Major: Economics & Sociology

Email: jessicatangdxdx@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? 

I thought Economics with Mr Edson was a great foundation for me to build upon in college, and I didn’t have too much trouble transitioning. Even though I have never taken Sociology classes in high school, I enjoyed classes like Lit Classics with Miss Buttimer and AP Lit with Ms Kitchen, and those English classes prepared me well for the readings in Sociology. Overall, I didn’t have much trouble with grades in college because of the great teachers I had in Shen.

​

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

I have always wanted to go to law school, but as a first generation law student, I felt lost. Luckily, I had really great professors and advisors guiding me. I was in the University Scholars program in college, which is a tight knitted community for honors students, and I met all my best friends in the program. I also did sociology research that led to a senior honors thesis on gender wage gap, which I enjoyed and made me realize even more that I want to be a lawyer.

​

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

I only had a quarter of my senior year online through zoom, and my professors were very accommodating. I still took the finals, but the finals were all open notes and I didn’t feel pressured at all. Even though it was weird at first, and of course, upsetting because I already am graduating college after only 3 years instead of the traditional 4 years, but my professors were so flexible that my experience with online classes is overall positive.

​

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

My college did poorly in transparency in communication, but it is not my college’s fault at all, because I go to a large state university and the admin needs to communicate with the governor before proceeding with anything. Even though we had to move out of our dorms eventually, I think the experience could be worse because my college gave us about 5 days to move out, which is enough time for me personally.

​

Questions about Student Life

 

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

I was involved in a lot of student body governing extracurricular activities such as University Senate and Dean’s Council. I definitely recommend those extracurricular activities, because I want to be a lawyer and I want my voice to be heard. The best way for students’ voices to make changes is to join those activities and reflect their opinions to the authorities.

​

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

For stony brook, a lot of students commute home for the weekend. The common things to do on weekends for me is either study with my friends at Starbucks/Panera or grab food in Port Jefferson.

​

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

I’m not involved in athletics in college. I was on the track and field team in high school, but with my honors requirements and a double major in addition to graduating in 3 years, I couldn’t do any sports. I hit the gym for an hour everyday, and go to dance classes with my friends 3 times a week, but that’s about all the sports I do.

​

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 2 jobs during the school year. I think it is somewhat common for students to have on campus jobs, because it is a great way to make some money and earn experience. My jobs were the financial assistant at this theater on campus, and administrative assistant at the school of nursing. I enjoyed both jobs and even though both jobs have nothing to do with law, I thought both of my supervisors were amazing and I would highly recommend.

​

Extra Questions

 

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

I would definitely say that STEM classes are very difficult at Stony Brook, especially comp sci and math classes, so if anyone wants to major in comp sci or math, I’d say you have to be truly passionate about those majors. Of course, this is coming from an incoming 1L at University of Connecticut school of law, so I cannot say everyone will struggle with math like I did. Other than that, the professors are amazing, and university scholars program is the best. I met so many friends and great professors.

​

What makes your college special to you?

My college is truly special to me because I have so many great memories there. I remember in my freshman year, my suitemates and I would do Friendly Fridays. We would order ice cream form friendly’s and talk about our classes and our lives. My friend, who is from Shen and went to Stony Brook together with me, is truly there for me all the time. We would complain about dining hall food, struggle in chemistry classes (maybe only I struggled but still) and go to basketball games just for a free piece of cheese pizza. We just graduated the past Spring and I think our college experiences shaped who we are.

​

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

I wish I knew that the intro to chemistry class was extremely difficult and I shouldn’t have taken it. I was really stressed at freshman orientation because I didn’t have any advisors helping me, and there were not many pre-law students in stony brook, so I didn’t know what classes to take. I ended up taking an extremely difficult chem class (CHE 154) and math class (MAT 132) which I didn’t have to take at all.

​

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

I cannot speak for everyone, but I just went onto the housing portal, looked at a bunch of bios and decided to randomly jump into a suite. It was the best decision I have ever made and my suitemates became my best friends ever. Even though we are all from different parts of the US, we bonded quickly and I still text them on a daily basis until today. My recommendation is just read others’ bios, and even if you don’t click with your roommate it is not the end of the world. There are so many opportunities to make friends that one bad roommate experience will not affect anything.

​

How is the financial aid situation at your college

My financial aid situation is ok. I received a great scholarship, and since it was in state tuition, I was barely paying anything compared to many others. In fact, the amount of tuition I have paid in my 3 years of college is less than half of what I would’ve paid for a year of college at an Ivy.

​

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

I just want to say make the best out of your time. College passes fast, and I didn’t even realize how short my time at college was. Even though I am a law student now and I am even more interested in the topics compared to my majors in college, I still miss my friends from college. Just cherish your time there. Life goes by fast.