Lawrence University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Film Studies
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Black Bisexual Male

Summary

I am part of the Film Club and Colores. I was also part of a fraternity but dropped.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school in Brooklyn, NY with a graduating class of about 115 students. Everybody was encouraged to go to college, but most people either opted to not go or went to a vocational school.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Film Studies
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I am part of the Film Club and Colores. I was also part of a fraternity but dropped.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Film Club has encouraged me to look into graduate school and helped me realize that I want to make a Film Capstone project. It also made me realize I want to explore cinematography and directing as a career.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Most of my courses are discussion-based classes where we discuss movies and certain formats, regulations, and theories. We usually have one paper at the end of the term and a paper or two throughout the semester. There are three film production classes, [Documentary Forms, Artisanal Animation], and the capstone project. Generally, the essays and film projects are the bulk of your final grade.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The Film Studies department is really big on diversity, which I love because everyone has a unique background and is not the same. There is strong diversity in both the professors and the students in the department in that there are a lot of different racial backgrounds, genders, and general backgrounds. Where we lack is with not having enough professors since it’s a small department and is fairly new. [See Film Studies faculty here.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
The Film Studies department is pretty collaborative. Both of our film production projects involve you working with other people in a group. If you’re not working in a production group, you’re working by yourself on a paper.
How accessible are your professors?
The professors are pretty accessible. We can usually email them or text them. They also have office hours throughout the week and if you can’t make those, they can set up a meeting with you
What has been your favorite part about the academics at Lawrence?
I really enjoy the small class sizes, so you always get individual attention. [The Student-Faculty Ratio is 8:1.]
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m happy with my choice. I chose my major because I wanted something more hands-on and used my creativity.

Reasons to Attend

1) Lawrence has a really strong Film Studies program. It’s really based on individualized interest.
2) The professors are really motivated to help you.
3) There’s a great river right next to campus and there are positives to being in Appleton.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s a small school and you’ll see the same people around campus.
2) The dorms can vary a lot in quality so you might be in a place that you’re not very happy with.
3) The food in the cafeteria may not be your cup of tea.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Sage Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Fraternity house with two roommates
How was transitioning from your hometown in Brooklyn, NY to Appleton, WI in terms of location?
It was a pretty smooth transition I would say. The only thing is I had some microaggressions around Appleton with people staring at me, which I was not used to. [About 88% of the population of Appleton is White.]
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
Off-campus I feel semi-safe because I’ve had people shout at me from cars or follow me around, which I think is racially charged. On campus, I feel safe. [See The Lawrentian article, “Students protest against racism and hate speech in Appleton.”]

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I just turned 21, so I like to go to bars in downtown Appleton with friends. It’s usually a Lawrence crowd at the bar. We also like to go watch films at the cinema on campus. Before I turned 21, I would go to house parties on campus usually hosted by fraternities. There’s no exclusivity to the fraternity parties, anybody can go usually.
If at all, how as identifying as LGBT+ influenced your nightlife experience?
It hasn’t impacted it. For the most part, most people don’t know off the bat that I’m LGBT so that hasn’t affected my experience much.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Lawrence? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I wish that the mall and other shopping centers were closer so that I could go with friends in a general public space that doesn’t require drinking all the time. I wish there were more things that weren’t alcohol-related around campus.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends at Lawrence?
My closest friends I met freshman year and we’re still close now. I met them through my Gender Studies class and through my CORE group during orientation.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Lawrence?
The social scene is pretty open-minded, for the most part. Because I’m a person of color, I feel that most of the people I come across and spend time with are open-minded. I haven’t had any issues with people on campus. People tend to make friends through sports teams, CORE groups, classes, and other people they know.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
People of different sexual orientations mix pretty often, but they don’t mix as often for people of different racial groups. My group of friends is mostly people of color, and that’s true for a lot of other students of color here.
How would you describe the Black community? How strong is it?
I would say it’s semi-strong. When younger Black students come to campus and are trying to get a feel for it, usually upperclassmen take them under their wing, so they end up bonding a lot like that. There is also a Black Student Union club that comes together for events and supports each other. [About 10% of students are Black.]
How do you like the size of Lawrence in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [Lawrence has about 1,450 students.]
I think the enrollment size is good for a small college, but I wish it was bigger so people could meet more people and have a bigger experience in college. I wish I didn’t have to walk around campus and see the same people all the time.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
People mix every now and then, depending on which Greek life organization you’re in. The sororities mingle a lot because the sororities host events together. The fraternities don’t mingle as much together because they don’t host events together as often. I used to be in a fraternity and we didn’t interact with other frats unless it was a mixed party. It’s also not as common for people in a fraternity to have friends outside of the fraternity. [About 9% of men join fraternities and 13% of women join sororities.]
How would you describe the LGBT+ community on campus? How strong is it?
I would say it’s pretty strong. As far as I know, no one gives anyone issues about their sexual orientation. There are two clubs, Colores, and Untitled, which is for transgender students. I try to mentor incoming freshman so they feel comfortable with themselves on campus.
How would you describe the student body at Lawrence?
Lawrence is a pretty open-minded and casual place. People are nice to you if you’re nice to them. There’s the Midwest mindset of being nice for my own benefit.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I connected with an alum who’s helping me find an internship or job with a film crew or film studio in New York City. It’s been pretty easy to connect with alumni, in my experience. I discovered the alum through the Lawrence Connect page where students can connect with alumni.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used them for updating my resume and figuring out what options are available for an internship in the industries I’m interested in. I’m going to start working with them when school starts in the fall to look into graduate school and other programs for post-graduation.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve used Adobe Premiere mostly. I also know how to use Photoshop and Lightroom. I learned them all through Film Studies classes.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
They’re pretty responsive when I’ve communicated with them. They’re helpful with breaking down my costs and what they are for. I live right next to the building, so whenever I have an issue or need help, I just walk over.