessible to walk to on campus.
What are your favorite events or activities?
Some of my favorite times are hanging out with my friends. I have a single, so I usually go to their suite. We’ll watch TV, play games, or have [a small party] in the room and then go to the General’s Quarters (GQ), which is one of the food places on campus. Also, a couple of times a month I do go out to a club in Bethlehem. There’s a tavern right across the street from the main campus which is really fun to go to.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Muhlenberg? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m pretty happy with them. There aren’t activities sponsored by the school every weekend, but there’s always something to do whether it’s hosted by the Muhlenberg Activities Council (MAC) or another club. I think there could be more, but most people on the weekends do things with their friends as well, so in terms of that I’m pretty happy with what we do.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
We lived next door to each other during our freshman year, and two of my friends on my team. I met a lot of great staff members through being an RA.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Muhlenberg?
With parties, it can be pretty cliquey if you’re in Greek life. There will be parties, but at times they’re closed to [certain groups], so if you don’t know someone in that circle it can be more difficult in that social setting. Even among athletics and certain majors, it can be cliquey. There are still open parties and events going on, but sometimes you need to know someone to get more details about it or an invite. Muhlenberg can feel small, and by my fourth year, I’m ready for something bigger. As an incoming student, it was a perfect size.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Different races can be very separated, especially Black students. There’s an honors program called Emerging Leaders, which is predominately for students of color or from low-income. Many of my friends in it usually stay with those groups. There is mixing, especially on the athletics side, but other than that, it’s pretty separated. We have a pretty high population of international students from China specifically, and there’s not much mixing between that group and others. [The undergraduate population is about 72% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Black, and 3% Asian. In Fall 2018, about 64% of international students were from China.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s strong when you have your people. There’s a Black Student Association, and an African Student Organization, so it’s pretty strong within those groups. I’m not the most involved in those organizations, but there’s still a strong group because there aren’t a whole lot of us so you know everyone and build connections.
How do you like the size of Muhlenberg in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 2,300 students at Muhlenberg.]
I definitely had opportunities as an undergraduate that I don’t think I would’ve had at a large state school, one of those being research. I was able to get involved with research during my sophomore year, and some of my friends got involved in their freshman year. Since it’s small, you’re able to have more one-on-one time with professors.
How would you describe the student body?
People are academically driven, focused, and dedicated to their own development. It’s very friendly and welcoming overall.
Do people generally seem happy with their choice of Muhlenberg by senior year? Do people leave loving your school?
I think people pretend they don’t love it by senior year, but I think people do leave loving it. There are parts of it that you love, and there are parts of it you’re ready to get away from. From a size point of view, you do see the same people all the time and that starts to get repetitive. I personally am happy with everything I’ve done and feel like I have a good foundation.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
We have externships with Muhlenberg alumni in different fields. You can sign up to shadow alumni, so that connection is there.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful are they?
I’ve used it for resume help, LinkedIn, and general advice about my next steps. They’ve been very helpful with my internship search, and they have a bunch of online resources for mock interviews.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve used Excel which will be helpful, and I use RStudio for statistical analysis.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
If you go down there there’s always someone at the front desk to help answer your questions. Work-study for campus employment is also accessible.