Macalester College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: International Studies and Arabic double major
Minors: Statistics and Community and Global Health double minor
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m part of the Bonner Scholars program, which is for [first-generation college students], I’m part of the Muslim Student Association, the Black Liberation Affairs Committee, and Afrika!. I’m also part of the Student Affairs Advisory Committee. I’m also part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public school outside of St. Paul, MN with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Majors: International Studies and Arabic double major
Minors: Statistics and Community and Global Health double minor

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Bonner Scholars program, which is for [first-generation college students], I’m part of the Muslim Student Association, the Black Liberation Affairs Committee, and Afrika!. I’m also part of the Student Affairs Advisory Committee. I’m also part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Being in Bonner, the Muslim Student Association, and Afrika! have because it’s nice knowing that I have people who identify the same way as me and look like me. It’s nice to know that we can share similar stories, even though we may not come from the same place or the same backgrounds.
Have you participated in undergraduate research? How easy was it to get involved in that?
Through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, I do research with one of my professors. We do a lot of data analysis and digging through historical archives. When I was a sophomore, I had a friend who was a senior and was also in the [Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship] and she recommended me to do that program. I had her as a mentor to guide me through that process, and that was really helpful.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your majors?
It depends on the semester. There have been some semesters where there have been more exams heavy and some semesters where it’s been more essay heavy. There were also some classes that had both essays and exams.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
For my International Studies major, what they do well is have different interdisciplinary focuses for students to go into, and that’s how I found my interest in public health. There’s a professor who specializes in public health and I took most of my International Studies classes with her, and I felt that it was very beneficial towards my future career.
For my Arabic major, the study abroad programs that they offer are very strong.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s more competitive, which was a shock because my high school was more collaborative. At Macalester, it’s more that people want to help themselves succeed and maybe help you, but people don’t want to help you in the way that I want to help myself become a better person or a better student.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible in terms of having weekly office hours and it’s easy to go to those office hours for help.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Sometimes yes and sometimes no. In most of the classes I’ve taken, everybody says the same thing but in different ways. And, sometimes the professor doesn’t add to the discussion by throwing in different ideas. It’s usually just somebody saying how they think and most of the class is in agreement.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I picked International Studies because I had an amazing professor who helped guide me into that major. I also like how it’s more interdisciplinary and not everyone in the major has the same path. Everyone’s studying their own thing even though we’re all doing the same major. The reason I chose Arabic is, once again, I had a really excellent professor who had all these great ideas for my Arabic learning and my Arabic growth. I would say I’m pretty pleased with what I do with the majors I’ve chosen. The difficult part of going to a small school is you become attached to professors who leave to take positions at other schools, which was happened with both of the professors in my majors that got me into them.
How was transitioning as a first-generation college student? Were there any resources that helped you adapt?
The academic rigor that Macalester throws at you freshman year was a big shift because it was definitely not like that at my high school. I had to get extra assistance from the MAX Center and the professors to be on the same level that I thought everyone else was on.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a small school, so you have a lot of opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to get at a smaller school.
2) To some extent, financial aid is very helpful.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) Sometimes financial aid isn’t helpful if you’re taking out a lot of loans that you don’t think you should be taking out.
2) It’ not as diverse as other schools.
3) Depending on who you are, going to a small school may not be a good thing for you.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Dupre Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: 30 Mac with one roommate
Junior & Senior: Off-campus
How was transitioning from your hometown to Macalester, MN?
It was pretty weird living, going to class, and eating with the same people all the time. In high school, you have eight hours a day with one population and then you go home and you’re with your family. At college, it’s students 24/7 and sometimes that can be kind of annoying when you’re with the same people all the time.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I would say it’s fairly safe. Sometimes I hear students talking about how they have had incidences of somebody driving by them on Grand Avenue and saying racial slurs to them. We’ve also had some hate crimes on campus, but not in the way that makes you worry about your physical safety, they have just been instances of people doing things behind closed doors.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in at Macalester?
I participate in a lot of the activities the school has to offer, especially my first and second year when I lived on campus and they were just a few steps away. Now that I’m off-campus, I’m less attached to the nightlife on campus because I don’t live there anymore, so I don’t have the same urge to do things that other college students are doing.
What are some of your favorite on-campus activities or events?
The college [has Mac@Nite and they] host events with student organizations with different types of food and different prizes. Those are the most fun when they do it during Halloween and during midterms and final weeks. Culture nights are fun when different cultural organizations have showcases and different events.
What’s an alternative to going to a party that you like for a night out?
There isn’t much of a pressure to go party, but people do party within their own dorms. It’s not something that you’re pressured into doing because there are other alternatives, like going to Minneapolis to go eat or participating in events that Macalester provides for you.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my closest friends through the Bonner Scholar program and participating in cultural organizations.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Macalester?
I think it’s pretty easy to make friends. I would say I’m pretty social. I frequently go to different cultural meetings and cultural organizations and meet a lot of new people. I’m a social person and I like introducing myself to first-years and sophomores who may not know me.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I would say to a slight extent. I see it more from domestic students that may come from similar cities. With international students, they tend to hang out with students who may come from similar countries and cities. But, overall, there is a diversity and freshness that people have, but only to a certain extent.
How do you like the size of Macalester? How has it influenced your social experience? [Macalester has about 2,200 students.]
It’s slightly bigger than my high school and it doesn’t feel that much different. It’s small, but it’s not too few people.
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
The Black or African-American community is pretty strong. Of course, it could be stronger, but I think the hardest part is getting new people to come to our [student organization] meetings and see new faces. Overall, I feel like we support each other, even if we may not see each other much throughout the semester and I think that’s a really important part of community building. Regardless of how many times we see each other, you’re still there for one another when you have to show up and support. [In the Fall of 2018, there were 74 Black/African-American students on campus, making up about 3.5% of the student population.]

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I’ve found more internships and jobs from students how have done those internships who are still students than alumni who have graduated. The most advice I’ve gained from alumni is on their experience on campus. I’ve received the most career advice from current students.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
The Career Development Center has been pretty helpful throughout my four years. I’ve had a couple of meetings with them, I’ve done resume workshops with them, and they’ve helped me apply for internships.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
With my Statistics minor, I’ve done a lot of R Studio and I’ve also done GIS.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how helpful and responsive are they?
During my first year, I didn’t respond that much to my financial aid and most of the questions I asked were through e-mail rather than face to face. When I talked to other campus employees, they urged me to go inside and meet someone, so that’s what I did. They’ve been very helpful. They can’t help you with everything because there are some things that are outside of their control, but for the things they can help you with, they’ve been very helpful. I’ve heard the same thing from other students. They help you articulate your needs, understand the difference between scholarships and grants, and answering other questions. [Macalester meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.]