Chapman University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Television Writing and Production
Minor: Psychology
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female

Summary

I do a lot of private film and podcast work.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public magnet school in Berkeley Heights, NJ with a graduating class of about 54 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Television Writing and Production
Minor: Psychology

Extracurricular Activities: I do a lot of private film and podcast work.
What impact has your extracurricular activities had on your experience?
It’s helped me gain connections in the film school. It has taught me how to work with others and stay on top of scheduling.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of writing scripts and making short films every week. [The major graded assignments] are mostly essays. For the general classes, it’s test-based, but for the film classes, it’s most creative work.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do really well because right when you get there it’s very hands-on and you can automatically go and get a camera. For my major specifically, the only thing I’d change is that the Film majors have access to better cameras than we do the first year.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s very collaborative. Everyone always bounces ideas off each other.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. The ones I’ve had so far always have office hours and tell us to come in. They’ll answer emails very quickly.
How was transitioning as a first-generation college student? Were there any resources in place that helped you adapt?
For anyone who’s first-generation, there’s the [Promising Futures Program] you can do where you come to the university early and are able to meet other first-generation students. They help you through the whole process of college life.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I am happy. I love TV and interned for TV shows before college so I knew I wanted to go to film school. I was debating my major because I want to be on the business side more, so I may double major in Business.
What has been your favorite part of Chapman academically?
All teachers want to teach students. The class sizes are pretty small and the teachers know all of your names. I think having that connection with the professor is important to me. [The average class size at Chapman is 23 students.]

Reasons to Attend

1) There are great classroom sizes and accessibility to professors. [The average class size at Chapman is 23 students.]
2) The weather is super nice if you’re looking for sunshine.
3) It’s super close to the beach and other big cities.
4) The Greek life is super unique. Everyone is very kind and supportive.
5) You can find whatever club you want on campus. There are tons of opportunities to get involved and do things.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The price is fairly high. [Total fees for the 2020-2021 academic year are about $50,000.]
2) The diversity isn’t as good as Chapman boasts. [51% of students are White. Socioeconomically, about 33% of students come from the top 5%.]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Pralle-Sodaro Hall with two roommates and three suitemates.
How was transitioning from New Jersey to Orange, CA in terms of location?
The transition was fairly easy for me because I’ve traveled to California every summer so I was used to it. We had an entire week of orientation where they let us figure out the campus and location. I did a summer program there the year before so I was fairly familiar with the location which helped a lot.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s pretty safe. It’s a smaller school, so everything is very close. The surrounding area is a very small town so it’s also very safe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’ll mostly go to fraternity parties or hang around the dorms. People at Chapman are pretty relaxed. The parties are usually Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. All girls can go to every single party, so usually someone will tell us an address and we’ll either Uber there or walk. There is no Greek row, so they’re usually in people’s private houses. There are sometimes bigger events where they actually bring busses and you have to get a wristband or sign up for the bus, and they’ll drive you to the party.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife at Chapman?
It’s fairly big. Greek life [makes up a large percentage] of people on campus. [About 25% of men join fraternities and 48% of women are in sororities.]
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
People go to the beach sometimes for a bonfire or they’ll go to Los Angeles. Also, we’ll go visit different schools around [the LA area].
How happy are you with the weekend options at Chapman? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I love it. the only thing I wish was different is since there’s no Greek row the parties get shut down very quickly because there are always noise complaints. [See The Panther article, “Some residents have ‘zero tolerance’ for partying students.”]

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
From the summer program I went to, and also my freshman dorm because everyone in the film school is in my building. You can only room with people in that school. From that summer program, I knew people going to Chapman, and they happened to be across the hall from me. One of my roommates also happened to be there, so we all met up and formed a group.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Chapman?
It’s pretty relaxed. One thing I wish is that there would be more school spirit. We have [Division III] sports, so people don’t go to the football games and there isn’t too much school pride. We do have one thing at the end of the semester which is the undie run where everyone shows up in their underwear and runs around the town. People take academics seriously, but they also like to have fun.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There’s a big mixture and we have other ethnicities, but I wish there was more diversity. It’s a mostly Caucasian school, but my roommate is from India. [The undergraduate population is about 51% White, 15% Hispanic, 1.7% Black, 13% Asian, and 4% international.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
All the time. Greek life is a big part of the school, but if you’re in a different sorority you won’t be banned from talking to others. All of the sororities are together, and they’re friends with people not in sororities or fraternities. It’s very open.
How would you describe the student body at Chapman?
They really want to learn and are very work-driven, but like to have fun on the weekends.
How do you like the size of Chapman in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 7,300 students at Chapman.]
It’s very small. I like how small it is because my class sizes are also very small. If you walk throughout campus you’ll always see someone you know. I just wish that because it’s so small, I wish there were more school spirit for games.

Careers

Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
You can use basically any editing system and most people come in knowing it. The one we learn about is Avid, which is the industry standard for now.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I do have financial aid and the office is good. They’ll come to you first if there’s something you need to get done. They’re on top of everything.