Here are the interviews I conducted with Charlie and Steve. They're a little scripted, but my subjects were busy men (particularly Charlie) so I didn't have as much time to get into the subtle nuances of their college experiences. Regardless, I did get rather a lot of information from both, which contributed greatly to the counterpoint in my introduction.
12:50:35 PM The Jenn: Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed about your college experience.
12:51:11 PM Steve: Oh, sure!
12:53:01 PM The Jenn: To just start off with some general questions, what is/was your major?
12:53:49 PM Steve: I'm majoring in Mathematics.
12:54:18 PM The Jenn: Why mathematics?
12:55:33 PM Steve: Well, I'm good at higher math, and I like problem-solving, and certain elements come naturally to me.
12:56:07 PM The Jenn: So you're a very serious, analytical person?
12:57:09 PM Steve: I can be, if the work calls for it. It suits me, I think. I do like that solutions aren't fuzzy in math, most everything is clean-cut.
12:57:26 PM The Jenn: Unambiguity is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
12:57:41 PM Steve: To be sure!
12:58:21 PM The Jenn: All right. How well would you say that you did in school? Major and/or cumulative GPA would be lovely, but a general idea would work as well.
1:00:24 PM Steve: I've just graduated RVCC with an Associate's Degree in Math, with a 2.95 GPA (3.43 Major GPA). That said, there were a number of courses that I registered for and never attended to maintain health insurance coverage through my parents when I was younger and needed to be a full time student.
1:01:29 PM The Jenn: Health insurance is very important to you?
1:03:00 PM Steve: I have asthma, as well as other medical conditions, all of which would be exceptionally expensive to treat in the absence of healthcare coverage, which is expensive in and of itself when not derived from familial employment.
1:03:20 PM The Jenn: Fair enough.
1:04:11 PM The Jenn: So how old were you when you graduated with the Associate's?
1:05:14 PM Steve: I was 28. Still am.
1:05:16 PM Steve: ^_^
1:06:07 PM The Jenn: Very nice... so I'd imagine that you weren't continuously in college for the past ten years. Can you tell me a little bit about what you were up to?
1:08:52 PM Steve: After my first year at Rutgers, I left school to focus on my Olympic Ice Dance ambitions. I had been training 20+ hours a week as well as trying to manage my full-time college workload. Since my physical health was/is going to degrade more rapidly than my capacity to learn, I elected to focus on the more physically demanding option.
1:10:51 PM Steve: That lasted until 2001 when I developed a severe case of Bronchitis, which put me out of training for 3 months and left my lungs scarred.
1:15:03 PM Steve: Following that, I went back to school while working part-time. It was in this period that I registered for courses that I didn't attend for the medical coverage. During my time away from school, of course, I didn't have health insurance, and I realized the full extent of the costs associated with my conditions.
1:17:40 PM Steve: My education continued slowly until I turned 24, at which point I became ineligible for health care through my parents regardless of my student status.
1:23:27 PM Steve: At this point in my life, I sought full-time work that would extend me health care benefits. I worked at 2 financial institutions as a teller over the course of 3.5 years. In January, I lost my job and resolved to finish my education. I finished the last course necessary for my AS in Math in the summer session that just ended at the end of June. Formally, I won't be invested with my degree until August 31, but practically, I have finished my coursework. All that remains for me is to finish my major courses for a BS in Math from Rutgers.
1:24:42 PM The Jenn: Wow, that's quite a tale.
1:25:10 PM The Jenn: Did you do anything else aside from ice dancing and school during that first year?
1:25:56 PM The Jenn: Clubs, work, etc?
1:26:28 PM Steve: Not really. I played a lot of computer games. Kept to myself, mostly. I was depressed - my Great grandmother died in October '99, and it really effected me.
1:30:03 PM The Jenn: I can see how that might kill one's motivation.
1:30:36 PM The Jenn: Just one final question before I let you go. What are your thoughts regarding the following statement: ‘A normal college student will begin his or education at approximately 18 years of age and graduate at approximately 21?’
1:39:24 PM Steve: Well, I think that the statement accurately represents the position that society presents to young people, and I think that it's a lot of pressure for them. I suspect that many people would like to be considered normal; I know that it bothered me for a bit that I didn't fit this ideal. I think that many people who are considered fairly normal nevertheless don't fit into this concept, and many people I know who went the 4 year degree route now regret their choices...
1:40:42 PM Steve: I think that presenting this course as the 'expected' paradigm can limit people in a manner that does them a disservice.
1:42:27 PM Steve: One thing that stands out in my mind is that most of the people I know who have followed this path have commented to me that they envy me my life experiences.
1:44:43 PM The Jenn: Well thank you very much for your time.
1:44:49 PM Steve: Always a pleasure.
2:10:45 PM The Jenn: All right. Thanks.
2:11:56 PM The Jenn: So, what was your major and did it ever change during your time at Rutgers?
2:13:01 PM Charlie: When I initially got to school, I had my heart set on a career in entertainment, most likely television... so my intended major was Journalism and Media Studies, the closest thing we have to a TV-radio program
2:13:08 PM Charlie: and that's what I graduated with
2:13:34 PM Charlie: unfortunately, six years later, my career goals had changed significantly but it was too late to change
2:14:10 PM The Jenn: Did you do a Poli Sci minor? I could've sworn you were doing something Poli Sci related.
2:14:45 PM The Jenn: I guess you've been doing a bunch of political stuff lately, so I thought you were a Poli Sci major. Derr.
2:15:14 PM Charlie: My minor was Poli Sci, for some time I was trying to double-major, but in the interest of graduating I decided against it
2:15:22 PM The Jenn: Ah.
2:16:02 PM The Jenn: Do you recall what your major/cumulative GPA was? If not, could you describe how well you did in school?
2:16:29 PM Charlie: i'll look it up now, i would say "not good"
2:17:45 PM Charlie: i guess "topsy-turvy" would be a good way to describe it as well
2:18:31 PM Charlie: fall 08 seems to be my worst semester, when i posted a 1.75, while fall 07 was my best, a 3.5
2:18:43 PM The Jenn: What about overall?
2:18:50 PM Charlie: all in all, i graduated with a 2.378
2:19:07 PM The Jenn: Cool.
2:19:13 PM The Jenn: And how old were you when you graduated?
2:20:06 PM Charlie: 23
2:20:49 PM The Jenn: And you were attending college continuously from when you started your freshman year (at about 18 or so) until you graduated?
2:21:48 PM Charlie: yes
2:22:52 PM The Jenn: What sort of activities did you focus on while you were in college and do you think these activities might have affected the length of your time as an undergraduate?
2:26:50 PM Charlie: i was very active in a number of organizations that significantly affected my schoolwork
2:27:30 PM Charlie: many were academic-oriented, particularly IDIA, which puts on model UN and model congress conferences
2:27:58 PM Charlie: but i also started an internet radio station, semi-regularly performed standup comedy, and worked extensively on political campaigns in the city
2:29:18 PM The Jenn: All right.
2:29:47 PM The Jenn: And this is basically my last question. What are your thoughts regarding the following statement: ‘A normal college student will begin his or her education at approximately 18 years of age and graduate at approximately 21?’
2:33:36 PM Charlie: the statement was true ten or fifteen years ago, but it is quickly becoming more normal to finish school later in life... i encounter people of all ages in new brunswick who are attending post-secondary education of one type or another and juggling that responsibility with family, children, and employment responsibilities
2:34:17 PM Charlie: additionally, as more students transfer and lose credits in the process, as well as take semesters or years off from school before resuming their studies, the typical college graduate is much older than 21
2:34:34 PM Charlie: i know that sentence didn't totally make sense, but you get the gist
2:34:40 PM The Jenn: I do.
2:34:52 PM The Jenn: Well, that's everything I had to say. Thanks again for helping me out.
