University of Delaware

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Undeclared
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m not doing any at the moment. I plan to rush a sorority next semester. Sorority rush is in the spring.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school in New Jersey with a graduating class of about 800 students. There was a culture of going to college, but mostly in-state.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Undeclared
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m not doing any at the moment. I plan to rush a sorority next semester. Sorority rush is in the spring.

Academic Experience

What has been your favorite class so far?
My favorite class has been Exercise Science. It was interesting to learn about all of that stuff.
What has been your least favorite class so far?
Microeconomics. It was really hard.
Is there anything you feel Delaware has done especially well or poorly so far academically?
I think the professors do a good job of helping the freshmen adapt to college courses. If the whole class does badly on a class they’ll offer an extra credit project or something.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it was particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s competitive in the sense that people are always in the library.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. They always have office hours and they always say that if you need to make an appointment to let them know.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any resources or systems in place that helped you adapt?
It was hard at first because the workload is so much more than in high school. But, what helped was people were willing to help and my R.A. told me what to expect.

Reasons to Attend

1) The campus is beautiful.
2) There’s always something to do.
3) There are a lot of people who you can be friends with.
4) There is a wide range of classes to choose from.
5) The downtown area is pretty great.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you don’t like a bigger school a
2) If you’re not into the social aspects of going out a lot, that is a big thing here.
3) There are some larger classes, especially freshman year.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: South Academy dorm with one girl.
How was transitioning from your hometown in New Jersey to Newark, DE?
I thought it was pretty easy because everybody is in the same boat as you freshman year. It’s a college town, so everybody around is a student. It’s just rough not driving anymore.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s really safe. There are the [University of] Delaware police here and there’s always somebody walking around campus, even when it’s late at night.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There are always parties over the weekend and football games on Saturdays. Friday and Saturday, I’d try to find a fraternity party or a sports team’s party.
Can you describe a typical night going out freshman year?
I feel like when you first get to school you make friends and there are older people in classes who you make friends with. If you make friends with them, they’ll sometimes let you know if there’s a party or something. When I want to go out, I’ll text a bunch of friends who are older and they’d usually let me know where they’re going. We’d go out around midnight, which is extremely late, but that’s when things tend to start here.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Greek life is pretty big at Delaware. I feel like a lot of people rush, but if you don’t, it’s not a big deal. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to rush or not. It is considered the number one party school, so Greek life and nightlife are pretty big. [About 27% of students are involved in Greek life.]
When you arrived on campus, did you think the ranking as the number one party school rang true?
When I first got there I thought it was true because there were a lot of parties at the beginning of the semester, but I think we party just as much as every other university. I don’t think it’s
How happy are you with the weekend options at Delaware? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with it. I don’t think there’s anything I’d change just because every frat party is going to be the same, so there’s not much you can change about it. Once my friends and I turn 21 we can go to the bars, and that will be a lot more fun than the frat parties.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friends in college are two of my best friends from home. We all ended up going to Delaware.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s very energetic there. If it’s a move in day or if there are people visiting there are always people outside with pompoms and stuff like that. It’s always very energetic unless it’s finals season and there’s nothing going on.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I think everybody is friends with everyone. I think people are more mature now that we’re in college and aren’t going to say that somebody can’t sit with them or something.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s a big mix. There are the frat boys and they are pretty but there are also people who don’t care about that.
How do you like the size of Delaware in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [There are about 19,000 students.]
I like it a lot. I think it’s a good amount of people.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
They’re really good. One time I called and they answered my question. You give them their student I.D. and they pull up your page and figure out your problem.