Clemson University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Architecture
Student Self Identifies as: Chinese American Heterosexual Female

Summary

I have an executive role in the Asian Students’ Association and I was part of a research group last semester.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Chinese American
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Private Christian school in Atlanta, GA with a graduating class of about 100 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Architecture

Extracurricular Activities: I have an executive role in the Asian Students’ Association and I was part of a research group last semester.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
Being part of the Asian Students’ Association has had a big impact. I joined my freshman year and starting sophomore year I [had executive roles]. That’s been a pretty big part of my experience because I’ve made a lot of friends and have been part of leadership.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
This semester has been pretty heavy. I have two evening labs and five classes. I’ll average one to two exams per week.
Is there anything that you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think they do a good job of pointing out career paths for Civil Engineering majors and pointing out multiple different paths that you can do. The degree has [seven different emphases] and those paths are pretty clearly planned out, but you also have some flexibility.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I wouldn’t say you compete with other people, but it’s competitive in that people compete with themselves to get good grades.
Favorite class in your major?
Geomechanics
Least favorite class in your major?
Geomatics
How accessible have your professors been?
It depends on the professor. You can tell after meeting the professor whether they’re going to be willing to help or not. There are some professors who are really willing to help you if you ask.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I went into general engineering my freshman year and then I picked Civil Engineering because I felt like it best fit what I wanted to do in terms of being an engineer but also interacting with the public more than you would as a bioengineer or mechanical engineer. I also had an interest in architecture but didn’t want to major in it, so I felt a minor in architecture with a degree in Civil Engineering was a good combination.

Reasons to Attend

1) It has a few different really good programs. It has a really well-known engineering program, Clemson’s known as an engineering-heavy school, but it also has a good architecture program and computer science program. [Clemson’s engineering school has the largest enrollment of the colleges with about 7,000 of the 24,000 students enrolled.]
2) I personally like that it’s a big school because I went to such a small high school. For me, it’s a big plus that there are a lot of people.
3) There’s a lot to get involved in at Clemson. If you want to do Greek life, clubs, or student government it’s easy to get involved with and there are a lot of options.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re not into football, it’s going to be put in your face either way. For me, that’s a negative, but for a lot of other people that’s a big plus.
2) It’s a small town, so if you want to be near a big city Clemson’s not a great place for you.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Core Campus Building A with one roommate.
Sophomore: Lightsey Bridge, which is a little bit farther away but still on campus. I had three roommates and we all had our bedrooms but shared a bathroom.
Junior: Off campus in an apartment with three roommates. We all have our own rooms and bathrooms.
What has been your favorite living situation?
This year just because it’s not more convenient, but it’s nicer to live off campus because you have more freedom and have my own space.
How was transitioning from Atlanta to Clemson, SC?
It wasn’t that bad. It’s only about 2 hours away so if I wanted to go home it wouldn’t be too hard. I wasn’t too homesick or anything freshman year.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
Most of the time it feels pretty safe to me. It’s mostly around when football games are when it’s a little iffy because a lot of people come here that don’t go here. My roommates and I last year had an incident where a drunk man passed out in front of our door in our apartment complex. That’s the worst thing that’s happened to me personally. Other than on gamedays, it feels really safe to me.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Going to Greenville, SC or going back home because it’s not that far. I know a lot of people will go to Greenville for the weekend, my friends and I will do that sometimes.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
I don’t really go out to any of the bars. That is partially because I’m not 21, but usually my friends and I will just hang out in our apartments or we’ll go to Greenville or do something like that. There’s not much “nightlife” per se other than the bars downtown, which I don’t really have much interest in.
What have been some of your favorite times at Clemson?
It was pretty exciting when we won the national championship in football. The whole school was super excited and everybody was running around downtown. It was a pretty fun time.
How happy have you been with your options for weekend activities? Is there anything you would change if you could?
If there was more stuff to do that would be nice because there’s not that much to do other than the bars. For stuff to do during the day you have to go pretty far off campus. There aren’t any shopping areas or recreation areas in the town.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Through the [Asian Students’ Association]. All of my friends are officers on the executive board with me.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
I’d describe it as being pretty Greek oriented. I’m not part of a Greek organization, but there’s a lot of Greek life on campus for sure. Other than that, football’s a big thing on campus. Those two things are the biggest social things on campus.
Do you think people in Greek life and outside of Greek life mix socially?
It mixes a little bit, but it is separated. People who would be friends with people in Greek life are also in Greek life, so it gets separated in that way. But, I do have friends in and out of Greek life.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I don’t think they mix that much on this campus. You can see groups hanging out on campus or in the dining hall. It’s not that there are cliques like in high school, but there are groups who stick together quite a bit.
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Clemson by senior year?
Yes. Usually, I hear a lot of people really enjoy being here. Also, alumni are always coming back and talking about how much they liked it.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not me personally, but I know people who have been helped by that.
Have you used the career office at all? If so, how helpful have they been?
I haven’t gone to the office specifically, but the career center set up a career fair that helped me get an interview for an internship. That helped me get connected to a few different companies as well.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
We learned Excel our freshman general engineering class which I’ve already used a lot. I also took a class specifically on AutoCAD, which is a civil engineering program, and I took a class on Solidworks, but I won’t be using that as a civil engineer.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating are they to your needs?
I have used financial aid and they’re pretty good. I’ve gone there a few times and they’re pretty helpful with whatever you need.