Rhodes College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Computer Science and Business double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Indian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I’m in a fraternity.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Indian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: A public school in Memphis, TN with a graduating class of about 580 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Computer Science and Business double major
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a fraternity.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
My fraternity does. The campus is pretty centered around Greek life so a lot of my experiences outside of Rhodes and around Memphis all go through my fraternity. For example, we have a community service program in my fraternity and a lot of the nonprofit work that I’ve done is through that.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your majors?
It’s usually tests or timed programming assignments that determine my grade. We will get problem sets, written homework, and also activities we have to do outside of that too.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
The professors in both of my departments are very accessible and they offer a lot of resources to help the students do well.
How accessible are your professors?
They are very accessible if you have questions on coursework or just need advice. For example, my advisor is really helpful when I need help with deciding what classes I want to take. I’m also taking a class with him and he responds very quickly when I reach out to him with homework problems and things like that.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
The learning environment is pretty collaborative. Professors are very accepting of working together and sharing information in an academically honest way.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
One of my parents is in computer science so that made me interested in the field. Then for business, I really liked the concept of it and I also had extracurriculars in high school.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you would like a more personal touch to your education and prefer a small size.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you thrive in very open spaces, this is probably not the school for you because it’s small.
2) If you want a very diverse campus. [30% of the student body is either multicultural or international.]
Around Campus
Where have you lived during college?
Freshman: Glassell Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Robb Hall with one roommate
How do you like going to college in your hometown?
It’s been fairly smooth. I’ve always not had a penchant for where I live. I’m from here, so it’s comfortable being in an area that I know.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I think the campus is pretty safe. There’s never been a point on campus where I’ve felt unsafe. The campus is also in the city, so outside of campus there are risks you have to consider. Overall, I’ve felt pretty safe.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Rhodes?
During the weekends, depending on my workload, I’ll go to a party at my fraternity. I don’t really go to other fraternities’ parties, I just go to my own.
What’s an alternative to going to a party that you like for a weekend option?
There definitely are other outlets out there, but I don’t do them. There are nights where I just hang out with friends.
How did your nightlife differ before and after you joined Greek life?
Well, it’s a lot more intimate after you join Greek life because it’s normally your organization hosting a party so therefore you already know the majority of the guys there. Because it’s such a small school, there are certain groups of people that usually go to certain organizations parties or certain types of parties. It becomes a lot more intimate because also your friends from before you joined will come there more often. In my opinion, it makes it better.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Rhodes? Is there anything you would change?
I’m having a blast. I think it’s a lot of fun.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Some of them I met early on in the school year freshman year. The others I met through my fraternity. The majority I met outside of classes usually during social events during the weekends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Rhodes?
The majority of people I’ve seen have a strong group of friends and come to events together. But, as far as I’ve seen, as long as you’re a respectful individual, it’s very open and welcoming. People are always willing to meet you and say hi. Because it’s a small campus, eventually you see a lot of the same faces over and over again, so it becomes second nature to say hi to people. Because Greek life is such a big part of Rhodes campus, I also think it’s a more welcoming campus because the majority of people I talk to engage in activities or social events and end up enjoying them. [52% of students belong to social fraternities and sororities.]
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
The Rhodes campus itself doesn’t have a huge amount of diversity. But, I think people of all races and sexual orientations blend together pretty well. My Greek organization is very diverse, a lot of my friends are diverse, and the people who come out to events are also diverse, so I feel like there is an element of diversity at Rhodes. [30% of the student body is either multicultural or international.]
How would you describe the student body?
They’re very welcoming. When I got here the first week everyone was very nice and willing to meet and get to know you.
Do you feel like you are more so a student at Rhodes or a member of the Memphis community?
Definitely a student at Rhodes because it’s its own little bubble that you live in once you get here. At the same time, Rhodes is pretty passionate about the city even though it’s its own little community.
How do you like the size of your school? How has the size of your school influenced your social experience? [Rhodes has about 2,000 students.]
Rhodes is actually smaller than my high school so I find the size to be kind of a downer sometimes when you see what happens at bigger schools. But, I enjoy the smaller size because you get to know people better.
How strong is the South Asian community on campus?
I would say it’s pretty strong. There is a pretty pronounced community that hosts a lot of events and they have a pretty good turnout. They market well and have good people involved, so I think they are doing pretty well.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yes, some of the summer jobs I’m currently looking at have Rhodes alumni who work there. I’ve been able to find quite a few places to apply where alumni have personally responded to me and showed their interest in possibly having a position open for me.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’ve been extremely helpful. I meet with them maybe once a week to look over all the things I have to do and help me find more positions. Overall, they’re very helpful.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’ve learned Python and C++, which are two very standard languages that will make me more attractive to companies.