From a student who identifies as Majors: Biology and History double major – On the pre-medical track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Hispanic Heterosexual Female
I [have a leadership position in] Freedom at Agnes. I’ve also been a Peer Impact Leader on campus, which is for students wanting to be more involved in community service.
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Atlanta, Georgia with about 300 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Biology and History double major – On the pre-medical track
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I [have a leadership position in] Freedom at Agnes. I’ve also been a Peer Impact Leader on campus, which is for students wanting to be more involved in community service.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Freedom at Agnes has because I’ve been part of it for three years. It’s had a big impact on my personal life as well. I’m personally tied to the issue of immigration, being an immigrant myself. I’ve made a lot of connections in and outside of school through it.
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
On average, I take five classes and two or three labs. It’s a mix of STEM and humanities. For my STEM classes, it’s a lot of lab work and reports. The bulk of the time would be labs, and for my history course it’s a ton of reading and subsequently a lot of essays as well. For Biology, the bulk of the grades are tests. Primary literature or case study presentations are what I’m doing now. Finals are about 20% of my grade.
For History, the majority of the grade will be presentations and research papers.
Is there anything you feel either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
They’re both really small and have limited space and resources. In History, there’s no professor that specializes in Latin America. Biology has the same concepts but there are no botany classes. A lot of our students are interested in it, but there aren’t classes that address it.
How accessible are your professors?
The beauty of a small college is that the professors are extremely accessible. On the first day of class, they’ll let us know when they have office hours, but if we email them they’re probably on campus and available. It’s not something I’ve worried about here.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I wouldn’t describe it as highly competitive in the classroom. It always feels pretty collaborative and a lot of my classes are based on group work and communicating with peers.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
I think people are open-minded, open to learning in different ways and think about concepts and ideas in different ways.
Why did you pick your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
When I came to Agnes Scott I was an intended Biology major because I’m pre-med. I found biology interesting and practical. History is a passion of mine. I really enjoy studying everything that goes into it. I don’t regret choosing either one or even doing both at the same time.
How has going to a historically female college impacted your ?
Before coming to Agnes, I thought it was going to be a big difference and something I wouldn’t get used to. Honestly, it’s something I can quickly get used to and overlook. It didn’t really feel different than any other classroom and you don’t really notice after a while.
1) You get a super personalized learning experience.
2) Because it’s one big community, it’s easy to ask for help in class.
3) The location is great. If you don’t have a car you can still go around the city and have fun. Everything is easily accessible.
4) The professors genuinely care, and the class sizes are small.
5) The campus is beautiful and everyone is very inclusive.
1) The limited number of classes there are to take.
If you’re really into on-campus partying, Agnes doesn’t do that.
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Winship Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Main Hall with two roommates
Junior/Senior: On-campus apartments with three roommates
How do you like going to school in your hometown?
The transition was totally smooth. It’s not too far from where I grew up so it was easy to move everything. I think the location is close to everything and has a family-oriented, small-town feel. There’s a lot more to do here. Everything is within walking distance. I like getting off-campus a lot. It can feel small and if you compare that to my hometown, I couldn’t do any of that.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There’s always a public safety officer somewhere. I walk from my apartment to campus which only takes 5-minutes, and that’s never been an issue either. It’s very well-lit. On the actual campus, there are lots of [blue light system] posts where you can press a button and public safety will come.
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’ve gone through stages the last couple of years. When you first get here, people tell you to go to Georgia Tech or Emory for the fraternity parties. Sophomore year we did a combination of fraternity parties and there’s an 18+ bar near here. Decatur has amazing restaurants and they’re all within walking distance from here. Once you’re a junior or a senior, you have more options being 21. There’s also a really cheap movie theater in the mall which is ten minutes away from campus.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
It changes every semester depending on when I work, but my favorites are Friday or Saturday night.
How often do you mix with students at other schools in Atlanta?
Not incredibly often. I also had friends there from high school, so I’d go see them sometimes. You can also do a program where you cross-register for classes at other schools.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I think the options are pretty good.
How did you meet your closest friends?
I actually got really lucky and met them my freshman year. One of them had the same scholarship so we met the summer before at an event. The other one I met on move-in day. Her dad asked my dad a question and they got to talking. They called us over and we introduced ourselves.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Agnes Scott?
The campus environment is super friendly. You can go up to anyone and they’ll be super nice to you and answer any question you have. People are willing to lend a helping hand. We try to have a lot of events on campus and there’s always something to do during the day. There are a lot of commuter students, so at night there’s nothing going on on-campus. If you’re going to have fun outside, it’s not going to be on-campus. It’ll be at one of the other schools, or at the bars, clubs, and restaurants. [About 19% of students live off-campus or commute.]
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
[They mix] completely. You can see a lot of people with different identities. Everybody is friends with everybody. [The undergraduate population is 12% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 29% Black, and 35% White.]
How do you like the size of Agnes Scott in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 1,000] students?
I like it and it’s only ever benefitted me.
How would you describe the Hispanic community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s super small, but the people who are here are welcoming. There’s a club if you want to meet people of similar backgrounds you can.
What is the impact of going to a historically female college on your social experience?
I was worried about meeting people, but I actually met my boyfriend going out to other schools. It’s a little bit of an obstacle if you’re heterosexual and want to find somebody, but it’s not something you can’t overcome.
Do people generally seem happy with their Agnes Scott by senior year? Do people leave loving Agnes Scott?
I think so. I’ve met dozens of alumni and they’re all super enthusiastic and excited to help everybody. Everyone is super proud and it’s a giant community willing to help each other out.
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I’ve shadowed an alumnus before.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
The biggest one is Excel and all the Microsoft Office programs. We’re starting to incorporate data analysis in some classes, so knowing a little Python or R is helpful but not required.