Elon University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Political Science and Economics
Minor: Poverty and Social Justice
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Heterosexual Male
Summary
Student-Athlete
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African-American
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Predominantly African-American public school in Charlotte, NC with a graduating class of 600. About 65% of the school went to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Majors: Political Science and Economics
Minor: Poverty and Social Justice
Extracurricular Activities: Student-Athlete
What impact has being an athlete had on your experience?
They have allowed me to meet new friends and subsequently travel around the country in places I never thought I’d be able to experience in college.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your majors?
For Political Science classes, I mainly have readings or have to analyze articles or chapters from a book and respond in an essay format. Both Political Science and Economics classes will assign problem sets as well. Economics has more exams.
Is there anything that you feel either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
The Political Science department does a good job at research and gearing topics in class towards current events so that they are relevant. However, I think some professors and the department itself could do a better job in not showing their political biases when they teach.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I would say it’s a healthy mix of both. We work together because we’re all interested in what we’re learning about, but we’re also very competitive and want to be the best in whatever we’re doing, whether it’s writing or research. We’re not competing against each other, we’re just competitive in that we want to do well for ourselves.
What has been your favorite class so far?
Comparative Politics.
Why did you choose your combination of majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I picked my majors because I came from an environment where not many people had somebody to stick up for them politically. Politics was something that wasn’t spoken of and wasn’t taught to me in a high school setting, so I came here wanting to learn more about it. I feel that it is in my best interest to give back to people where I’ve come from, and that is why I picked Political Science, Economics, and Poverty and Social Justice. I love it.
Reasons to Attend
1) Class sizes are perfect, and the professors truly care about you and your success. [The average class size is 20 students.]
2) The people are warm and welcome. It’s the South, so what do you expect?
3) The people here truly love Elon. The student body has a tremendous amount of school spirit and pride, and you can feel that on campus.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) The lack of inclusiveness of different backgrounds in the nightlife, but you won’t hate it here just because you can’t get into a frat party. There are so many other things to do. [See Elon News Network article, “Elon grapples with lingering inclusivity concerns.”]
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Colonnades in a single.
Sophomore: Oaks in a four-person apartment.
How was transitioning from Charlotte, NC to Elon, NC?
Last year it started out rough because my family and I are very close. I knew that coming to college I didn’t want to be far away because they are my rock, so I picked a place that I could go visit if I needed to go home. So far, I’ve transitioned well and have met a lot of people that helped me with that transition.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never been in a situation where I felt unsafe on campus.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
I like to go home.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Elon?
I usually hang out with friends and we decide whether to go to a party or not. I don’t really enjoy frat parties here, and it can be hard to get into frat parties if you’re not involved in Greek life. When I go out with my athlete friends, we often hang out with girls and other sports teams.
How happy are you with the nightlife? Is there anything you would change?
I wish the fraternities were more inclusive. I wish there was more inclusiveness between African-American students and White students on this campus when it comes to nightlife activities. [See Elon News Network article, “Elon needs to find its racial identity.”]
What have been some of your favorite times at Elon?
One was an event last year where the team was asked to come in and talk to some kids for an hour and ended up staying for three. Just having fun, dancing, talking with people who were there, and giving back to the community. I loved that. My second favorite day on campus was the day leading up to the November 9th basketball game against the University of North Carolina. That was an amazing night, and there was a great vibe on campus.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Either through my team, living with people on the hall, or through other friends.
How would you describe the social scene?
I think the social scene here is amazing. I don’t think that people have an issue finding friends here. I feel like everybody has a niche, and everybody finds their person or their group of people to hang out with, whether it be through sports, Greek Life, clubs, or anything else.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s very Northern. It’s inclusive, proactive, and outspoken. They believe in Elon, and they love Elon. I don’t think I’ve met a person here who has said that they don’t love Elon.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Although there may not be a lot of inclusiveness in the nightlife, such as between fraternities and sororities and African-American students and other races, I believe that in a classroom setting or a normal social setting, minority students and students of different sexual orientations mix well with everybody. I think Elon is a very inclusive campus in that regard. [17% of Elon’s class of 2022 are students of color.]
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Elon by senior year? Do you think people leave loving Elon?
Yes. I have multiple friends who are getting ready to graduate and they don’t want to leave.
They say your four years at Elon are the best years of your life and they’ve met their lifelong friends here. It feels like Elon is one big family.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I have used the alumni network to help me find internships. Coming from my background, it can be hard to make connections, so I used the alumni and people I’ve met through my team and other networks at Elon to find opportunities that would benefit me.
Have you used the career office?
I have not.
Have you learned computer programs that will help you professionally in any of your classes?
I’ve learned how to use Excel and all the Microsoft Office programs. I’ve also learned Wolfram Mathematica in my Calculus courses.