University of South Carolina -- Columbia
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Public Health (B.A.)
Minors: Health Promotion and Behavior and Psychology double minor
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
I do an internship at Lexington Medical Center for a public health coordinator.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public magnet school in Columbia, SC with a graduating class of about 170 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Public Health (B.A.)
Minors: Health Promotion and Behavior and Psychology double minor
Extracurricular Activities: I do an internship at Lexington Medical Center for a public health coordinator.
What impact has the internship had on your experience?
I think it’s really influential for college students who are just getting into college just because it has introduced me to different career paths you can take after you graduate. I graduate pretty soon, so right now they let me know if there are any job openings that I can apply for and I already have gotten some experience. Since I’m trying to get a master’s degree later on, those hours are really important.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For Public Health, we have to do a lot of volunteer hours that you have to log and there is a lot of studying. I study at least five to six hours a week and when there’s an exam it’s closer to ten or fifteen hours. A trend here at USC, especially in Public Health, is for a lot of the courses your homework and attendance all go into attendance grade. Attendance for all of my classes is a big thing and they’ll do that either through clickers or sending around an attendance sheet if the class is below one hundred people.
Is there anything that you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The classes you take make you an overall better student in Public Health, especially with the internship. The stuff you learn is a lot of real-world material, it doesn’t feel like you’re learning it just to learn it. One of the downfalls is the advising for internships or classes. You have to do it on your own. They’re there to help you, but they have about one hundred other people they’re helping as well, so you have to take the initiative to go get the internship yourself or know what classes you need to take to get into graduate school. That can be extremely overwhelming. Another positive is the professors can be very helpful because a lot of them are currently doing research that is up to date which will be very helpful to get into.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s pretty competitive because the requirements to get into the major are pretty high.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible, which is shocking because some classes are around 200-300 people. We have T.A.’s and there can be two to three T.A.’s to one class, which helps a lot. The professors themselves have office hours and they’ll give us their email address and a phone number to text them through to ask questions.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Epidemiology. It’s the study of disease which is pretty cool and prominent now because of debate over vaccinations and stuff. The classes focused on current events and it was more of a discussion-based class.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Were there any systems in place or resources that helped you transition?
I’m not sure how much this applies to me because I transferred in, but I find the Writing Center pretty helpful. I also think the T.A.’s here are really helpful because we have a lot of them so they don’t have to deal with a lot of people. They help a lot because they’re the ones who have seen the tests before and have taken the classes, so they can dumb things down if the professor is not good at bringing the material down to your level. They also have a Student Success Center where you can go to get help with getting your work done.
Reasons to Attend
1) You’re getting a really good education from a really good school. There are certain majors that are better than others and some that USC really hones in on, so look into those.
2) You’re going to a really big school. Although it seems a little scary, it can do a lot of character development when it comes to public speaking in front of around 400 people. It makes you put your best self out there even if it’s scary.
3) If you like football and the social aspect of tailgating, you’re going to get that classic college experience.
4) You’re in a college town but also have the experience of being in a city.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you don’t like a big school. Some of your classes will be around 400 people. If you’re somebody who needs one on one attention from a professor and doesn’t think you’ll exceed without it, I don’t think this is the best school for you. [Class sizes can exceed 100 students.]
2) When it comes to football, tailgating, and partying, that aspect can be a lot. You have to be mature to go if you want to still succeed and involve yourself with social stuff at the school.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Sophomore: I lived at home for the first few months. I did that because I transferred in pretty late and didn’t know where to live and all my stuff was already at home. I then moved to a house off-campus and have three other roommates.
Junior: I live in the same house as sophomore year.
How do you like going to school in your hometown?
I really like it. A lot of my best friends either come from high school or I have a connection with because they also come from South Carolina. The one thing I don’t really like is I now feel much more connected to high school than I did my freshman year. You really are still in the loop with the people from high school, but I had a good time in high school so that isn’t the worst thing. Other than that, the campus is really big so if you don’t want to see someone or see people from your high school, it’s easy to do that. It’s hard to see people, it has to be a purposeful thing to see them because you’re usually stuck in the specific building that your college is in.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The safety’s really good. We have the blue light system, which you can use if you feel in danger. The campus is still in the middle of Columbia, so you don’t necessarily want to walk alone at night, but campus-wise, I think it’s really safe.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
I would go to the bars in Five Points. When you’re not 21, you can also go to parties and fraternity events. Once you turn 21, you go to bars in The Vista and a few other places in Five Points, but you sometimes feel too old for the Five Points scene so you start migrating over to The Vista.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
It depends. Usually, Friday and Saturday give or take one day. When I was a freshman and sophomore, it was definitely different. There are events in Five Points, like T-Shirt Tuesdays or Friday After Class when they open the bars early for you to go there after class. Now, if there is something going on, I’ll go out one day during the week and then one day during the weekend.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
There is a market that happens on Main Street that you can go to that’s really cool. There’s a movie theater nearby and there are also non-drinking events that fraternities and sororities sometimes put on that people who aren’t affiliated can go to. There is also some hiking a couple of hours away.
How happy are you with the weekend options at South Carolina? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with it. You get the best of both worlds because you have access to both the beach and mountains, so if you don’t want to go out you can migrate to either side in about a two-hour drive.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
We’ve been friends since high school and now live together. My other friends, I met through tailgating in frat lots or through mutual friends. A lot of my friends who went here freshman year met people from where they were living, so they’d meet people and then make more connections that way.
How would you describe the social scene?
I wouldn’t say it’s a party school but it can seem like that in the sense that you can get caught up and feel like that’s all there is to do. There’s definitely more to it. The social scene is a lot of partying if that’s what you want, but there are other cool things to do if you seek them out.
As somebody who is not in Greek life, what is the impact of Greek life on social life?
A lot of my friends are in it. You do not have to participate in it to feel like you’re involved. At least from what I’ve seen through my friends, sometimes it can be a lot to do because Greek life here is really big and takes up a lot of your time. If you’re really in love with it and are passionate about it, it’s definitely something you want to do. But, coming from someone who’s not in it, you don’t have to be involved in order to be involved with the school.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I have a lot of friends who have different sexual orientations that I love and they have their own vibe which is great. There’s no hatefulness at all on campus and everyone’s pretty open-minded and understanding here even though we’re in the South. I haven’t seen anything negative during my time here.
How would you describe the student body?
There are a lot of times you’ll come on campus, especially when the weather gets warmer, and the campus can seem like a festival because the popular parts will have lots of tents giving out free stuff and eating free food telling you about different clubs and things to get involved in. It’s really inclusive in that sense because you feel involved even if you’re not involved.
How do you like the size of South Carolina in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 26,360 undergraduate students.]
It’s big. One of the biggest problems is parking and that there are just not enough spaces.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No, they send an email every once in a while, but they haven’t helped me find anything.
Have you used the career office at all? If so, how helpful have they been?
I have not used them at all. I really just used my advisor and asked them for any connections they may have. I ended up getting my internship through a personal connection.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
When it comes to Microsoft Office, I think I learned most of what I use in college in high school. For the Public health classes I only use Microsoft Word.