Major: Marketing, Film&Television

Email: pooja.dutta98@gmail.com

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Questions about Academics and COVID-19

 

What were your classes like in your first year or in your major/concentration, especially transitioning from Shen? 

My classes at the UofA were a lot different from my classes at Shen, mainly because I was learning brand new material. The material wasn't necessarily more challenging during my first year, and since I got to choose my classes, it was more enjoyable, which helped keep me motivated. In college, you are responsible for your work, and often professors don't remind you about assignments, so the main challenge is keeping yourself accountable.

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What academic experiences have stood out to you at your college in either positive or negative ways?

Out of my whole college experience, my time involved in clubs stands out the most to me. I was fortunate enough to be President of the Business of Entertainment club for two years, and I feel that I gained the most professional and personal development through that position. Leadership experience is vital and teaches you how to work in teams, but being involved in a club that you are passionate about can also be a very meaningful experience. Through this club, I found a summer internship, got experience for my resume, and made some of my best friends.

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How was your online learning experience at your college? What resources did your college provide you during this time?

I was online during my last three months of senior year. During this time I was given flexible deadlines, more office hours with professors, and some open book exams. This was incredibly helpful, and although it was difficult to create a similar learning environment to our in-person classes, I do believe that my professors did the best they could and were very accommodating.

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What did your college do well or poorly to support students and communities when COVID-19 first hit?

As a senior living off-campus, the transition to online learning did not affect me as much as students living on campus. However, I believe that the school did the best they could given the circumstances. Although I would have liked a better alternative to our graduation ceremony, times were very uncertain.

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Questions about Student Life

 

If students are interested in your major/concentration, what extracurricular activities do you recommend they do at your college?

As a business and film student, I spent a lot of time in clubs and working on student film sets. During my time in college, I was a part of the Business of Entertainment Club, Eller Scholars, ELITE Freshmen Program, Delta Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and was an Executive Assistant to the CEO of a Film Production Company. It took a lot of trial and error to find a club/community that I fit in well with and my number one piece of advice is to stick to one or two extracurricular activities. By junior year I focused only on two of these activities. I didn't want to spread myself too thin and wanted to focus my energy on the clubs/jobs that were going to benefit me the most in the long run.

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What are common things to do on weekends? Do students commute back home for the weekend or are there events on campus?

On the weekends, I spent most of my time with friends or going on club trips. I also enjoyed working on student film sets and spent many weekends working on those. I went to school in Arizona while my family was still in New York, so I could not go home often, but this distance helped me step out of my comfort zone and find creative ways to stay busy on weekends.

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Do you have a job during the school year, or is it common for students to have on-campus jobs? What is that experience like?

I had an off-campus job which I got my freshman year and continued throughout my senior year. It is pretty common to work on campus because, as a student, you do have a lot of free time, so working and making extra cash is always nice. Plus, on-campus jobs are pretty accommodating for students' schedules and easy to commute to.

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Extra Questions

 

What advice would you give to current Shen students when applying to your college?

The most helpful advice I have is to talk to someone from the school that you are interested in. My final decision was made because I became very close with my tour guide at the UofA, and she was able to answer a lot of my questions. She even continues to be one of my close friends to this day. Students have the best insight and can answer questions that school websites don't typically answer.

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What makes your college special to you?

Although I received a wonderful education and truly did love the Marketing classes that I took at the UofA, my friends made my college experience very special.

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What do you wish you knew about your college when you were a senior at Shen?

The University of Arizona was not advertised at Shen as well as many other West Coast schools. I wish that more schools across the country were represented at Shen rather than just New York schools. I knew that I wanted to be on the West Coast, but had to do a lot of my own research to learn about those options.

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Before COVID-19, what was the housing like at your college? What would you recommend to Shen seniors to find their roommates?

I lived in the dorms freshmen year and used Facebook and my school's housing app to find a roommate. However, times have changed, and many schools have Instagram pages to find roommates now.

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