Earlham College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Public Health
Student Self Identifies as: Biracial: African-American & White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I played a [varsity sport] my freshman and sophomore year until we had a coaching staff change, so I no longer play. I [have a leadership position] in [the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students] (MAPS), which is a group for minority students interested in medicine. I’m a member of the Health Club, I work for the Center for Global Health, I work in the Admissions Office, and I’m also a McNair Scholar.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Biracial: African-American & White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public high school in Bloomington, IN with a graduating class of about 200 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Public Health

Extracurricular Activities: I played a [varsity sport] my freshman and sophomore year until we had a coaching staff change, so I no longer play. I [have a leadership position] in [the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students] (MAPS), which is a group for minority students interested in medicine. I’m a member of the Health Club, I work for the Center for Global Health, I work in the Admissions Office, and I’m also a McNair Scholar.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Working for the Center for Global Health has had a big impact. It started off as me going there for advice to see the career coaches. Through them, I got a really good research internship this past summer. I wanted to work to help other students have the same opportunities I did because as a first-generation student I didn’t think that was something that was even plausible for me to ever get.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
Biochemistry is one of the more rigorous science courses at Earlham because you’re trying to balance both biology and chemistry. There are lots of labs, exams, and quizzes. Because we’re so small, you have a pretty close-knit group of students because we’re all in the same classes. Exams make up the bulk of the grades. In the more specialized and higher up classes, there is less week to week work, like problem sets.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In terms of especially well, they’re really good at preparing you and keeping you on track for completing your major. They do lots of check-ins with you. For the career I want to go in, you need a lot of research and experience, so between the Biochemistry department and the Center for Global Health, I’ve gotten a ton of experience I didn’t realize I needed. My only complaint is that there isn’t a lot of diversity in the science department’s faculty. [About 30% of full-time instructional faculty are from minority groups.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s really collaborative. You’re with the same people a lot, so you rely on others to help you get through some of the more rigorous courses.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re extremely accessible. You can walk into their office at any time, or send them an email and they’ll be back to you within 24 hours.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
I’m a McNair Scholar which was a big help in the transition. Your freshman year there aren’t a lot of classes specialized for your major yet. You have classes that are toward what you want to do, but your advisors are helpful in making sure you’re okay. They have a lot of peer mentors you can go to, and there’s a good tutoring center. It was a pretty smooth transition.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Ever since I was little, I’ve said I wanted to do something in the health professions because I’ve always liked helping people. I originally came in as a Biology major and was going to go into physical therapy. Then I started working with faculty and did a research project with a faculty member at Earlham for 5 weeks. It changed my mind, and I decided I wanted to be a doctor so I changed my major from Biology to Biochemistry. I’m pretty happy with it.

Reasons to Attend

1) Great education.
2) The staff and faculty truly care about whether you succeed or not, and they’ll push you as an individual to be your best.
3) If you’re looking for a small community that’s diverse.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re looking for a traditional college party scene. That’s not Earlham.
2) If you want a typical college town.
3) If you’re not open to new ideas or types of people.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Bundy Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Women of Color Theme House
Junior: Earlham Hall in a single
Senior: Warren Hall in a single
How was transitioning from Bloomington to Richmond, Indiana?
It was kind of a big one. Earlham is kind of separate from Richmond, but it’s very different than where I’m from. It took a while to adjust but you’re there with other students going through the same thing. Now that I’ve been there, it’s not a big deal.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel really safe on campus, and I don’t necessarily feel unsafe off-campus.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
More recently over the past two years, our Student Activities Board has created a haunted house, and they have holiday events you can do. You can come to have hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies or do pumpkin decorating. They do random events like concerts. There are also house parties on campus most weekends. If I’m going to a party, it’s hosted by a themed house and everyone is welcome. Those happen on Friday or Saturday only.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Earlham? Is there anything you would change if you could?
Now that I’m 21, there isn’t much to do in Richmond bar-wise. House parties were cool when I was younger, but now it’s old news.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I have a diverse friend group. I met half of them doing research and I met my best friend doing an EPIC trip when we traveled to Peru for four weeks and did a health internship. When I played my sport, I met some of my best friends through that.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Earlham?
The social scene is so diverse. Even though it’s a small school, there are so many different types of people you can meet on campus. You can meet someone that lives across the globe. You can put yourself in different social settings.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
All the time. It’s common to see diverse groups of friends on campus. [The undergraduate population is 7% Black, 49% White, 3% Asian, and 8% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
That’s had its ups and downs. In my freshman year it was really strong, but then it fell off. Now for my junior and senior years, it has gotten really good. We have [The Cunningham Cultural Center] that is dedicated as a safe space for Black students. We also have a Multicultural Resource Center, which is a space for students of color to go and study and hang out. We also created the Black African-American African Floor, and it’s on the third floor of Warren Hall.
How do you like the size of Earlham in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [Earlham has about 1,000 undergraduates.]
I like the size. I couldn’t go to a big school because I came from a small school and I wanted to get to know my professors. With it being small, I got the opportunity to really get to know a lot of people on a more individual level. It’s nice to be able to create personal relationships with people, where if I were at a bigger institution, I don’t know if I’d be able to do that.
Do people generally seem happy with Earlham by senior year? Do people leave loving Earlham?
I’d say [most] people in my class are glad this is where we ended up. There are some people that wish they did the traditional state school. If you’re looking to come and party and skip classes, Earlham isn’t for you. If you’re wanting to get an individualized education and opportunities then it’s the place to be.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
The Center for Global Health has been super helpful. I got the internship this past year and it was an intensive and super competitive research opportunity. The career center helped me find it, and my career coach helped me create my application. Without them, I wouldn’t have even known about it.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
We did so much Excel in the upper-level Biochemistry classes.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
They’re pretty good. The office is pretty easy to go to and they’re good at notifying you if there are any changes in your aid.