Majors: Cinema Studies, Creative Writing 

Minor: Photography

Email: ngrimes@oswego.edu 

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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 had two core classes that were pretty basic (intro courses) and 3 gen eds. I only came into college with three credits from AP World, but I’m glad I had any at all! It helped me get one of my gen eds out of the way my freshman year which was really nice. My second semester I had a lot more freedom to choose my courses so I took classes I was more interested in, like Film Genre, Film Production, Creative Nonfiction Writing, etc.

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

The general atmosphere of college is seriously fantastic. Almost everyone you meet is down to earth, ready and willing to learn and collaborate, and the professors are as well. I loved on campus life and my residence hall community. I made a lot of friends and was even able to join a club sport! I’ve gotten close to not only a ton of other students, but some professors as well, who to be honest, feel like my parents. The support there is unmatched and everyone is all in for you to achieve your goals and get where you need to go.

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

Personally, I felt as though I lacked learning through online courses, but that’s mostly because I don’t learn well when I’m not face to face. I’m very hands on, auditory, etc. and I tend to go off of notes from lectures to learn anything, so having asynchronous classes was difficult for me. Although, deadlines were more flexible, my finals were online, and I was able to get in touch with my professors pretty easily, so that was good. I was able to work from home and had a car and a free place to live too, which was awesome as well. (Costs were lower, since I’m paying for college)

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

They were very clear with what we’d be doing, gave all the professors a crash course on online learning and taught them how to use Blackboard/Zoom and whatnot. I thought that was really nice of them. Throughout the pandemic and especially in the beginning, Oswego was very attentive to their students, and communication with my school is a HUGE yes for me. That was part of the reason I chose Oswego in the first place. They gave us refunds for our room and board and even allowed us to stay in our dorms if we needed to. It was very organized and for what we had to work with, they did a great job.

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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?

We have a film club, which I couldn’t join because I do a sport on campus, but they also have WTOP10, our radio station, and our news station as well, which is great to join if you’re interested in Broadcasting in addition to Cinema. Definitely get involved, though. I joined Cheerleading and I’m now the President, and I’m thinking of starting an on campus podcast this fall with some of my friends.

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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?

We have on campus events, but if I’m being honest, the night life is where it’s at. Oswego is definitely a bar town but there are always parties off campus. I can’t say there will be this fall, and if there is, I don’t know if it would be the best idea to attend said parties, however, students will hang around campus on the weekends and just chill out with friends. A lot of the weekend activities are individual based, if you wanna go out, then go out, but if you wanna stay in, I always have a great time watching a movie with my boyfriend and ordering Sub Shop.

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

I do cheerleading, which I LOVE. I run the team, which takes up a lot of my time and practice 3-5 days of the week, depending on the time of the year, but I never have trouble balancing work and recreation. I ended my Freshman year with a 3.73 gpa.

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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?

Getting a job on campus if difficult if you apply once school starts. You can work at the dining hall, but that isn’t the most fun. However, we have lots of cafes and auxiliary services, the library, skate shop, etc. which hire students on campus, so apply early, and you can work on campus! It’s very common to have a job on campus or even off campus at one of our Dunkin’ Donuts’ or Subway. The only job I’ve held was at the dining hall, and it wasn’t very flexible, so I ended up quitting.

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Extra Questions

 

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

Honestly, the application process was one of the most simple. One thing I do recommend is Laker for a Day. That’s why I ended up committing. I LOVED shadowing a student for a day, getting to go to the dining hall, and sitting in on a class within my major.

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What makes your college special to you?

Ugh, where do I begin? So much. I appreciate the community, the people, the professors, the LAKE. The sunsets are UNMATCHED and the campus is beautiful. Smaller, but beautiful. For a public SUNY, it’s one of the best ones I think.

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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?

We have several residence halls on campus, all of which Freshman can live in. I loved my residence hall, mostly because of the people, the fact that it’s connected to a dining hall AND a gym. In the winter, it was so nice to not have to walk through the tundra to eat, and even better is the bus picks up right in front. (I lived in Oneida). It was older, but there are more updated dorms with private bathrooms on east campus, where I’m living this coming year. If you’re looking for a roommate, definitely join the Facebook page, but going random can work too. My boyfriend loved his random roommate and I hated the one I chose, so it’s always a toss up.

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How is the financial aid situation at your college?

I got the most financial aid from Oswego out of all the schools I applied to.

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