Earlham College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Biochemistry and Psychology double major – On the pre-medical track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Biracial: Hispanic and Black Homosexual Male
Summary
I volunteer at the local hospital and clinics, I’m a resident assistant, and a research assistant. Additionally, I’m part of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS), I’ve been a blood drive organizer, and I’ve been working as a peer career coach to help other students apply to graduate programs and research opportunities.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Biracial: Hispanic and Black
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual
High School Experience: Public magnet high school in New York City, New York with a graduating class of about 125 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Majors: Biochemistry and Psychology double major – On the pre-medical track
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I volunteer at the local hospital and clinics, I’m a resident assistant, and a research assistant. Additionally, I’m part of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS), I’ve been a blood drive organizer, and I’ve been working as a peer career coach to help other students apply to graduate programs and research opportunities.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
I believe the opportunity to be a resident assistant has been the most powerful experience because of being able to help other students at Earlham get closer to each other, in addition to creating that home away from home for them.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I’d say there are about 15 hours of dedication to completing basic homework including making sure you’re studying and keeping up with the material. I’d say I have around two quizzes each week. When I have exams, they are usually paired up with another exam, so that can be a bit stressful. My science classes are all in one building, so I don’t have to travel that far.
Is there anything you feel that your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
Within both departments, there are definitely great office hours. In addition, there’s a lot of interpersonal contact with your professors and it’s very informal. We go by first names with our professors, so that allows us to have a friendlier relationship with our professors. Within the department, there’s a lot of advising to make sure you’re on track for your career or graduate school goals.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
I believe it’s definitely collaborative. We don’t really have a competitive environment. Everyone knows each other and is so close to each other that we want each other to succeed. Being at a small college allows you to be more collaborative with each other and use that both inside and outside the classroom.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re definitely accessible. You can reach them through email or just walk into their office sometimes. Professors will have their doors open and even if it’s not their office hour and you can talk to them.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I wanted to become a pediatric doctor or somewhere along the developmental side, and that’s because I personally have Crohn’s disease and I struggled to deal with it as a child. I’d like to use my knowledge gained and apply it to underrepresented communities within large cities so they’re able to live life and have fun and be given the quality of care they deserve.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It was kind of scary entering college, but the most important factor that helped me was a program established at our school called LIFT. It puts together a group of first-generation college students from different ethnic backgrounds and allows us to meet weekly in groups to understand and learn different methods of finding tools that help us during our four years so we can be successful.
Reasons to Attend
1) On a given day you can hear five different languages in the center of campus. [About 20% of students are international students.]
2) The teacher to student ratio is amazing, and the office hours are impeccable. [There’s a 9:1 student to faculty ratio.]
3) If you’re heading to Earlham with a career in mind, you’ll get there based on the help of the career office and the students around you.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re into a huge social school Earlham is not for you. It’s not the party school that everybody is looking for.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: In a single
Sophomore: Resident Assistant in a single
How was transitioning from New York to Richmond, Indiana?
It was different. The biggest thing was the lower population size. It was significantly lower, so the number of people I’d see regularly by just taking a 40-minute train ride to school in high school was different than the number of people I saw driving even 40-minutes on the highway in Indiana. The best part is that it gave me a culture shock in regards to understanding there are communities out there that are underserved based on their rural location. It excites me more about learning more about healthcare and society as well.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The safety level is as best as we can get. Earlham has its own bubble and it still distinct from Richmond. It’s different than New York because at Earlham you can smile and say hello to a lot of people. You can be yourself and interact with people you never would’ve thought you’d interact with before.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
I usually hang out with friends on campus and usually don’t leave campus aside from going out to eat or bowling with friends. Heading to a different city is usually once every two months because it’s an entire process getting there and back.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Monday through Thursday I’m doing homework with friends. On Friday I’m hanging out with friends playing board games. There are a lot of planned events on campus as well, from our Student Activity Board on campus. They plan concerts and different nights like karaoke or trivia where you can win prizes. Saturday nights are usually when events are hosted by theme houses. There’s a fashion house, a Spanish house, a middle eastern house, and so those host the events. We don’t have fraternities or sororities on campus.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any LGBT nightlife options that you like to go to?
There are multiple LGBTQ communities on campus. Another great thing is that there are regular Spectrum meetings that are open to all LGBTQ members, and then there’s Black and Lavender which is open to minorities that identify as being LGBTQ.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Earlham? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m satisfied with it. I don’t regret any experiences at Earlham.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through freshman orientation and through classes. A lot of my friends are also STEM majors and since we’re in the same majors and since we’re in the same classes together and have the same schedule we end up meeting and interacting with each other. That binds us all, but I have friends in other apartments. Walking up to people during events and making sure that I’m networking has led me to be close friends with them.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Earlham?
There really is no social structure. I feel like we’re all on the same level in regards to social status. We are all college students trying to live our four years and enjoy life and have deep conversations about conceptual things and theories. It’s a lot of intellectual understanding between all of us. There is no structure that prevents us from interacting with who we want to interact with.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
To a large extent. They interact a lot together because of the different clubs on campus. especially with the theme houses and themed floors. We have an ecofriendly floor where a lot of people living on that floor are into sustainability. [The undergraduate population is 7% Black, 49% White, 3% Asian, and 8% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s pretty strong because they send out emails to a lot of people. In addition, the events that are hosted on campus by LGBTQ clubs have great turnouts. That shows that a lot of people are supportive and understand that it’s okay to be part of this group and not feel that you’re going to be targeted against on campus because of how well supported and understanding everyone is on campus.
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
I believe it’s pretty strong. I was living on the Black floor in one of our dorms, and it was interesting to see how connected we all are and how we’re living next to each other and get more connected within our community.
I’m part of the Black community more just because I’m not the best Spanish speaker which prevents me from being part of the Spanish community more than the students that come to Earlham. A lot of international students are part of Earlham’s classes, so the Spanish communities on campus have a high population of international students that are more proficient in speaking Spanish. [About 20% of students are international students.]
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.]
My experience has been very flexible and I had an easy transition into it from high school because of how small it was. Coming from a small high school helped me out.
How would you describe the student body?
Personality-wise, it’s definitely a lot of open-minded people regarding interesting things I’ve never even thought of, like the amount of creativity our Art majors have. The student body is creative and open-minded. We have events where people are creating dances while taking classes.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I’m connected with a lot of older upper-classmen because as a freshman I made sure to interact with a lot of seniors. They’ve provided me with opportunities regarding my research and internships. You can email or text them, and LinkedIn is a good thing as well.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
Very helpful. That’s how I developed the resume and cover letters I have today. The career office helps provide you with opportunities to think about other career opportunities.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Yes, I’ve learned SPSS, I’ve learned Python, Excel, and Zotero.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
Yes. The office is easy to work with. They’re very understanding. They also have the registrar’s office that is also very helpful. There was one where I had an issue and they called my mom so they could understand. As a first-generation college student, going to the financial aid office isn’t easy for the first time.