Agnes Scott College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Neuroscience
Minor: Public Health
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Queer Female

Summary

I [have a leadership position] in the Student Government Association, URGE, I have an on-campus job, and I’m a resident assistant.

Background

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

High School Experience: Public magnet high school in Nashville, Tennessee with 200 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Neuroscience
Minor: Public Health

Extracurricular Activities: I [have a leadership position] in the Student Government Association, URGE, I have an on-campus job, and I’m a resident assistant.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Running for Student Government has had a big impact. When I got to Agnes Scott something told me to do what makes me uncomfortable. Trying to be a bubbly person asking for votes and being a stereotypical politician does that for me. I developed my own campaign to express my identity. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I’ve been taking two science courses a semester, which entails two labs. My other coursework includes taking research classes like statistics and research methodology, along with prerequisites like English.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
What drew me to the major was how close-knit it seemed, regardless of how involved you were with it. We have dinner with the faculty every month, so it really is a family.
How accessible are your professors?
My professors are extremely accessible. They plead for us to come to their office hours, so I make a point to come at the beginning of the year to introduce myself. When it comes to office hours, my motto is to come early and often.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think Agnes is very collaborative. With the implementation of the Center for Writing and Speaking and the Resource Center for Math and Science, there are always peer tutors available who are willing to help you. It’s very collaborative.
How has going to a historically female college impacted your experience?
I originally came to Agnes because of the Neuroscience major. Stepping on campus, there was a refreshing air that pulled me in. When I came, it wasn’t what I expected because we have students who don’t identify as a woman, such as people who are transgender, non-binary, etc. It’s not hard to grasp the understanding of those concepts, but it’s interesting and is misconstruing for our outside community who assume we’re all women. What frustrates me is when you come here it feels like if you say that we’re all women you’ll be burned at the stake since not everyone uses language like that to describe themselves.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
The ideas that are open to critical thought can be a little biased. Since it’s a liberal arts institution, you assume the school of thought is all liberal but that’s not the same for all of our students. A lot of the times if you lie outside of being liberal or far left, you might feel like an outcast.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. Ever since I was younger, I was always into art and painting. My dream as a nine-year-old was to make coloring books for kids in hospitals and I wanted to cure cancer one day. I was so interested in neurodiversity as a child. The brain was one interest of mine that’s stayed the same. As I got older, I learned what it meant to be a neurologist, and I decided I wanted to get my undergraduate degree in something that interests me.

Reasons to Attend

1) Agnes Scott is an opening and welcoming community. All of my professors are extremely friendly, especially in the Neuroscience department.
2) We have advisors that are willing to work with you and develop career planning and scheduling. They’ll make sure you graduate within four years.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The obscurity of financial aid and how it works out. As you matriculate through, your subsidized loans may change.
2) The social life is a little bit lackluster, but they have a lot of great things to do.
3) We have very limited course offerings. Also, because we have such a small community of faculty and staff, it might be difficult to plan your course schedule.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Inman Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: RA in Rebekah Hall in a single
How was transitioning from your hometown in Nashville to Decatur, GA?
It’s pretty similar. In Nashville, I live close to three colleges, so I always grew up in an environment that was centered around education and family. Decatur is a very family-oriented city. I always think it’s a town because of how quiet and friendly everyone is. It hasn’t been that much of a stark difference.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I can’t recall a time anything traumatic has happened. Our public safety is very friendly and they do rounds often. When I’m on campus I always have an officer in sight.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I travel to Atlanta. I often go see my friends at Georgia State and Georgia Tech and I might go to their parties or have gatherings on our campus. Yesterday we had a movie night in our campus center. We have game nights and casino nights. We also have NAACP and Muslim Student Association banquets. I usually spend a lot of my weekends planning for meetings and getting my homework done. If I go to a party it’s usually a small get together in a friend’s apartment.
How has identifying as Queer influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any Queer nightlife options that you like to go to?
There definitely is. Every year we have Southern Fried Queer Pride, which raises funds to invest in LGBTQ education and community outreach. Agnes helps host a drag show every year. We have students from other campuses come, there’s a raffle, and the money goes to an organization that provides housing to transgender individuals in need. The Queer community isn’t shamed, it’s almost normal.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
The events we have are great, but a lot of times they only cater to one type of individual. Those who might like more of a party scene may think it’s a downside.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met one of my closest friends because she went to elementary school with me. We did Achievement Weekend when prospective students spend the night and sit in on a class the following morning. They get to talk with students and teachers. I met a lot of friends while going through the period of having to put myself out there a lot. I’d make a point to greet every person I saw and say hi.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Agnes Scott?
It can be a bit lackluster at times because most of the people who come here aren’t really here to party. It can be quiet on campus, which I don’t mind.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I feel like people associate with other people not based on those identifiers. It’s well mixed and it doesn’t matter. [The undergraduate population is 12% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 29% Black, and 35% White.]
How do you like the size of Agnes Scott in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 1,000] students?
I enjoy the small and intimate sizes of our classes. I feel like I know 80% of the general student body by name. It helps when you’re trying to build a sense of community while finding your own identity.
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
Since we are very close to Atlanta, a lot of our population is made up of Black students. We have organizations like a Black book club and NAACP. From Agnes, considering it’s a PWI founded to educate White women, we don’t have any Black Greek life. We don’t have that strong of a Black community. From my experience, we have lots of students who come from backgrounds who may not have had a Black student in their classroom before. As a Black student, you’re navigating through biases and microaggressions.
What is the impact of going to a historically female college on your social experience?
I don’t think it’s had a huge impact on my social experience. Sometimes you forget until you step off-campus and have to interact with more men or people who don’t go to Agnes. Agnes is really a bubble sometimes.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
We have a program called Prologue where we have to attend a career summit the Monday before we start classes in the spring semester. They’re in charge of making sure every freshman has a resume using the guidelines they provide us. All juniors have to participate in an internship. The career office is instrumental in helping individuals find internships and get course credit for it.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
For my research statistics course, I had to learn how to use SPSS. We have a digital portfolio every student has to develop. In my first year, I had to add different requirements online. They teach us the fundamentals of digital literacy and how to present yourself online and in person.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
I have gone to the financial aid office. It’s very small, which is to its demise because it’s a lot of work for three people. They led me to become an RA to get a substantial break, but it’s frustrating because once I became an RA they cut my grant in half since I no longer paid for room and board.