Colorado School of Mines
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Chemical Engineering on the Biological Engineering Track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m part of Navigators, which is an on-campus ministry, and I’m in Greek life.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Dallas, TX with a graduating class of about 560 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Chemical Engineering on the Biological Engineering Track
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of Navigators, which is an on-campus ministry, and I’m in Greek life.
Have any of your extracurriculars had a particularly big impact on your experience?
Greek life has because it allowed me to branch off and meet people everywhere I go. It’s given me good connections in industry too. Navigators, the ministry, has helped me grow my relationship with God and has brought me around like-minded people in that sense.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
My average week usually consists of one or two labs, I have online homework problem sets and worksheets across different classes. I usually have at least one exam a week and the exams for my classes are spaced out over every few weeks. My final grades are usually made up of my exam grades.
Is there anything you feel that the Chemical Engineering department does especially well or poorly academically?
They’re very good at offering assistance with classes. There are teaching assistant office hours, professor office hours, and a tutoring center on campus. The professors are also good at getting back to you over email and can talk with you during class time. They’re very good at getting you all the help you can get. Where they lack is they don’t fully teach all the material in the lectures because there is not enough time in lecture to explain everything. You have to figure it out on your own through your own research, office hours, or working with a friend.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s collaborative.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. If I send them an email, they respond within 24 hours. They’re always really consistent with their office hours and are open to meeting with you if the office hours don’t work with your schedule.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any resources in place that helped you adapt?
Living on campus and being surrounded by a bunch of people who are in the same courses as you really helps because working in a group setting has helped the majority of us with understanding the material. Especially when you’re helping somebody who doesn’t understand what they’re learning and you know it, one of the best ways to study is to teach somebody else in the dorms. Being that community has really helped.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I originally chose Chemical Engineering because I’m a big fan of chemistry, even though it’s not so much chemistry based. I’m on the Biological Engineering Track, so it’s a little bit more on the biochemistry side. I enjoy biology and the other areas of study, so it’s a good fit for me.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you’re really passionate about the STEM field.
2) If you’re a hard worker and a determined person. You should be self-driven because you’re going to have work thrown at you that will pile up if you don’t keep up with it.
3) If you want to go to a small school that’s focused on academics and has a community feel.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If the 70:30 boy to girl ratio is a big deal to you.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Elm Hall with two roommates.
How was transitioning from Dallas, TX to Golden, CO in terms of location?
The big thing for me was the altitude adjustment. That took a big adjustment. The campus is not flat and it has a lot of hills, so staying hydrated is a must up here. In general, it was good. The campus isn’t too big so it’s not that bad. I haven’t noticed any strong cultural differences either.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
In general, I’ve felt pretty safe. I haven’t had any situations where I felt unsafe. Our campus has really good resources with the Blue Light system.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
We go on a lot of hikes. There are a lot of trails around here. We also will take the bus and go to the local shopping area or going to see a movie. I’m not a big party person.
What have been some of your favorite times at Mines so far?
Some of my favorite things are the little things that my friends and I have done. Like, my friend and I went into Denver and got Insomnia Cookies after an exam one night. We’ve done spontaneous hikes up South Table Mountain. We did a sunrise hike one morning that was really pretty. It’s just a lot of the little things you can find to do around here.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Colorado School of Mines? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m pretty happy with the weekend options out here. The only thing I would change is the food in the area. Golden is a college town, but it’s first and foremost a retirement town so a lot of food places close really early. If you have a midnight or early morning craving, you have to go to another town. [About 16% of residents of Golden are 60 or older.]
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
The friends I met through my sorority and also just on my floor. I’m very fortunate to live on a very social floor and so we’ve all gotten along very well and we all hang out all the time and do everything together.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Colorado School of Mines?
The social scene is not very huge. It’s a lot more of a tight-knit community feeling. It’s not a lot of big parties or football games. It’s a community feeling because we’re all very smart and we all struggle with the classes here, so we’re all here for each other. I think the main things the community feel comes from are the small campus and the difficult coursework.
How has joining your sorority impacted your social experience?
It’s given me more opportunities for meeting people in other sororities and fraternities on campus and also allowed to meet alumni who are out in the world doing amazing things.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I haven’t heard of any issues with that and there’s not a lot of separation. We’re a predominantly White campus, but in regards to there being diverse friend groups, there are no issues with that. [The undergraduate population is about 70% White, 10.5% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 4.5% Asian.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
People in Greek life and people not in Greek life mix very well. We all hang out. It’s not like if you join a Greek life organization you are cut off from everybody else. Everybody hangs out with each other and there’s not a lot of separation. It’s absolutely common for people in Greek life to have friends who aren’t in Greek life [and vice versa].
How do you like the size of Colorado School of Mines in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 5,150 students at Colorado School of Mines.]
I love the size. The smaller campus allows the classes to be smaller and there’s also a smaller campus vibe that helps us all be a lot closer. I can walk between one class to another and run into like ten people I know.
How would you describe the student body?
Personality-wise, everybody is very kind and open to talking to anyone around. There are a lot of fans of different board games and video games, so if you’re a fan of that kind of stuff you can find people to talk to. Other than that, people are open-minded and willing to help you if you ask.
How has the 70:30 Male-Female ratio impacted your experience?
So far, I haven’t had any issues with it. It’s not something I find really noticeable because I am still in some of the more basic courses that have a lot of people in them. I have heard that once you get into the upper-level classes it gets a lot more noticeable.
Careers
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
So far, I’ve had some assignments based in Excel and they make sure you know how to use Excel, so I’m very well-versed in it now. I haven’t taken any coding classes because it’s not in my major, but I do know how to use SolidWorks because that is part of one of our courses.