St. Lawrence University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Undeclared
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m a student-athlete.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Private boarding school in Westport, Connecticut with a graduating class of about 180 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Undeclared
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete.
What impact has your sport had on your experience?
It’s positively shaped my experience. I’ve met a lot of really good friends through it and I’ve been able to have more access to going places off-campus with the team. It’s made my experience so much better because coming in you automatically have a family there.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your classes last semester?
For my Psychology class, we meet twice a week and then have a 2-hour lab each week. For my Statistics class, we had homework and a quiz due every week. For the English classes, it was papers every 3-weeks, and then readings.
Is there anything you feel St. Lawrence has done especially well or poorly academically?
They do a really good job of making sure students know the resources they have. They make sure you know how to get help and reach out to professors. For my first-year program, my professors set up a time where we could go talk to him for advice. He helped us make connections with other people.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I don’t think it’s competitive at all. I think it’s collaborative. People want to do well, but they’re not trying to beat you out, they just want to do well for themselves.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re super accessible. A lot of professors give us their phone numbers in case there’s an emergency.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. The professors encourage us to have a variety of opinions and viewpoints. There’s not a standard for what you’re supposed to talk about in the classroom.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any resources in place that helped you adapt?
They started us off slowly, so I don’t think the transition as that bad. They focused a lot on time management and how to better manage your time.
How was managing both your sport and coursework?
Sports have made it challenging to focus on academics because there’s such a large time commitment. At the same time, while in-season it’s easier to manage your time because there are specific times for when you should be doing work so it helps you stay focused.

Reasons to Attend

1) The academics are challenging, but all the teachers and students want you to succeed. Everyone is extremely accommodating.
2) It’s really fun and the people here want you to have a good college experience.
3) The people in general. The atmosphere around campus is so warm because of the people and it makes a big difference.

Reasons Not to Attend

If you don’t like the cold.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Whitman Hall with one roommate
How was transitioning from Westport, Connecticut to Canton, NY?
The location plays a large role in the type of school that is, but it’s very much in the middle of nowhere. It’s good because it forces the students to all come together and hang out with each other and make their own fun. The location doesn’t play a massive role.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There aren’t any safety issues.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Being on a sports team, every Saturday night we have mixers with other teams, and after those, we’ll go to a fraternity party. The townhouses are where the majority of the social scene is on the weekends. Those happen on Thursday, Saturday, and occasionally Friday.
What is the impact of sports teams on the nightlife?
It plays a big role because a lot of the time they’re the people who have the houses. When the sports teams are doing stuff, it’s normally a more fun weekend than when they don’t.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
A lot of the times over the weekend they have movies in the student center. Also, downtown has a movie theater and a few restaurants. A lot of times, if people don’t want to go out on the weekend they’ll stay in with friends or occasionally go up to Canada.
How happy are you with the weekend options at St. Lawrence? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m personally very happy with them. They’re not very exclusive because we want people to come and have fun. It’s a good amount, but it’s not overwhelming where you feel like you have to. It’s there if you want it.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
A few of my closest friends are on my team. My roommate and I lucked out and became good friends. St. Lawrence also does a First-Year program where everyone who’s on your floor is in a class together so I met a lot of great friends through that.
How would you describe the overall social scene at St. Lawrence?
Everyone is really inclusive and wants you to be happy there. It’s a very warm social scene and a lot of people really just want you to feel at home. If you’re walking down a hallway people will smile and ask how you’re doing, even if they don’t know you.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s something that is noticeable because it’s a predominately White and straight school. When there are those people, they are automatically included and there is no stigma around anything. There is no judgment, so when people mix it’s normal. [The undergraduate population is 77% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Black, and 2% Asian.]
To what extent do athletes mix with non-athletes?
All the time. There are so many people who’re friends outside of their community. There is no divide between the two.
How would you describe the student body?
Everyone is really happy and people are focused on school. At the same time, they want to have fun. It’s a very positive atmosphere and the student body as a whole is very welcoming.
How do you like the size of St. Lawrence in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 2,400] students?
I really like it because it makes it easier in classes, and it’s easier when making friends. The one downside is that everybody knows what’s going on with everyone.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I talked to them a lot during my application process, and everyone was very nice and helpful.