Hendrix College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BCMB)
Minor: German
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Bisexual Male

Summary

I’m a member of the student senate.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

High School Experience: Independent Waldorf school in Boulder, CO with a graduating class of about 16 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BCMB)
Minor: German

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a member of the student senate.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
It’s been positive. I’ve liked it a lot. I’ve been involved in some other leadership stuff. I did Hall Council for my freshman year. I thought it was a good way to get behind the scenes and make sure I could have a hand in making Hendrix the best it could be.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For Biochemistry, there are a lot of labs, especially the first couple of years. I usually have fifty-minute classes and three-hour labs. Sometimes they integrate physics and instead of having a lab you have a really long workshop. Later on, there’s less assigned homework for classes. They give you homework and you’re expected to do it if you want to do well on the exams. The exams are generally between 60% of your grade and above.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a good job of preparing us for graduate or medical school. We have a high percentage of people that go on and get a Ph.D. or go to medical school. [In 2018, 88% of graduates who applied for graduate schools were accepted, and 89% of graduates that applied for medical school were accepted.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think finding good people was really helpful for me. I think the students push themselves really hard here. I like the culture in general and would say it’s not too cutthroat. In terms of sink or swim, you can’t coast by in any core science classes.
How accessible are your professors?
Super accessible. I’ve been in and out of my professor’s offices several times this week. That’s one of the things I wanted when going to a small college, I wanted to be able to ask for help.
What has been your favorite part of Hendrix academically?
We have something called The Engaged Citizen Program (TEC). It’s a one-semester program that all freshmen have to take that’s supposed to get you engaged in the world, so we focus on topics like the Spanish Civil War and stuff like that. I took one called Numbers in American Politics, and it’s totally outside of my major or minor. It looked at how math is used in politics and was really interesting.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
It’s really tough and there’s no way to get around that. I like the topic a lot. Biochemistry is really interesting. I came in knowing that I wanted to do something biology or biochemistry related, and I thought the Biochemistry Molecular Biology track would give me more options. I’d say I’m happy. I’ve had some really great professors.
How easy was it to get involved in your undergraduate research position?
I wanted two different research options. The first one was competitive and ended up not working out. [The level of competitiveness] depends on the lab you’re interested in. If it relates to medicine, it’s going to be tough to get a spot in it, but for my current position I had a connection to the professor already and it was pretty easy. You can also do research in the summer and we have a close connection to a medical school that a lot of Hendrix graduates go to.

Reasons to Attend

1) The academics are really good. You have a good chance of getting into graduate or medical school.
2) It’s really pretty and the cafeteria food is really good.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s really hard. If you don’t want to work hard, it probably isn’t a good fit.
2) It’s kind of expensive, depending on how much aid you get.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Hardin Hall with a single
Sophomore: In the German language house in a single
How was transitioning from Boulder, CO to Conway, AR in terms of location?
It was a pretty big shift culturally wise off-campus. But, on campus there’s not really a huge difference. Hendrix is pretty liberal and so was Boulder, so the people I was interacting with every day wasn’t a huge shift for me.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s been fine, I haven’t had any issues.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
This semester I haven’t done a lot. Hendrix has a lot of school-sanctioned parties. Every other weekend there’s usually some sort of party. SoCo 54 is really fun, we just had Ghost Roast which is a Halloween party. Oftentimes one or more halls will have signature parties and they’ll put them on in open spaces or inside.
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
A lot of people go on camping trips and there is stuff you can rent. There are alternative events that aren’t parties. There’s an organization on campus called SOAR. We’re trying to get a free food calendar because there are so many events that offer free food. There was a goat roast put on by the Multicultural Club and they have lamb and Greek food.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
The on-campus offerings are really good. In terms of what Conway has to offer, it’s not great. I find myself staying on campus a lot because there’s so much more to do.
How has identifying as LGBTQ influenced your nightlife experience? Is there much of an LGBTQ nightlife scene on campus?
There are a lot of clubs related to that, but I’m not super active in it. Sometimes parties are put on by [the LGBTQ+ Student Association] like gay prom. In terms of bars, there are none in Conway.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my best friend on an orientation trip. We went out to a water park. I didn’t get along with other people there, but he didn’t either so it ended up working out. My other good friends are the people I started studying with back in general chemistry.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Hendrix?
I like it. It’s kind of artsy and there are a lot of nerdy people here. There’s been kind of a culture clash because they added a football team after a [52-year] hiatus. Now, there are the traditional academic and artsy students, and then a lot more athletic people too. I’d say it’s good and I like it. I’ve met a lot of really great people.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
In my experience, it has been really good. My girlfriend right now is Muslim and my best friend is Catholic. Hendrix is good about having people of different identities and backgrounds mixing. It’s very good. There’s a lot of genuine curiosity and people try to understand each other. Especially for LGBT people, Hendrix is a safe space. No one thinks twice about mentioning their identity.
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus?
It’s large and happy. There’s a whole dorm called Couch Hall that’s famous for being super open to that. There are also a lot of clubs and organizations. It’s a major cultural element of Hendrix.
How do you like the size of Hendrix in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 1,200] students?
It’s worked out for me really well because I’ve gotten research positions, which is something I was worried about at a smaller school. Hendrix has a pretty good research situation and it’s a requirement for chemistry and biology. The best part of it is I can just show up at professors’ offices or book an appointment and meet with them. They all know my name, and I still have professors from three years ago saying hi to me.
Do people generally seem happy with Hendrix by senior year? Do people leave loving Hendrix?
I think so. I think for some of them leave hating their major but still like the school. Hendrix is hard and most majors are challenging. I know art majors that barely sleep because they’re constantly at it.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful are they?
I’ve mostly been talking to my professors about what’s next after Hendrix.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
Excel is a big one. We do a lot of that in general chemistry. In physics, we do a version of Python. In calculus, we learn Mathematica scientific computing.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
It’s not an extraordinarily positive or negative experience. They’re a little slow at responding to you, but they’re consistent.