St. John Fisher College

Major: Adolescent Inclusive Education with a dual major in Mathematics

Email: Lilhmich@gmail.com

​

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 were much more project oriented and teamwork focused. Instead of your typical freshman lecture experience, the classes were much smaller, to foster a strong connection between the students and professors. Rather than the work being shown to me, I was expected to take previous knowledge and apply it to new situations to learn. Then we would do examples.

​

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

Positive way: Professors are fantastic, plenty of places to study, work is predominately project oriented

Negative way: Advisors sometimes are hit/miss

​

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

Fisher transitioned to online learning relatively smoothly. There were much more flexible deadlines, and office hours were set to match the availability of the student. Finals were still offered, but the professors were extremely understanding and made sure that everyone was staying healthy and safe during class time.

​

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

The school has been extremely transparent during the summer, and has announced detailed plans to return to campus. They have even offered incoming freshman a 1-credit course to get in the college mindset. I appreciate that they are planning on continuing to roll out weekly communication to families and students, and I love that the dean has called each student to ask how they are doing.

Unfortunately though, rather than being proactive, Fisher is extremely reactive. While the college moved swiftly and efficiently during the spring semester to transition to remote learning, they were not transparent about their plans to students or faculty members, and the information on dorm/residential life took a bit longer than expected. But, I have found this to be the experience of most colleges, so it might not be just a problem that Fisher faced

​

Questions about Student Life

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

T.E.S.A is a teacher organization, Best Buddies was created by Shen alumna Emma Paradise, and there are many many other clubs!

​

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

Around 50% of campus lives within a 1 hour radius of the campus. That means that during the weekends, quite a few travel back home. There are events during the weekend, but between going out and studying, the weekends are usually accounted for!

​

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

I was involved with the rowing team during my first year at Fisher. It was difficult to balance everything, but taking naps certainly helped! I also worked ahead on projects to make sure I would not be up late cramming for an exam or assignment.

​

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 have two on-campus jobs! I am a student ambassador (tour guide) and a writing tutor in the academic success office. I love having a job on campus, and quite a few people on campus have some job.

​

Extra Questions

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

Just be yourself. Yes it’s really cliche, but Fisher is not a very difficult school to get in. When I visited Fisher while in high school, it was the only school that truly gave me a sense of home. Choosing Fisher was the best decision of my life. And while your friends may knock you for attending a school that a lot of students from Shen attend, who cares! You may see them around campus, but what difference does it make! Through my experience at Fisher, I’ve been able to travel to D.C, Philadelphia, and Chicago for free, have made tremendous connections, and have learned more about my study habits in one year of college than I did in all of high school. When applying, give Fisher a real chance.

​

What makes your college special to you?

The personal connections. Juana is a worker in the dining hall who knows the students omelette order by heart. My professors see me all around campus and come up to me and ask about my day, check to see how I am feeling about upcoming exams. The president attends mass at the chapel on campus on Sunday, and typically walks around with his wife and asks each student how their week was. A lot of these personal experiences are unheard of at most colleges, and would not be found at larger institutions.

​

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

I wish I knew how big athletics were to Fisher. Fisher is certainly not great at most sports, but almost 40% of incoming freshman plan to play a sport each year.

​

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

Freshman are assigned a roommate, but Fishers dorms are relatively large. There is only one corridor style dorm, while most freshman dorms are suite style.

​

How is the financial aid situation at your college?

The financial aid is extremely generous.

​

​