Major: Economics

Email: deanawms@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? 

Shen did a great job preparing me with the transition from high school to college. In my first year the difficulty and rigor of my classes was not much harder than the honors level classes I took in my senior year of high school. The material directly built on what I had learned in high school and made for a relatively easy transition into college. The biggest different was the amount of free time I had to prepare for my classes. In high school we had classes every day but in college most of my classes met only twice or three times a week so it was important to use the days off as time to review the material from class so that it was fresh in my brain when I went to the next class.

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

I was fortunate enough to study abroad my entire junior year in London at the London School of Economics. It was an experience unlike any other where I was able to attend a school based in London, travel all across Europe, and make friends from countries around the world. I joined a sports team at the school, became involved in a few clubs, and treated my time there as if I was a regular student at the University. I would recommend to every student to try your best to do even just a semester abroad because it will greatly widen your view of the world and will help you understand where America fits in. It will provide you an opportunity to meet people from cultures and backgrounds you may have never met and I forever will believe it was one of the most fun experiences in my life.

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

My online experience was vastly different due to the University in London having to accommodate students from all around the world. I had classes starting as early as 6am and classes starting as late as 9pm but overall it worked out well. College classroom settings are more easily available online because often times in college classroom setting are less interactive. Lectures are easy to do online because the entire time you are taking notes rather than interacting with the teacher or other students. Online finals worked well as most of my professors allowed for open note exams and adjusted their tests accordingly but the rigor of the exams didn’t fluctuate much.

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

Our school has put together extensive emails to keep the students informed about their decision to reopen. Additionally they have sent out a few surveys to ask students for their opinions about wearing masks in the classroom and other new policies. Last year the school did an excellent job refunding students a portion of their room and board in order to compensate for the losses during covid. Additionally they sent all of the abroad students a refund for their flights back home because of the unfortunate circumstances.

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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?

I am currently a member of Student Congress, Vice President of The College Republicans, A member of our club baseball team and a student researcher with one of our economics professors. I believe our campus and most other colleges provide undergraduate students an immense opportunity to get involved around campus. I would recommend joining a few clubs freshmen year and doing your best to remain active in them. As time goes on the more active you are the more likely you will be to earn an executive spot on a club and the more likely you will make friends within the club. A few of my closest friends I have made have been through student organizations and my friend group is very diverse due to the variety of clubs I’m involved in.

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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?

Most students remain here on campus over the weekend. Often times students spend the weekend hanging out with friends, going to club events on campus, or spending time off campus in the city of providence. I spend most of my weekend watching sports with my friends as we’re all big sports fans so whether we’re crowded around a tv watching the days football or baseball games, or live at our schools games, we tend to spend our weekends together enjoying a few games.

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

I play a club sport on campus and fortunately for me we only have a few practices a week so it is relatively easy to balance that with my school work. Club sports is a great option for those who want to continue their sports career in a competitive way, but don’t want to commitment of playing a collegiate sport.

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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?

It’s relatively common for students to work jobs on campus and its a great way to make money while you’re at school. I work as a research assistant on campus which takes up a decent portion of my time. It’s a great way to get close to a professor which is essential for teacher recommendations that you will need following you time at school.

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Extra Questions

 

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

I would say apply to as many schools as you can and more importantly visit as many schools as you can. Providence was never very high on my list until I went and visited the campus. I took a tour and met with some current students who told me about their experience here. After doing that and attending a basketball game here I knew this school was right for me. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers that’s schools put out and all of the information they give to you but at the end of the day I feel that visiting a school and walking around is the only way to know if you’ll fit in there.

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What makes your college special to you?

I love the inclusivity and energy my school has. Everyone here is super friendly and is always willing to lend a hand. It’s something we call the “friar family” and it’s alive and well on our campus. Students here want all of their classmates and peers to succeed and will go the extra mile to help. Additionally not have fraternities or sororities makes it so that on the weekends or through clubs you’re able to hang out with a variety of people as opposed to the same group all the time.

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

I wish I knew how important it was to develop good study habits. It’s easy to get overwhelmed freshmen year with making friends, joining clubs, and trying to be social, but it was difficult to balance that with my school work early on. If I had developed stronger study habits in high school it would have allowed me to smooth my transition a bit better where as when I was a freshmen I struggled early on to balance my academics and my social life.

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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 went random and it worked out well for me. My freshmen year roommates and I all went our separate ways to live with our friends but we have always remained friends with one another and often keep in touch. A few rooms had problems with random roommates but often times those kids were able to find a good friend group on their floor or in their building regardless of who they roomed with. But more often than not random rooms worked out better then rooms where students picked their roommates from a GroupMe.

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How is the financial aid situation at your college?

Our college does an excellent job accommodating students with financial aid. Unfortunately our college is quite expensive but the school does a great job accommodating those students who need aid in order to help afford the expensive price. Additionally they are generous with scholarship money as well but many students are afraid to apply for them. I would recommend to all seniors to apply to as many scholarships as they can because they really do add up.

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