University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Straight Female

Summary

I’m in People of Style and Education (POSE), which is a modeling organization. I’m in the Multicultural Mentoring Program (MMP), and I also participate in the Spirit department where we help the cheerleaders and dancers.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public high school in Smryna, TN with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in People of Style and Education (POSE), which is a modeling organization. I’m in the Multicultural Mentoring Program (MMP), and I also participate in the Spirit department where we help the cheerleaders and dancers.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I’d say POSE has. It’s opened me out of my shell and made me more comfortable with myself. When I came to UT as a freshman, I was shy, but now I’m coming out of that.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
In my English class, we always have something to do, such as a reading assignment or working on a rough draft of an essay. In my STEM classes, I have a lot of problem sets, but we also have discussions that prepare us for the exams.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think we should spend more time on the coursework rather than broadly going over it. We go through the content really quickly, and I think reviewing it more would help me understand the material better.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s more collaborative. During Chemistry, we have labs where we work with other students, and in English, we have peer reviews.
How accessible are your professors?
They’ve very accessible. Even when the professors are not available, we have TAs. If the TA isn’t available, we have a student instructor available. If I have a problem in a class and I need help, I’ll go to my suitemate because she’s a senior. Other times, if I need help in Math, I’ll go to a Math tutoring center.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
The [Multicultural Mentoring Program] I’m in helped me because I’m a minority here. It helps minority students transition into a predominantly White school. They also provided tutors. FYS 101 is a really good class that helped me as a first-year student too.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. I chose it because I wanted to be a pediatrician. I used to volunteer at the hospital before I went to college. That made me want to do something in the medical field.
Academically, how was transitioning into the large lecture classes? Were there any resources available to help?
It was pretty difficult. In larger group discussions, you might be more afraid to raise your hand because you don’t know if your question sounds stupid or not. [Classes range from 2–100+ students, with 50% ranging from 20–39 students.]

Reasons to Attend

1) The extracurricular activities are good.
2) The amount of help UT provides is good.

Reasons Not to Attend

None

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Volunteer Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
Sophomore: Off-campus apartment with three other people.
How was transitioning from your Smryna to Knoxville, TN in terms of location?
It wasn’t that hard. When I brought my car I could go home, which made it easier.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The campus is pretty safe. Personally, I haven’t experienced anything. Before I got here, I was worried about it because there was an incident where someone got robbed. When I got here, it was okay.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Sometimes I go to a club near [uptown Knoxville] on the weekends, and sometimes I just hang out with my friends in the dorms.
What have been your favorite times at the University of Tennessee?
The basketball games are a good time.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
One of my friends is in Greek life, but I have never been to their parties. The Black Greek life organizations will sometimes throw parties, which are fun to go to.
How large of an impact does Black Greek life have on campus?
I think they have a good impact. They do a good job holding a high standard of themselves.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty satisfied with them right now. Sometimes there aren’t things to do on the weekend so I can focus on my homework.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Some of my closest friends went to high school with me. Some I met through Twitter, and some I met through my roommates.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UT-Knoxville?
It can be diverse, but sometimes it can be broken up by race. It kind depends on the person. Some people like going to White parties and some people like going to Black parties. It depends on how comfortable you are with that race. I tend to go to more Black parties, but I do have a lot of White friends. You have to be 21 to go to some of the White parties in Uptown because they’re in bars. [See Knox News article, “University of Tennessee must boldly confront racism and bigotry on campus.”]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s really strong. We are the minority, but hanging around the Black community makes it feel like you’re not a minority.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
They mix a lot. People who are in Greek life definitely have a lot of friends not in Greek life.
How do you like the size of the University of Tennessee in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 23,300 undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee.]
The campus is pretty big. I like it because the more students there are, the safer you feel.

Careers

Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’ve learned Excel through Biology. We do a lot of data entry to help us find our P-Value.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I have. They’re good at what they do.