Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Law

Email: JHengsterman@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? 

I am in a living/learning community at Binghamton, so my first semester of classes was chosen for me by an academic advisor. I took a class in Philosophy, a class in Anthropology, and a class dedicated to conducting social science research. One of the major differences between classes in college and classes in high school is that college classes are much more self-guided, meaning that how well you do in the class is entirely reliant on the work you put in. While this sound more difficult then what classes in high school are like, I found the autonomy much more beneficial to my personal learning experience.

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

I was able to perform research my first year on a topic I truly care about (incarceration). Binghamton offers two avenues for first-year undergrad research. One of them is called FRI (Freshman Research Immersion), and it typically deals with research in STEM fields. The research that I did was through the SOURCE Project, which is geared more towards the social sciences. This was probably the coolest part of my Freshman year, as I was in a class of around 15 students and was being taught and advised by two fantastic professors — both of whom I ended up forming close relationships with. Being able to make a big school like Binghamton smaller is very important, and there are a ton of ways to do it. One other quick example would be the living/learning communities, which I mentioned earlier. I lived in a living/learning community last year (and will again this upcoming year) and it was one of the best decisions I made. My community was called PLS, or Politics, Law and Society. Essentially you dorm with people who are also interested in those subjects, and all of you take normal undergrad classes together your first semester, as well as a seminar with your advisor your second semester. Almost all of the friends I made my first year of college were made on the first day I got to Binghamton, because I met them all in my dorm. Having friends that shared my interests and lived right across the hall from me was such a great experience.

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

We went online in early March and it was definitely not ideal. I think that the professors tried their best to make it work, but they were all very new to the Zoom stuff (as were the students) so it was tough to get into a groove before the end of the semester. That said, Binghamton was pretty flexible considering the changes. The two major things that they did to help students out was to prorate our housing costs (essentially have us pay less because we weren’t living on campus), and allow us to take up to 12 credits pass/fail. Typically you can take 8 credits (I think) pass/fail, and those credits don’t count for major or gen-ed requirements. For Spring semester, they upped it to 12 credits, all of which were able to count towards major and gen-ed requirements. While I didn’t take advantage of this, I know people that did and benefited from it.

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

They were pretty transparent when it came to communication, they sent emails out almost every week that provided information and resources for how to deal with everything that was going on. I’m not quite sure what they did for financial support aside from prorating the housing costs (if I recall correctly they gave out like $500 to any student that needed financial assistance due to inconveniences caused by new university policies, but you had to apply and I’m not sure how many people actually got it). Dorm life obviously changed quite a bit, but like I said before our costs reflected the fact that we were no longer living in dorms.

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Questions about Student Life

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

There’s a lot of things you can do because the major is so broad. I chose to get involved with a political campaign, write for a law journal on campus, and volunteer at a jail. I chose all of these because they are relevant to my career goals, but if you are interested in other types of things there is almost certainly a club or activity for you to join.

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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?

Binghamton is not a commuter school by any means, and the weekends mainly just consisted of what you would expect college weekends to consist of: hanging out with friends, studying, doing laundry, and partying. As for events, theres always something going on at Binghamton, but typically sports are the most common school-sanctioned events.

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Are you involved in athletics at your college? How do you balance sports, academics, and extracurricular activities?

No, I am about as athletic as a piece of plywood.

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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 don’t, but there are tons of jobs on and off campus for students to take advantage of. I know a few friends who worked on campus and I think it went well for them.

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Extra Questions

 

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

You can’t beat the cost, the academics are fantastic, and there are so many opportunities that it will make your head spin. That said, Binghamton the city leaves a lot to be desired. It’s no Boston or NYC. But, again, you can’t beat the cost.

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What makes your college special to you?

The freedom to choose my own path and have people (professors, advisors, etc.) support and guide me.

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

I wish I knew a little more about the area and how to make the most of it, which is something I’m going to try and do next semester.

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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?

Join a living/learning community! You won’t regret it! Also random roommates aren’t as scary as they seem. My roommate was random (well, he was in my learning community so not entirely random) and even though we were completely different people we got along just fine. Don’t buy into the notion that your roommate has to be your best friend. You will hardly even see each other. You will just need to learn to cohabitate well and you will be fine!

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Is there anything else you'd like to share about your college experience that hasn't been addressed yet in this questionnaire?

Don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions! Go Bearcats!