Ursinus College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Economics – Finance concentration
Minor: Neuroscience
Student Self Identifies as: Black/African-American Straight Male
Summary
I’m part of the SUN club for African-Americans and I work out.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black/African-American
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public charter school in Phoenixville, PA with a graduating class of about 75 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Economics – Finance concentration
Minor: Neuroscience
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the SUN club for African-Americans and I work out.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
For me, constantly working out forced me to build a routine and schedule for myself. When you go to college you’re faced with a bunch of free time and you have a lot of choices of what you choose to do. Working out kept me grounded. SUN gave me the idea that I wasn’t alone. I go to a [predominantly White institution], so just to see other people like me on campus and to be around them and celebrate our heritage and culture was a good thing.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
This semester was more problem set and textbook-based. We did have a new professor join the department, so that might have something to do with it. Toward the end, it was more about observing the economy by keeping up with the news. The problem-sets are based on a brief look at the real-life application of the material. The major grades were mostly exams.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a good job of always telling students about opportunities outside the classroom. To graduate, you need to have at least one Independent Learning Experience (ILE), so you can fill that up with an internship or an externship. I haven’t done it yet, but they always send out emails for it. As far as what they could work on, it’s too faced paced, so slowing down and really taking apart key concepts more. I’d find that I’d learn something in a semester and wouldn’t retain it.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s a bit more competitive. There were only two times during the semester when we had to collaborate together. Even then, I didn’t see a lot of study groups forming. People understand your focus on doing well yourself.
How accessible are your professors?
They try to make themselves accessible. Our school is not that big so you can meet with them and they try to work with you. If you make the time, they will too.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I started in the Math department and I thought I was strong in high school, but I think I’m more of a people person. If I can incorporate my math background and be able to talk and help people, I feel like finance is a good way to bring that together. I hope I have a job where I’ll be able to help people be set up for their future financially. At the same time, I’m not going to be behind a desk the whole time. I haven’t had any courses yet that have made me realize why I choose this.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
The transition was tough. In my first semester, it was really an adjustment to being on my own. My mom and grandma did their best, but having to really take the time to take charge of my education. No one is going to tell you to wake up for class or study. No one is guiding me, so I have to do things for myself which is a lot different. There are lots of things offered to you. You could choose to study or party on the weekend. I’ve really had to manage my time well.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you want to have small class sizes with professors that are available to you.
2) If you value having close friend groups and experiences. There aren’t a lot of people on campus so you’ll be able to build those bonds.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If [you’re a minority] who wants to go to a school where you’ll see a lot of people that look like you this may not be the place for you.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Beardwood – Paisley – Stauffer Hall in a single
Sophomore: New Hall with one roommate
Junior: New Hall with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown to Collegeville, PA?
It’s only about a 20-minute drive, so it wasn’t that hard to get everything I wanted to bring to school. I overpacked and brought a lot of clothes. It was a little stressful because I didn’t want to be there and not have something I needed, but I’m so close to where I lived that it wouldn’t be a problem.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never really been concerned with safety. I think we had an incident where when a girl was walking and three guys got out of a car and tried to take her.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Ursinus?
The school is a wet campus, so I will go out and party sometimes. If we don’t go party on a weekend, there isn’t much to do. Like, my friends and I went to play basketball one night and the gymnasium doors were locked. The school’s geared toward partying on the weekend. You can choose to stay in, but there aren’t many other activities to do.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Friday and Saturday night. Everything is more centered on Saturdays.
Is there much of a Black nightlife scene on campus?
They do have a house called the Cloake House, which is for students of color who choose to live there. I think they sometimes have events, but for the most part, a lot of the Black students go off-campus to other colleges like Bryn Mawr to party. It’s not a situation where if I go somewhere I’m not going to feel welcome. A lot of these people I’ve known since freshman year know me. I’d like to see more people that look like me going out and partying, but I don’t feel uncomfortable. Even in the classroom setting, I might be the only Black person in the classroom. I had to adjust to that freshman year and understand we’re all here for the same reason.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
If we decide to stay in, we’ll just hang out in the room, have a few guys come over and play some music. Other than that, there’s nothing else.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Ursinus? Is there anything you would change if you could?
The parties are held in dorms, and a lot of times you have to register the parties. The only thing I’d change about that is maybe the music choice. It’s a little dated and they don’t play newer music. Even if they have parties at one of the Main Street houses, sometimes they get shut down for noise and crowds of people. Once Main Street is shut down, the other places to party usually stop around 2 AM. I wish things would go on a bit longer because we’ve been doing work all week and want the chance to relax.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met one of my friends in one of my first classes. I met another friend in a first-generation program for people to come a little before the semester started over the summer called Crigler. I met a third friend in the gym.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s kind of cliquish. People really establish their friend groups freshman year, and from what I see, people don’t really stray from that. I’d like to see people more willing to talk to different people. I can expect to see certain people at certain locations on the weekend, but nothing really mixes together. Different sports teams will party together, and we do have Greek life but they’re not anything big. If you know certain people, you can go to certain events. I’d make it more open.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Based on what I’ve seen, different races may party together. For sexual orientations, I haven’t seen anything where people are stopped at the door just because they have a certain sexual orientation. I feel like there are a handful of different races on sports teams, and they’ll be able to intermix. Other than that, I feel like it’s divided where sports teams will party together, and fraternities and sororities will party together. [The undergraduate population is about 72% White, 8% Black, 4% Asian, and 8% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
I’d say we’re not as close as we should be. I’ll go to the events we have and we’ll be together in that setting. I feel like it’s more so friend groups that stay together. We all support each other, but there have definitely been times when I’ve seen people not get along. Our community is so small that I feel we should all try to be together. The transitional period coming into college is tough to do yourself.
How do you like the size of Ursinus in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [Ursinus has about 1,500 undergraduate students.]
I wish the community was larger. I like the classroom sizes, but you get to the point where you see the same people every day and it’s a good thing in terms of forming bonds and relationships, but you’re not getting the chance to branch out and meet new people. That’s part of the problem of why people may stay together on the weekend.
Careers
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be especially helpful to you professionally?
I learned Excel in a class sophomore year. It was a requirement in one of my classes because assignments were done a certain way.