Hendrix College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Chemistry
Minor: German
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m part of Friends of India and the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Background

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

High School Experience: Public high school in Hot Springs, AR with a graduating class of about 300 students. There was not a strong culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Chemistry
Minor: German

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of Friends of India and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
Both clubs are something I didn’t think I would be involved in at Hendrix, especially Friends of India, because I didn’t realize they were available until I was a part of them. With ACS I was able to go to Orlando and do different kinds of research, which was really cool.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It depends on the semester, but I have lectures, usually two labs a semester, and exams as well. I don’t have as much homework this semester, but in the general classes, like General Chemistry, I had a lot more week to week homework. Once you get to the higher up classes you have suggested problem sets that aren’t graded and the exams are more heavily weighted.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I’m really close with all the Chemistry staff. They’re all so friendly and willing to help. I don’t think they do anything too terribly, they’re pretty up to date with all of their stuff. It’d be cool if we had bigger labs, but you can only get so much at a small school.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s very collaborative. There is a lot of group work and they always are encouraging group work in classes. Even on homework, sometimes some professors encourage us to work with other people if we need help. Also, the other students are very encouraging and there’s not a lot of competition as far as I can see.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. Almost all of the professors that I come across are willing to email, figure out meetings outside of office hours, and all of that kind of stuff.
What has been your favorite part of Hendrix academically?
One of my favorite things I’ve done is the research I’ve done with my advisor. That was really cool because I researched during the week and during the summer as well and got grants to do that. Then I got to go to Orlando and present my research, which was really cool.
How easy was it to get involved in undergraduate research?
Pretty easy. During my freshman year, my professor just asked me if I wanted to research and I said yes.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
My high school chemistry teacher was really enthusiastic and I started to really like it in high school. So far, I’m happy with my choice.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are a lot of free resources on campus that you can use.
2) The culture on campus. It’s a really fun community to be a part of.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re really heavily into the arts, I don’t think we have the best facilities for that.
2) If you want fancy dorms, you’re not going to get that here.
3) The price of going here.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Veasey Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Market Square South Apartments with one roommate
Junior: Huntington Apartments with one roommate. I have my own bedroom this year.
What has been your favorite living situation?
The Huntington Apartments for sure.
How was transitioning from living in your hometown in Hot Springs, AR to Conway, AR in terms of location?
Conway and Hot Springs are pretty similar. Conway is a little more lively and has more things to do. The transition didn’t affect me that much since I don’t get off-campus that much [laughs].
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel pretty safe. We have public safety and I think they’re good. They’ll escort you somewhere if you want to be escorted. The community around Hendrix is really great. Overall, I don’t worry about my safety almost ever.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Hendrix hosts a lot of parties on the weekends that are a great time. Also, sometimes I’ll have a group of friends over and we’ll have a board game night and that’s a lot of fun too. Some of the parties are put on by Student Activities and some of them are put on by different organizations on campus. For example, Martin Hall is a dorm on campus and their hall council will sponsor a lot of parties. There’s an area on campus called the Brick Pit where a lot of parties are held. Like, this weekend Martin Hall is sponsoring a party in the Brick Pit.
What is the impact of Conway being a dry county on the nightlife?
Conway is a dry county but Hendrix is not a dry campus. There are some events where if you’re over 21 you get a wristband and can bring a cup in but the cup can’t be labeled as alcohol.
What is the impact of the men’s dorms on the nightlife?
They host more of the parties than the girl’s dorms, so they make more of the parties. Martin is being renovated this year so they have a ghost hall council so they can still sponsor parties. It’s just that the men’s dorms choose to allocate the money to sponsor and decorate for parties more.
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
Sometimes I’ll go to Little Rock and my friends and I will go shopping or see stand-up comedy. They also have SOAR events, which are alternative events to parties, and they have them every time there’s a party. They post those events and you can go to them instead of the party.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with them. I pretty much do whatever I want. I go to parties, I don’t, I sleep sometimes. I wouldn’t change much.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through New Student Orientation and also Shirttails. Shirttails is a dance competition that freshmen do and every dorm competes. We all go to the Brick Pit and dance in front of a bunch of alumni and upperclassmen and there’s a winner. My best friends and I met through Shirttails practices.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Hendrix?
We’re a pretty tight-knit community. I feel like I know everyone. There are only about 1,200 students on campus so you hear about everyone and everything a lot of the time. I don’t have just my main friend group, I have other friend groups and they all get along and get together.
How has living in single-gender dorms impacted your experience?
I wouldn’t say it has impacted my experience very much. Some dorms are single-gender and some are co-ed. Mine was single-gender but guys could come in, so there were guys in my dorm all the time and it did not feel like a single-gender dorm.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There are groups that are not as mixed as you would like them to be, but that’s something you see everywhere you go. I think Hendrix tries to foster a lot of diversity, especially if you’re involved in [racial affinity] groups. Anyone can get involved in the diversity clubs that they have and you can mingle a lot more with people you wouldn’t have originally. I have a lot of friends that are not my same race, but at the same time, they’re not my closest friends.
How would you describe the student body?
They’re very liberal in every sense of the word. It’s a very liberal campus, especially for being in the middle of Arkansas. There’s a pro-everything movement, which is a good thing. It’s not that I dislike that, it’s just probably the best description.
How do you like the size of Hendrix in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 1,200] students?
I really like the size. One of the reasons I came to Hendrix was because I did not want to go to a big school, so it’s great for me. I have made a lot of connections with people and really enjoy it.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful are they?
I’ve only been once or twice, but I know a lot of people who go all the time. For me, they looked over my resume and what kind of jobs I should look for. I haven’t used it much, but I haven’t had any bad experiences.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
I have learned Jamovi and in Physics we used Excel a lot.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I have used financial aid and they are pretty easy to work with. It’s a little bit confusing about who to go to.