DePaul University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: International Studies
Minors: Irish Studies & Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies double minor
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Female
Summary
I work two part-time jobs, and I volunteer through the Peace, Justice, & Social Justice department.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public high school in Cleveland, OH with a graduating class of about 175 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: International Studies
Minors: Irish Studies & Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies double minor
Extracurricular Activities: I work two part-time jobs, and I volunteer through the Peace, Justice, & Social Justice department.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I recently became a Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies minor, but the opportunities the department has given me is incredible. They are super connected to the grassroots movements and other organizations here in Chicago. They hooked me up with a position at an organization for post-graduation where I’ll work with people who’ve been impacted by incarceration violence and social inequality.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For International Studies, it’s a lot of reading, research, and writing. I don’t take a lot of written tests because most of it is about researching a certain topic, category, or region. Midterms and finals are either annotated bibliographies, research reports, or research papers that are about 10-12 pages long. I have about an hour and a half of reading before each class. A lot of the assignments are participation. You can only miss about a week of class before it negatively impacts your grade. The biggest grades are usually the midterm and the final.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The International Studies department doesn’t fail at letting us explore whatever our interests are. The general education requirements are pretty broad, so I was able to cater to my interests to fit my interests and continue working on it. Over the past four years, I feel that I’ve developed expertise in certain regions in international relations and politics. My biggest critique is that it’s a very liberal environment. Even though I identify in such a way, I see where others who might not have those views could feel jaded or see it as a liberal vacuum sometimes. Also, studying International Studies makes you feel pretty cynical because you see all the systems that are breaking down and not working, so adding on the minor of Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies helps balance out a lot of the intensity of the structures.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s a little bit of both. We have small classes and the school is pretty small, so I know most of the people in my international studies class and are working with the same people in a lot of my classes. You do build friendly competitiveness between people, and you learn a lot from other people in your classes. When it becomes group work you do grow a lot. We’re all pushing each other to be smarter. I think the competition is a positive. [In 2019, there were 471 students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.]
How accessible are your professors?
I’ve gotten super close with a lot of my professors. There is a small number of professors so I usually have them for multiple classes. Their office hours are super accessible and the communication between students and the professors is super open, for the most part. I have their phone numbers and can walk into their office at any time.
What has been your favorite part of the academics at DePaul?
The openness. It’s very discussion-based in class, especially because we have smaller classes. It’s a little more intimate so you really get to be part of the discussion. That motivates me to want to learn more and push myself to be part of those discussions. You really build on your education that way. I really like how DePaul is in the city. You’re really connected to it, and they push you to get involved through grassroots movements.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
The International Studies Program was a culmination of a bunch of things put into one. There’s a little bit of political science, economics, anthropology, and basic civil rights knowledge. It’s pretty challenging, but I enjoy the work.
How has the two campus system impacted your academic experience?
I’m in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, which is based in Lincoln Park. I’ve only ever had two classes on the Loop campus. It’s fun going down there because you experience it as you would if you worked downtown. You don’t go downtown often if that isn’t where your major is.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s an urban setting and there isn’t a strong pull to be in an immersed campus environment.
2) The class sizes and intimacy between students and professors. If you need one-on-one attention it’s available. [The average class size is 24 students.]
3) DePaul pushes you to have experiences in Chicago.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Financially it is a stretch, but they do offer incredible scholarships. [See tuition costs for different schools at DePaul here.]
2) If you’re not super extroverted socially, it could be difficult to find your place from the start. But, there are a bunch of clubs that will help you find your social corner.
3) If you’re a pretty conservative person, I don’t know if you would like it. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for you at DePaul, but it can be a liberal echo-chamber sometimes which could get frustrating. [See The DePaulia article, “Conservative speakers denied visit, event forced off campus.”]
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Corcoran Hall with one roommate
Sophomore/Junior: An apartment with three others
Senior: An off-campus apartment with one person
How was transitioning from Cleveland, OH to Chicago, IL?
It was pretty easy. The transportation system is done really well. Since you live on campus your first year you’re right next to a train line that continues to downtown. You can basically go anywhere in the city. As a freshman we get a train card right away, so it helps you want to move around the city.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
On-campus I’ve never felt threatened in any way. We do have public safety who are constantly patrolling. In addition, they send out alerts if any incidences happen.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’m not involved in Greek life, it’s not a big part of DePaul, but those that are involved are really involved. I mostly go out to places off-campus. There are tons of blues and jazz bars, and other small places throughout the city that are really fun to go to. There’s a ton of live music options all the time. DePaul probably only has two bars that are affiliated with DePaul college students.
What have been some of your favorite times at DePaul?
Freshman year, living in the dorms and being around the other people that go here lets you make a lot of friends instantly, but you also get to explore the city pretty fast. Every weekend my friends and I would go to Chinatown, different parks, or baseball games. The museums in Chicago are incredible. You get free admission into the Art Institute by being a DePaul student
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
Because I work two part-time jobs, I only go out every once in a while. For me, this is fine and I’m super happy. I love going to historical blues bars and listening to people playing until 4 in the morning. It’s a pretty common thing for people at DePaul to find their neighborhood or niche, whether it’s with Greek life, clubbing downtown, or more small music venues like I like to go to. There are lots of apartment [parties], and a lot of my friends are in bands so they’ll have big shows in their apartment. It’s a lot cheaper than going to a bar, which is nice.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them all freshman year on my hall. Since then, we’ve connected other people with our friends, which has become our friend group.
How would you describe the overall social scene at DePaul?
If you’re willing to put yourself out there and go for it, it’s great. But, you definitely have to be willing to put yourself out there. It is a city and you can very quickly feel isolated if you don’t put yourself out there. It’s really easy to find your pocket in the city because there is so much going on.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I wish it were more diverse, but the people I’ve met in the dorms are predominantly White. As far as different sexualities, it’s mixed across the board and inclusive. The LGBTQ+ community is huge in Chicago. I see it more in different schools than others. Like, the business school feels like it tends to be predominantly White men. [The undergraduate population is 52% White, 8% Black, 20% Hispanic, and 11% Asian.]
How do you like the size of DePaul in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 14,000] students?
I like the size. I never wanted big classes and I didn’t understand until going to DePaul how much I benefited from having small classes. I have classes anywhere from 6 students to 35 students. In any sense I feel that I could approach the professor and I felt that my questions would get answered. I run into a lot of people and my friend groups are pretty big because people have mutual friends. Coming from a small high school, it made the transition easier. [The average class size is 24 students.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I’ve met people through work and in class that are part of Greek life, but for the most part, I see heavy mixing. There’s a separation and a lot of the students who work outside of school aren’t involved in Greek life because it’s super expensive and time-consuming. I tend to hang out with more people in my situation because I relate to them socioeconomically.
How has the urban environment impacted your overall experience?
Because I like having a million options and think it’s incredible to have that socially, I couldn’t have gone to a small school where there isn’t much outside of the school. I like being able to get away from the academic campus and still live up my social life in those aspects. It benefited me academically too because a lot of our curriculum is centered around Chicago.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I’ve had alumni reach out to me with opportunities. The alumni are super involved, and there are dinners all the time. There is an online platform that gives you advice directly from alumni.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
As one of the general education requirements for the liberal science degrees, you have to do basic Excel programming.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
The office is incredible. They are super helpful and you can just walk in and they’ll help you right away. They are also super reassuring when you’re waiting for something to go through.