Ithaca College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Integrated Marketing Communications
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Straight Female

Summary

I have my own business.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: African-American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public charter school in Brooklyn, NY with about 70 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Integrated Marketing Communications
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I have my own business.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I take classes in the business school and the Park School of Communications. The classes I have in the business school are more rigorous. The major grades are mostly tests, but some have group work and team building activities. My other classes in the Park School of Communications would be more advertising and marketing classes with group work and going outside to find things that relate to what we’re learning in class, like case studies. We have clients that we make a marketing and advertising plan for them so they can get more website traffic. It was more hands-on activities like we’d do in the real world.
Is there anything you feel either of your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In terms of getting real-world experience with clients, the department does really well. As far as having conversations about race and how it affects the workforce, the department does really poorly. They don’t talk about minorities working in the advertising field.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s very collaborative in the [communications school]. In the business school, it’s not competitive. The business school is rigorous because of its name. I had a couple of business classes, and I was the only Black woman in some of my classes.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. If you go to office hours with them, they’re willing to help you.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
At first, I was a Business major, then I switched to Integrated Marketing Communications because the business school was too rigorous and intense for me. It felt overly competitive and every day I was getting more overwhelmed. I switched my major and I love it. Because I have my own business, that also helped with being engaged in the classes.

Reasons to Attend

1) The school is beautiful and the buildings are up to par.
2) It’s good for networking and you can make a lot of connections. The school constantly sends out emails about potential job or internship offers that students can take advantage of.
3) It’s a very tight-knit community.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) I feel like the school is too small.
2) They don’t do a good job of addressing race as a whole.
3) There isn’t much to do after you get adjusted to the Ithaca Commons and going out to parties.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Boothroyd Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Terrace with one roommate
Junior: Terrace in a single
How was transitioning from Brooklyn, NY to Ithaca, NY in terms of location?
It was very overwhelming because Ithaca is nowhere near the city. I didn’t have a hard transition because I can adjust to change quickly, but Ithaca is in the middle of nowhere and it was hard to find things to do or get around town.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The safety on campus is fine. We did have some incidents on campus where girls were getting sexually harassed and people were getting robbed. But the school tried to handle it to the best of their ability.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Ithaca?
The parties are cool. The people at Cornell are mostly hosting the parties or some people with off-campus houses. If I go to a party it’s either at a fraternity or a Black Student Union party.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
Usually Friday and Saturday nights. At the beginning of the semester when it’s nice out, there are day parties.
What’s the impact of clubs or sports teams on the nightlife?
Ithaca doesn’t have Greek life, but I know the sports teams are really competitive at Ithaca. As far as clubs, it depends on what club you’re in. If people in the club actually try and put in the effort you can get funding from the school to host events or trips.
What have been some of your favorite times at Ithaca?
Cortaca is really fun. It’s when Ithaca and Cortland have a big football game and it’s really competitive. This year they had the football game at the MetLife Stadium
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
If it’s nice out you can go to the gorges, which is a waterfall where you can go hang out. There’s a club on campus that puts together concerts, so I know one year we had a boogie. Sometimes we’ll go to concerts at Cornell as well.
Is there much of a Black nightlife scene on campus?
No, there’s really not. The Black community on campus is really small. [About 5.5% of students are Black.]
How happy are you with the weekend options at Ithaca? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I just wish Ithaca was in a bigger city where there were more things to do.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friend was my roommate. We had similar backgrounds and is from Harlem. She also went to a charter school and is African-American. We were able to click. Most of my best friends on campus would be the Black people because it’s a smaller community and we’re able to relate. I also met a White male who’s one of my best friends because he was able to relate to me in so many other aspects.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
Ithaca has something called the Commons with a lot of restaurants and bars. People from different colleges all come to the Commons which creates a good social scene for the school because everything is in one place. If you go to Ithaca, the Commons is 10-15 minutes away.
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.]
I personally wish I had gone to a bigger school. The campus is very small, however, there are some benefits such as the smaller class sizes. You can build more personal relationships with professors and everybody knows everybody on campus.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
The environment and setting determine whether people with different races and sexual orientations mix appropriately. The campus isn’t really diverse, so if you want some diversity in your experience you have to put yourself in those situations. If I was a White male, I’d take an African studies class so I can get familiar with the culture and meet Black people. [About 72% of students are White, 9% of students are Hispanic, and 5.5% of students are Black.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s pretty strong. We stick together because there aren’t too many of us.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No, but if professors see you putting in the effort and go to their office hours to ask them about an internship or a job opportunity, they’ll help you.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
There was a business class where a part of it was learning how to use Excel.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
You can just walk over to the financial aid office and there’s someone to help you. They’re very responsive and open to helping.