Denison University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Biology
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Female
Summary
I am in a sorority and I’m in the Pre-Health Society.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public High School in Burlington, MA with around 250 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Biology
Extracurricular Activities: I am in a sorority and I’m in the Pre-Health Society.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact?
Greek life has, because of Greek life I have met most of my friends. Volunteering is something I enjoy in my free time.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For every Biology class we have a lab once a week, we have a lot of reading every day, and we have reports like lab write-ups every week. The major graded assignments are tests and lab reports.
Is there anything that you feel your major’s department does especially well or especially poorly?
I think all the teachers in the Biology department are very good. They’re good at conveying the information we need to know and explaining things if you need their help.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it is a little bit of both [competitive and collaborative]. Everyone wants to do the best they can. I don’t think anyone is particularly willing to sabotage other people. People will stay together and everyone works together.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Genetics was really interesting. It was also the hardest class that I have taken.
What has been your least favorite class in your major?
My least favorite class was Multicellular Life. It was the second core biology class. This class wasn’t that interesting to me.
How accessible are your professors?
They have all been really accessible. It is a matter of if I choose to go to their office hours, but whenever I have, they have always been willing to meet.
What made you choose your major and are you happy with your choice?
Yes, I am happy with my choice. I always have been a math and science person. I knew I wanted to do something pre-health. Taking a biology major has gotten me the closest to my interest and the path that I want to go on for the pre-requisites.
Reasons to Attend
1) The people at Denison are all individuals and everyone is unique and everyone has a good personality. No one is bland; there are always a lot of levels to each person.
2) There’s a really strong sense of community
3) In terms of classes, it is always really nice to go to a school where you know the teachers personally and see them walking on campus and that they know you by name. There is a really good student-teacher relationship.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It is a pretty strong social life and there are some people who don’t want that strong social life and don’t like to go out as much and will be overwhelmed by the people who do.
2) The weather in Ohio is a kind of weird.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Shorney with one roommate.
Sophomore: Crawford with one roommate.
Junior: Beaver Hall in a suite with five other people. I had one direct roommate.
Senior: Brown, which is a senior apartment. I will have three roommates.
What was your favorite living situation?
I assume that next year the apartment will be my favorite. So far, it’s last year in Beaver.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s really safe. I’ve never felt unsafe.
How is the transitioning from being outside Boston to Granville Ohio?
It is a suburb of Boston so it is not that big of a transition. Granville is a small town, but I think it’s really nice. It’s a very quaint little town and there is a decent amount of stuff to do. In Denison, you’re a 20 – 25-minute drive from Easton, which is the major shopping center and you’re 30 minutes out of Columbus. It’s not a bad place to be in.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
I like Snapshots in Granville and then Northstar is in Easton.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Probably, Easton. I also like to go into Columbus.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I go out a lot. I like to go to Greek life formals. I go out on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. In Denison, you generally go to the senior apartments to go out.
What have been some of your favorite times at Denison?
The formals are fun and I enjoy the sorority events. The football games are fun, especially when there is a big game.
What is the impact of Greek life on the nightlife?
I think that Greek Life has a very big hold over the nightlife. It’s pretty dominant in everyone. The majority of people who go out more in the spring semester than in the fall are people in Greek life. [About 30% of students are involved in Greek life.]
How happy are you with the nightlife at Denison? If you could change anything, what would you change?
I am pretty happy about it. I want to have better spaces for social events and parties because the apartments are really small. [In Fall 2018, Denison capped the number of people allowed in the Sunnies to 33 people due to structural damage.]
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my roommate for the past four years at our Admitted Students Overnight Visit in April, before we came to Denison. Most of my friends lived in our building or close to it and we met them during going out and Greek life.
What is the impact of Greek life on social life?
It depends what else you’re involved in because there are a lot of ways to get a social life. I chose Greek life and that obviously opens a lot of doors for me. You find the people who are also in Greek life and you do many events with them. One of my best friends isn’t in Greek life though and I also know a lot of other people are not. It is a good connection for your social life, but it is not the only one.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Denison?
I think for the size of the school it has a really big social scene.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientation mix socially?
I know there are multicultural fraternities, so that might separate [people] a little bit, but overall, I think that everyone mixes.
How would you describe the overall student body?
It is really diverse. There are a lot of people from different backgrounds and all different places. [Students come from all 50 states and 16% are international students.]
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice for Denison by the time they graduate? Do you think people love Denison?
I think people leave loving Denison. If they don’t, they transfer as soon as they realize that they don’t love it. By the time you will leave senior year, the people there are there who love being in Denison.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
For Biology and pre-med, it is a little bit more difficult, but many of my friends have found really good internships and jobs through the alumni network. I have talked to people who have graduated from Denison in my sorority and are on the same track as me.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
Personally, I haven’t used the career office, but I know a lot of people who have used it. Pre-health is a little more difficult because it’s not really a set track or something that you should do. They’re helpful, I have set up some appointments and there were very accommodating.