Wabash College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Rhetoric
Minors: Business and Economics double minor
Student Self Identifies as: Latino Heterosexual Male

Summary

I’m a student-athlete, I’m a consultant for the Center for Innovation, Business, & Entrepreneurship (CIBE), I’m in a fraternity, I [have a leadership role] in Unidos Por Sangre (UPS), and then I’m also part of the Investment Club, Sales Club, and TedX Wabash College.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Latino
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Private school in Hammond, Indiana with about 120 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Rhetoric
Minors: Business and Economics double minor

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete, I’m a consultant for the Center for Innovation, Business, & Entrepreneurship (CIBE), I’m in a fraternity, I [have a leadership role] in Unidos Por Sangre (UPS), and then I’m also part of the Investment Club, Sales Club, and TedX Wabash College.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Being a consultant for the CIBE has. Wabash College has a saying that majors don’t matter meaning that they are big on practical experience. The CIBE has provided me internships over the summer and practical experience during the semester. Currently, I’m working on a business management consulting project for a college-owned hotel, which gives me a lot of experience and stories to tell in interviews. I attest all of my success through my experiences that come from my experience as a consultant. That led me to be part of the Orr Fellowship. So, going back to how majors don’t matter, I’m a Rhetoric major but have more practical business experience than a more business-geared major may have.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Per class, I have about 20-30 pages of reading a week, on average. Most of the work is the in-class discussions after doing the reading. We also do a lot of essays, which make up the bulk of our grade, and exams, which can be oral, written in class, or take-home essays. We don’t do as many speeches as you would think as a Rhetoric major.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a good job of challenging our communication skills, whether that’s by being tough on grading or asking us to do a deeper analytical dive into what we are studying. Challenging us on an analytical level is where they do well. Where they do poorly is they don’t offer much professional development outside of college. They don’t do much to get you into internships.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely a rigorous, competitive environment. The workload is definitely higher here at Wabash where we have more assignments and harder grading. Being a small, all-male college where there are a lot of varsity athletes who are competitive in nature and also book smart, that comes into the classroom in discussions or grading because you’re constantly trying to know people’s grades so you can compare yourself. The competitive drive comes from that.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. I’ve texted professors after hours for help on assignments. I’ve had professors answer a quick question at 11:00 PM. Since we’re a small campus, you see professors walking around campus or in the library so you can ask them a quick question or to get coffee.
Do you think people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. Since we’re a liberal arts school, the course material is developed in a way to throw in radical ideas and provoke conversation. A random example from yesterday is our class was on animal communications as far as rhetoric, so it makes you push your boundaries of what you thought rhetorical studies are on a deeper level.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose my major because I was a Rhetoric minor and wanted to switch to an Economics major later on but it was too late, so I switched my major to Rhetoric and added the Economics minor. I didn’t necessarily major in Rhetoric because of interest. I do regret it because I’m more of a business-minded person and an Economics major would give me more background and a better foundation because it helps you think on microeconomic and macroeconomic levels.
How is managing both your sport and your coursework?
A lot of schools in our conference are in Ohio so we’re constantly on the road, which makes studying hard when you get back at maybe 2:00 or 3:00 AM on a school night or spend your entire weekend from Friday to Sunday on the road. Wabash’s a Division III school but the sports still demand a lot, so that can make balancing life more difficult and stressful.

Reasons to Attend

1) The financial aid.
2) The alumni network and professional development. [100% of students in the Class of 2018 were settled in their first destinations within six months of graduation.]
3) The academic rigor.
4) The ability to play varsity sports.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The lack of social life.
2) The lack of technical majors.
3) It’s all-male, which is the number one reason.
4) It’s a small college.
5) Crawfordsville lacks opportunities.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman – Junior: I’ve lived in my fraternity house all three years in a suite of four people total and I had my own bedroom.
How did you like joining the fraternity and moving in starting freshman year?
I definitely notice the lack of personal space now. There are a lot of people in one house and it can get uncomfortable. It’s completely different than being home alone. The social aspect of the fraternity is, coming to a small all-male college, you get more joy by being around your brothers and there’s always something going on. There’s that classic sense of being around your friends all the time in college. It gets you right into the social scene. [About 64% of men are involved in Greek life and 61% of first-years are involved in Greek life.]
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There are people of color who feel unsafe walking outside of the Wabash community because there will sometimes be Confederate flags around and there have been racist incidents in the past. They don’t happen very often, but they occur. [See Courier & Press article, “Webb: Indiana still has a racism problem.”]

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I go off-campus. My girlfriend goes to Purdue, so I spend a lot of my nights during the weekend there and immerse myself in their college life. I also go to Bloomington sometimes to Indiana University too. I spend my weekends at Wabash maybe a few times a year.
What have been some of your favorite times at Wabash?
Definitely the fraternity activities and the brotherhood we have. Whether it’s doing activities outside of campus, going on house trips, or doing internal activities with the fraternity house. Also, going on trips with my sports team and spending time with them have been some of the best experiences.
How do you feel about spending so much of your time off-campus?
Wabash doesn’t have a lot going on during the weekends, so in order to live that “college lifestyle” you’re pushed to seek that elsewhere. I have a car and am from Indiana, so I can do that. But, for the other students who come from across the country, I’m not sure what they do and they probably get lonely and have less fun.

Campus Culture

How would you describe the overall social scene at Wabash?
There’s not a lot going on as far as the social life.
How has going to an all-male school impacted your social experience?
It forces you to seek out nearby universities or colleges and immerse yourself in whatever they’re doing because it’s all-male. As far as academics, it feels like Monday through Friday you’re on a work week where you just focus on your studies and your sport, which I enjoy. It’s like business during the week and then you take a break and really enjoy your weekend.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Not a lot. Most of my friends come from diverse backgrounds and are students of color and I think that’s pretty common for other students of color too. [About 74% of students are White.]
How would you describe the Hispanic community? How strong is it?
A lot of the Hispanic students are in my fraternity, which is like a home away from home. If you’re Hispanic, you know most of the Hispanic students, which is good but shows that there are not many of us. [In 2018-2019, there were 78 Hispanic students at Wabash, making up about 9% of the student body and the largest non-White racial group on campus.]
How would you describe the student body?
Prideful, ambitious, hardworking. There are not many average people here. There’s a unique sense to most of the people here. People can also be competitive between fraternities but in a positive way.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
It’s common for people to have friends in other fraternities, but it’s not common for people not in Greek life and in Greek life to mix. Since [64%] of students are in fraternities, when you meet somebody who you don’t know you ask them if they’re in a fraternity, so that shows that it’s the norm here. If you’re not in one, you’re kind of out of the loop.
How do you like the size of Wabash in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 880] students?
I love the size because I went to a small high school. I like that you know a lot of people when you walk around campus. It makes it feel more like home and where family is. Then again, the small campus means that we have more accessibility to our professors and see them around campus very often. That helps with the feeling that you belong here.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of Wabash by senior year? Do you think people leave loving Wabash?
Yes. When I talk to alumni they’re grateful how hard this place made them work and how hard it is. It shows that they are happy with the sacrifice of coming to Wabash.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yes, every single internship I’ve had came through the alumni network and I just signed my first job offer that is with an alumnus from Wabash.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’re very helpful. The boss of the [Center for Innovation, Business, & Entrepreneurship (CIBE)] is the director of career services, so there’s a lot of interaction there. Resume building, interview prep, and all of that has been very accessible to me.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
In my economics statistics class, we learned R and used Microsoft Excel. I’m also taking a class now that goes into how to use Word and PowerPoint to their fullest potential.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? How easy is the office to work with?
Yes, I’ve used them and they’re a big reason why I’m here. For me, my financial aid package has decreased every year, but they are putting in a new rule that will freeze whatever package you get as an incoming freshman. [Editor’s Note: We could not find any news article confirming the new rule. See the Wabash financial aid page here.]