<p>Hello! I am a current student on campus, a senior English major and creative writing minor and would love to answer your questions from my perspective. Please let me know if you have any more as well!</p>
<p>-What kind of on-campus events are offered? Do students actually attend campus events other than Greek parties?</p>
<p>On-campus we have a huge array of student groups that host events every day. From dances to movie screenings, we have it all! We also have a student group on campus called the Multi-Organizational board, also known as MOB, that organizes and hosts events such as concerts, dances, spirit events, and much more on the weekends for students. Those events are always very well attended. For example, last weekend they hosted the all-campus formal, a huge dance in our Holland Union Building, and a lot of students came out to socialize, dance, and eat–the President of the college even made an appearance! So basically what I’m saying is, there are a lot more options of things to attend than just parties on campus.</p>
<p>-How is academic rigor? How serious are students about their classes? How hard is it for students to earn good grades? How stressed are the students? Do the students have time to participate in clubs and activities? </p>
<p>Dickinson is very challenging academically. How I’ve seen it to be challenging is that I have had to go outside of my learning comfort zone through the liberal arts education and challenge myself to take classes in subjects that I might not be as good at. However, this has been extremely rewarding. I never in my life thought I would like taking a science class, but because of the lab requirement at Dickinson, I found myself in Earth History my sophomore year. I was nervous before it started, but with the help of the professor, at the end, I wish I would’ve taken geology earlier because I loved it and wanted to minor in it!
Dickinson students are very serious about their classes and getting their work done to achieve good grades. The library is always busy. Getting good grades depends on the subject and professor, however, it is not easy to simply get them. I don’t believe that Dickinson students are too stressed about work however, unless they have a very hard course load or are handling their senior projects (like myself right now haha!)
Students definitely have time to participate in other activities other than academics. While we have a liberal arts education platform at the school, the college is much more resourceful than that. They want to encourage you to be a multifaceted person. Do more than academics: find your passion through activities and leadership within them. </p>
<p>-How is the food? How accessible are the dining options, in terms of long lines, open late hours, etc.?</p>
<p>There are four dining options on campus, one of which is open until midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends. The others have very reasonable hours as well. There are many options for dining. Cafeteria style: entrees, cereal, grill, stir-fry, deli, soups, kosher-vegan, and a salad and fruit bar. In the caf you will get a rush of people around lunch time, but never too many to not have a place to sit. Union Station: More like a grill. Burgers, sandwiches, salad bar, grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches. Really delicious stuff. You can both sit down here and take your food to go. This is usually less crowded than the cafeteria and open until 9pm. The Quarry: our on campus cafe, similar to a Panera Bread, but with Pizza, milkshakes and sushi! Really great atmosphere in here, never crowded, and this is the place open until midnight and 2 am on the weekends. And then there is the Underground. Just below the cafeteria in the Holland Union Building serves sushi and all organic food and has amazing coffee/lattes. A great place to hang out between classes and chat with friends. Busy around lunch-- but not overwhelming. You can use your meal plan at any of these locations.</p>
<p>-Princeton Review gave the college a relatively low Quality of Life score. Why is that?
Honestly, I’m not sure. I have had such a fabulous experience here: I have been immersed in a community that wants to see me succeed and is helping me get there.</p>
<p>-Is it difficult to get into the classes you want to take?</p>
<p>Getting the classes you want to take gets easier every year you are here. As you declare a major/minor, you will get into the classes you want/need more easily. However, there are a lot of classes that are appropriate for first-years or where first-years get priority. Sorry for the double negative in this sentence, but I have never not gotten a class I wanted to take throughout my four years here. </p>
<p>-How is job placement? How is the career center? How is the alumni network?</p>
<p>The Career Center has been extremely helpful for me throughout my years here. In fact, I just had a meeting there yesterday about the job search and alumni network! I have registered my four internships through Dickinson’s internship notation program which then places your internship on your academic transcript. Through the Career Center I have also gotten an internship with a Dickinson alum at the Department of Homeland Security and attended a networking day on campus that featured various seminars, mock interviews, and a reception where I got to meet a handful of alums that were interested in what I was interested in. I have found that if you seek out the Career Center, the job search seems much less daunting.</p>
<p>-Does the student body start to feel small after a few years? </p>
<p>To be honest, not really. Because a lot of the junior class goes abroad and people go on mosaic programs (a shorter abroad experience within a semester) the climate on campus is constantly shifting. Every day I still meet new people here, even as a senior. And through activities and the classes in subjects that are not within my major, I get to experience new peers and faculty/administration. </p>
<p>-How diverse is the student body? Do the students self-segregate, or do different groups mix?</p>
<p>The campus is pretty diverse, with students from all around the globe, from different cultures, and from different parts of the states. We also are VERY diverse in academic interests, which makes the school a great learning environment.
There are many initiatives on campus to make different student groups and interests mix, and a lot of the events on campus are hosted by two or more student groups to reinforce this idea.</p>
<p>-How is the psychology department?
I have a few friends that are psychology majors and they absolutely love the opportunities they have gotten here. They have gotten to conduct their own psych studies and some I believe have even done research with their professors! I would love to get you in touch with one of them-- someone who knows more specific answers about the major.</p>
I ate there several times, thought it was pretty normal for a college cafeteria.</p>