DePaul University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Political Science
Minor: History
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Female
Summary
I’m involved in the Catholic Campus Ministry, DePaul’s community service program, I’ve lead a couple of spring break service trips, and I used to be in a sorority but dropped out.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Private Catholic all-girls high school in Kansas City, MO with a graduating class of about 130 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Political Science
Minor: History
Extracurricular Activities: I’m involved in the Catholic Campus Ministry, DePaul’s community service program, I’ve lead a couple of spring break service trips, and I used to be in a sorority but dropped out.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Campus Ministry and community service associations did. I got involved in both of those during my freshman year and is where I met a lot of my closest friends. Those organizations led me to a lot of opportunities throughout college.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Weekly, it’s a lot of reading. I’d say an average of 250 pages of reading per week for political science, and usually a 15-page paper at the end of the quarter.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The Political Science department has you choose a concentration in your sophomore year. You can tailor your course load based specifically on your interests, so you don’t have to take classes you won’t be interested in. I choose American Politics Concentration, and my capstone this year is about impeachment. I think they do well at picking timely and relevant topics for the courses.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s a little competitive, but definitely collaborative too. One of the reasons I chose DePaul was for the small class sizes. The biggest class I ever had was about 40 people, so it’s really easy to have conversations in class and get to know your professors better. Getting to know the people in my classes is something I’ve valued at DePaul. It’s competitive because there’s an emphasis on having a lot of internships outside of class, or competitive in terms of striving to get the best grade in the class on something. It’s not common for people to skip class and it’s an environment where you need to have a lot going on. [The average class size is 24.]
How accessible are your professors?
In my experience, they’ve been super accessible, which has been great. I go to my professor’s office hours a lot whether it’s to talk about the class specifically or to just talk in general and get coffee.
How has having two campuses impacted your academic experience?
It hasn’t impacted my experience a whole lot. The Loop Campus is more for business and communication majors, and my courses are primarily based at the Lincoln Park Campus. I’ve only had one class at the downtown campus.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose Political Science as a major because I wanted to pursue a career involving some form of advocacy or social justice work. I felt like Political Science was a practical way to approach that, and I feel like I made the right decision in doing that. I’ve always been super involved and interested in politics.
What has been your favorite part of DePaul academically?
My favorite part is the class discussions I’ve had when it comes to certain readings and articles. I’ve learned a lot from those, and it’s interesting to see people’s perspectives since it’s a very diverse university.
What has DePaul done academically to prepare you for life after college?
I think they’ve prepared me for the real world pretty well. In my internships and interview experiences I’ve had, I’ve never felt there was something I really needed to know that I didn’t know how to do. Especially in the liberal studies and liberal arts programs, they really emphasize writing and critical thinking skills, which I think are most important for any career in the future.
Reasons to Attend
1) They have really good financial aid and scholarship programs. [83% of incoming freshmen receive a scholarship.]
2) The culture and mission of the university is really rooted in being accepting and welcoming. It’s heavily based on social justice as well, so it’s a really positive environment to be in.
3) The small class sizes. You get a lot of one-on-one attention from the professors. [The average class size is 24.]
4) The opportunities not just on campus, but in the city of Chicago. There’s something for everyone.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Cost. It’s super expensive, especially for an out-of-state student. [Tuition costs for the 2019-2020 academic year are about $40,500.]
2) If you’re not used to living in a big city it can be a big adjustment to you, especially using public transit. There’s a learning curve but you can get over it quickly.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: University Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
Sophomore: Off-campus apartment with one other person
Junior & Senior: Off-campus apartment with three other people
How was transitioning from your hometown in Missouri to Chicago, IL?
I’m from Kansas City, Missouri which is very small compared to Chicago. It was important for me to go to a college in a city because I wanted to get that experience. There was a learning curve getting around using public transportation. How big and diverse the population is was something to adjust to, but I’ve had a great experience living in a big city like Chicago. There’s a lot to do here.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I live really close to campus so I do have access to public safety. I do always feel safe. I haven’t had anything bad happen to me on campus or in Chicago. When you’re a freshman entering DePaul, they really emphasize commonsense things you can do to be aware and use street smarts. I’ve always felt really safe.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I mostly work on the weekends so I don’t get to participate a whole lot, but there are a lot of bars and music scenes all around Chicago or around DePaul, whether that’s in Wrigleyville, Boystown, or Logan Square, it’s really easy to get to from DePaul. DePaul doesn’t have classes of Fridays so a lot of people go out on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
We go to the movies a lot. There’s a movie and an art theater called The Music Box that a lot of DePaul students go to. I have some friends who are in the music scene, so we’ll go to local concerts and shows.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with them. I’m not a big going out person, but if I wanted to do that I could. There are a lot of options for other types of people, whether you want to go out, stay in, or do something chill. There are options on campus too. DePaul has something called DePaul After Dark, where they have events for people on campus.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I didn’t have a great experience with Greek life, which is why I dropped out of it. Sororities usually go out with another fraternity at a bar right by campus. That community is really insular. Even house parties are usually held by a fraternity since we don’t have fraternity or sorority houses here.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my classes and my dorm freshman year. I lived on the same hallway as my best friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at DePaul?
It’s generally very accepting and friendly. DePaul is a pretty small school, so I feel like everyone knows each other. People tend to hang out in groups based on the organizations they’re involved in. For me, it’d be the Campus Ministry or the Community Service Association. Some people hang out based on the political groups they’re part of. It’s divided up in that way, but it’s a very friendly place and everyone is nice.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I’d say to a pretty high extent. DePaul is pretty diverse racially and economically. When it comes to sexual orientation, it’s a very open and accepting campus so there are lots of intersections between a ton of different identities. [The undergraduate population is 52% White, 8% Black, 20% Hispanic, and 11% Asian.]
How has the urban environment impacted your social scene?
It has positively impacted it because there are so many different opportunities with things to do and places to meet people. Even off-campus at my job and on the weekends, I see a lot of people all the time so you can branch out easily if you don’t want to be totally insulated at DePaul.
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 really like it being on the smaller side because I like the small class sizes and walking around, seeing familiar faces, and getting to know everyone. I feel like it makes it feel more comfortable, especially as a freshman. It’s also a great way to network as you go on to your career. There are so many people involved in lots of different things. [The average class size is 24.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of intermixing. When I was in a sorority, I found that Greek life is pretty isolated from the rest of DePaul. A small percentage of people are in it, and it does tend to stay within itself. With the different classes you take it’s inevitable you’ll meet those people and get to know them, but socially they all hang out with themselves.
How has the two campus system impacted your social experience?
it hasn’t really impacted it at all, to be honest. I don’t spend a lot of time down there, so it doesn’t impact me.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
They have a program called Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) where you can sign up to meet with alumni who can be a mentor.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I use it to look over my resume and cover letters. They’ve been super helpful, especially as I’m applying to jobs and finishing school. They gave me a lot of advice on changing my resume and cover letter, and they have experts in every field, so they know specifically what employers are looking for. I’ve had people in the career center come and present in classes and it’s always been super helpful.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
If you don’t test out of it, you’re required to take Quantitative Reasoning and Technological Literacy, and it’s all based in Excel, and they teach you the basics of CSS.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I have a couple of scholarships through DePaul. Once you actually go to them, the financial aid office is helpful. They send out some emails that can be confusing at times, but if you walk into the office and ask them in person, they’ve been really helpful.