Majors: Anthropology, Biology

Email: kathrynannfish@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? 

My first year of classes included a healthy mix of major-specific classes (anthropology courses--I added my biology major during my second year) and general education courses, which was great because I was able to start studying my passion right away!

 

In terms of academics, what stood out to me the most was that I re-learned how to write papers which has ultimately made writing much more bearable and even fun. In terms of professor-student interactions, it is much more important for college students to make an effort to know your professors and make sure the professors know you. College professors care about their students, but with lectures of 50-100+ students, it is much harder for them to know you from only seeing you in class. This is why attending professor office hours is so important!

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

One of the first courses I ever took was Intro to Human Evolution with a professor who I immediately knew I wanted to be my mentor. After showing interest in her research, I worked in her lab for a semester and then developed my own independent research project focusing on dog and wolf tails that allowed me to travel to Harvard and the American Museum of Natural History to collect data from museum collections with funding from the university. This project ultimately became my honors thesis which I presented virtually this past April.

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

Professors really did everything they could on such short notice to make online learning accessible and less stressful. Some of my professors made deadlines extremely flexible, while others completely revised their syllabi and cut out requirements for the course so we had less work to complete. The classes I was taking were all asynchronous, meaning we never met on Zoom or WebEx together. This allowed flexibility for people who had work and/or family obligations that would prevent them from "attending" class that way. To still make sure we were interacting with the course, we had to participate in forums to talk about the material and respond to questions or comments from the professor and our classmates.

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

URI was very transparent in what they did and did not know yet when COVID-19 first became a serious threat to in-person education. Thankfully, they allowed students to stay on campus for housing and dining if necessary. URI is a public school so some of their decisions were controlled by the state government but there was no action that they took that seemed unnecessary or out of the ordinary.

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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?

The anthropology department is very small at URI which makes us really close-knit but there are not many extracurriculars related to the department. However, many students engage in research with the faculty and conduct their own independent projects

 

In the biology department, there are many opportunities for research as well as clubs that cater to specific interests like the Wildlife Society. There is also Seeds of Success that focuses on supporting underrepresented students in Biology and related majors.

 

Besides my research, I found extracurriculars outside of my academic interests which helped me meet lifelong friends from all backgrounds and majors. I was an RA in the residence halls for three years, an editor for the campus-wide literature and arts magazine called Ether(bound), and a tutor for the football team.

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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?

On the weekends we would attend football or basketball games, free ice skating, and occasional movie nights on the quad. Rhode Island is a small state so my friends and I would either take the public bus (which is free with a student pass) or drive (if someone had their car) to different beaches and lighthouses to enjoy the outdoors. We also took day trips to Boston and Providence to get a change of scenery!

 

There are some students who commute back home on the weekends but most of the student population stay on campus for the weekends.

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

I did not play official sports but I was on a friend's intramural volleyball team for a semester. Intramural sports are very popular at URI and a great way to meet people!

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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 worked as an RA on campus for 3 years which was an amazing experience and really helped offset the cost of college. I was also a tutor for the football team. Both jobs were really great experiences where I met lifelong friends and expanded my social circle on campus. Having a job also really helped my time management skills and I was able to balance work and school really well.

 

It is common for students to have a job during the year on campus, but I did know some people (usually who lived in Rhode island) who had cars and were able to work off campus!

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Extra Questions

 

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

Have an open mind. The school at the bottom of your list may end up being your dream school once you visit or get accepted. College is what you make of it, so focus on the experiences that a school offers rather than the name of the university.

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What makes your college special to you?

URI will always be a home for me. It is where I found my passion and started my career, but most of all it is where I built a family of life long friends that helped me find my true self. I probably would have been happy at any school that I went to, but URI is special to me because of the people I met and my own intrapersonal development during my 4 years on that campus.

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

I remember many high school teachers hanging college over our heads as a world filled with ruthless professors, classes we couldn't pass, and wildly high standards to meet. My experience at URI was actually more relaxed and less taxing than what I expected and I enjoyed being a more self directed learner. Depending on who you are, you may find college easier or harder than high school. Regardless of difficulty, you should enjoy academics as long as you take classes that interest you and follow a path you are passionate about.

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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?

At URI you can live on campus for your entire undergraduate education. First-year housing is organized based on your major (i.e. if you are an engineering major, you will most likely be placed in one of the engineering living learning community halls). As a sophomore you have the option of suite style residence halls or single rooms, and juniors and seniors typically live in the apartment style buildings with kitchens. Each level of housing based on your year is catered to what you need. For example, first year residence hall RAs host programs in the halls that cater to people living away from home for the first time, making friends, and finding their place on campus.

 

Everyone has a different experience with finding roommates. My first year I had roommates randomly assigned to me and it worked out great. Do what you are most comfortable with--if you want to have control over who you live with, find one through your school's facebook page. If you trust your school's roommate matching program then try that! You'll never know who you will meet and what your roommate will really be like when you get there.

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How is the financial aid situation at your college?

URI offers good out of state academic scholarships as well as other aid types. I would suggest looking at their website and talking to them on the phone to learn more about your specific needs.

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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?

I remember while preparing to move away for college one of my biggest concerns was being far away from everyone I knew and staying in contact with my friends. Luckily I was able to stay in contact with the people who I had really close friendships with in high school all through college. It is pretty scary moving away to college but you will stay in contact with the people who really matter to you and you will make tons of new friends at your school.

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