Ithaca College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Television-Radio
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Half White and Half Cape Verdean Straight Male

Summary

I participated in Club Rugby, but now I’m doing the unofficial skateboarding club.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Half White and Half Cape Verdean
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Private international School in Zambia with about 30 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Television-Radio
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I participated in Club Rugby, but now I’m doing the unofficial skateboarding club.
Did any of your extracurriculars have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Both of them have helped keep me focused and organized and not just in my dorm. Rugby was awesome because I was welcomed in and made friends really easily. I was a more experienced player going in, but there were some who didn’t know much about the sport and they were nice to them as well. I was offered opportunities to play games and meet new people, especially because I was a freshman. I’ve been skateboarding for almost 10 years, so I’ve made a lot of friends through this as well.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of group work. I’m in the Roy H. Park School of Communications, and we have both independent and group projects, and readings here and there. The major graded assignments depend on the class, but sometimes it’ll be split evenly between projects and tests. With Television-Radio, we’ll have classes on production where we use cameras, but we’ll also have classes on the business part of it which means we’ll learn about statistics and take tests.
Is there anything you feel either of your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
For especially well, they have equipment for us to use, give us opportunities to go abroad and go to L.A. or New York City, and they offer opportunities for internships as well. Something they may do poorly is when it comes to getting that information, I wish there was an easier way to talk to your advisor about it.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s way more collaborative. I don’t see any competitive aspects in any of the classes. Everyone works with each other. The teachers teach us to all work together.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. They all have their office hours. The class sizes are also relatively small, so it’s easy to get to know your professor.
What was your favorite class in your major?
Media Industries. It’s a two-hour class and it’s nice because my professor genuinely loves what he does. He loves talking about the media and keeps up to date with it. We start each class with the box office news. We learn about the industry, we have guest speakers all the time, and the workload is worth it because the stuff we’re learning is interesting.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I was a Documentary Studies and Production Major before, but I switched it because I didn’t see myself doing the journalism part of it. I was always way more interested in television production. I switched to television and radio and it was a great decision.
How was transitioning from your school in Zambia to Ithaca? Were there systems in place to help international students adapt?
It wasn’t that hard because when I lived in Zambia I did the IB program, which is similar to AP. I’ve transitioned smoothly to college and the workload I had here. I came in with a lot of credits.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a great school. Our alumni are pretty recognizable in the field wherever you want to go, whether that’s music, business, theatre, or media. It’s a good school with a lot of opportunities.
2) There are really good professors and people working here.
3) Accessibility and transportation to the town.
4) The students are really nice and people are outgoing. There is something for everyone. It’s not cliquey, there’s no sense of homophobia, and people aren’t judged for what they believe in.
5) There is a club for anything. At the club fair, there was a club for Super Smash Bros.

Reasons Not to Attend

Student did not respond to this question.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Lyon Hall with one roommate.
Sophomore: Terrace with two roommates.
How happy are you with your living situations so far?
Last year I wasn’t too happy with my living situation. Our room was not the best in my opinion. We didn’t have a carpet, and although all the rooms come with mirrors, ours didn’t. My room this year is way better and I’m happy with it.
How was transitioning from Zambia to Ithaca in terms of location?
It wasn’t that bad other than the weather. It was a lot different than living in Africa. Moving here I had to deal with the cold, and if you’re someone who’s not a big fan of the cold then Ithaca is probably a hard place to be at. The snow piles up.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s safe here. I’ve never felt unsafe, and campus security is always around. They made us put their phone numbers in our phones during orientation.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Ithaca?
On Fridays, my classes are over at 1 so I’ll go to the skate park with my friends. We’ll be down there for about 4-hours then we’ll come back up. I’ll usually just hang out with my friends in a dorm then we’ll go out to a party somewhere and then maybe order some pizza. On the weekends, we’ll go to the Commons or do some day time activities, then at night go out to the parties and hang out with friends. The parties are usually hosted by students living off-campus and are sometimes hosted by clubs or sports teams. A lot of the older students go to the bars in the Commons.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
Usually on Fridays and Saturdays, but sometimes Thursdays and Wednesdays.
What’s the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Our nightlife isn’t that extreme because we don’t have Greek life at all. Its impact is not very much, but there are always things to do and people to go out with.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Ithaca? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with the weekend options and wouldn’t change much, except having more houses and places to go out to, or better Greek life maybe. Overall, I’m pretty set on the way it is.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Through liking the same activities like skateboarding. Orientation is how I met my roommates, and they’re probably my closest friends. I’ve made friends in classes and pretty much all around.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
Everyone at Ithaca is really nice and easy to talk to. There isn’t that sense of cliquey Greek life. It isn’t super competitive to the point where everyone is trying to get down each other’s throats. Everyone here is here for the same thing, which is to get their degree and have a great time being here.
How do you like the size of Ithaca in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 6,250 undergraduates.]
On a university scale, it’s relatively smaller than other ones, and that’s pretty good because [in high school] my graduating class was 30. Coming from a school with a small graduating class to one with 26,000 students would’ve been a lot different for me, but the size of Ithaca is pretty good. I see someone I know every day I walk to class or go out to do something.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I’d say they mix socially pretty well. I’m someone of color and I have friends all over. There are clubs provided for people who want to be together with people they’re comfortable with, whether that be a club for people of color or a certain religion. There isn’t a need to want to do that, it isn’t forced. It’s there, but people always interact with people and I feel as if I’m being included in everything. [About 72% of students are White, 9% of students are Hispanic, and 5.5% of students are Black.]
How would you describe the student body?
It’s definitely liberal. It’s people who like being in a suburban setting and people who like hikes and nature.
As an international student, were there parts of Ithaca College, or American college as a whole, that surprised you?
The different types of people I’d be meeting. Even though everyone is very nice and easy-going, it’s still interesting because you’ll meet people who have never done their own laundry before or who’ve never cooked a meal. It was surprising meeting people who had to live away from their parents for the first time. I assumed everyone would be ready for it because I was.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I have a little financial aid and a scholarship. My parents say the office is relatively easy to work with.