Clemson University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m [on a varsity sports team] and I’m in Greek life.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Chapin, SC with a graduating class of about 350 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m [on a varsity sports team] and I’m in Greek life.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I get to be on the field for every football game, and in Greek life I’ve made a lot of friends.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I have labs for all my science classes. I usually take two science classes at a time, so I’ll have two labs a week. We have a few lab report and assignments due every week, but not that many. It’s mostly studying for tests.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I’ve learned a lot from my Anatomy teacher. The labs go along with our class really well, and it helps you learn the class material better. My other labs don’t go along with the class that well.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s collaborative. We can work together to study, but I usually do it individually.
How accessible are your professors?
It’s very easy to meet with them. All my professors are good about that, and they’re pretty good at emailing back quickly.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
My Anatomy class, even though it’s my hardest class. I feel like I actually learned stuff from it, and I can actually use it in the real world.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice so far?
It takes care of all the sciences I need to go to medical school. I’m not really in it for the nutritional part of it, but to get the science without taking so many extra classes that I didn’t need as I would in Biology.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a great campus, and you can walk everywhere you need to go.
2) Everyone here is very nice and will help you out if you ask them.
3) Overall, it’s a great environment. There’s a lot of school pride.
Reasons Not to Attend
If you like going out and doing different kinds of things. If you want different food and shopping options, we don’t have that.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Off-campus for the Bridge Program, with three people.
Sophomore: The Orchard with two roommates.
Junior: Earle apartments with three roommates.
How was transitioning from Chapin to Clemson, SC?
It was good because it’s only two hours away. They both have a small-town feel, and people are really nice. In Chapin, you’re able to know a lot of people because it’s such a small town.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s good and there are lots of police around. We also have campus police that stays on campus, and I’ve never felt unsafe.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Clemson?
I like going out to the bars in Clemson. We have basketball games at night, and I always like going to those.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Tuesdays we’ll have mixers with our sorority that’ll I’ll sometimes go to, but not always. I normally go out on Friday and Saturday because all of my friends go. That has nothing to do with sororities, we just go out because we’ve had a long week. Sometimes I’ll go out on Thursday, it just depends. Sometimes on Fridays we do have functions for our sororities.
What’s the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I think it’s great because it’s fun to get dressed up for the different themes we have. I try to go to all of them if I can so I can have those different experiences.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
You could go to Basketball games or go bowling. I’ve never gone into Greenville for a concert, and there isn’t that much to do in Clemson, so you’re kind of limited.
How happy were you with the weekend options at Clemson? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with them and I wouldn’t change anything. I think there are good options.
Campus Culture
How was transitioning from the Bridge Program?
It was good. It helped me more because Tri-County isn’t as hard as Clemson is, so it transitioned me to how much work I will have, and how I can study better. When I got to Clemson, it wasn’t as hard of a transition as it would be straight from high school.
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through [my varsity sport] and my sorority. A lot of my friends in my sorority are from my hometown, so I knew them before Clemson.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
When you go out, it depends on what bar you go to. You could go to one bar and it’ll be mostly athletes, there could be preppy people or people in Greek life. We don’t really have an arts scene. For the most part, we just have the bars downtown.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
For the most part, I don’t think anyone is against that. I’ve seen mixing everywhere and all the time. There are different sororities for [different races]. Usually White people pick certain sororities, and the Blacks will do other ones. They separate, but when going out those would mix. It’s not like people are staying away from each other. [About 3% of Greek life members are involved in chapters in the National Panhellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council. About 82% of undergraduates are White.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Girl wise, I’d say a lot because they like going to fraternity parties. Even some of my friends not in a sorority will come to some of my sorority’s events. Girls do get involved, but guys not in a fraternity don’t go to stuff like that. You’d have to get on a list, so they’re not allowed to go.
How do you like the size of Clemson in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [There are about 19,600 undergraduates.]
I like the size of it. I like how my classes aren’t too big. A lot of them have around 30 people, but some will have more like 200. They aren’t too little, and they’re not too big. Depending on what class it is, they do a good job making sure there are good numbers. [The average undergraduate class has 31 students.]
How would you describe the student body?
Here, people don’t really dress up for class. People wear t-shirts unless they have a project to present, and girls usually don’t wear makeup to class. Also, people stay on campus during the day a lot because it’s big and you don’t really want to leave once you’re on it. Downtown is right next to campus, but during the school day, people stay on campus all day.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of Clemson by senior year? Do you think people leave loving Clemson?
Yes, 100%. I think everyone comes through and absolutely loves it. Whenever they leave they’re going to be a Clemson fan. So many families come back for the football games and things like that.
Careers
Have you done anything pre-med focused?
I’m taking a class called Professional Development, and we work on things like personal statements and the admission process in the medical field. We have a professional advisor who reaches out and tells us about different meetings we could go to.