Breanna

The University of South Dakota has a very liberal feel as well as a diverse student demographic based on the variety of majors that are offered. There is a blend of artistic and theatrical students as well as students in medicine or law programs, to psychology, education, and business majors. In my experience, the faculty is definitely helpful and you can tell how much the professors care about the education of their students. Although it is a large school, I think that the size still feels comfortable and there is room for individuals to shine. I will admit that, although rarely, the large number of students can be inconvenient in terms of waiting in line for certain resources (food/drinks, library computers/printers, student services, etc.). While on campus, I spend most of my time either in the Muenster University Center, when I feel like being social, or at the library to study and I also frequent the Wellness Center, which is fairly new and very nice. At USD, there is a lot of school pride and you can easily see it in the sports teams and within the sororities/fraternities. The town of Vermillion is small and quaint, but it has a unique atmosphere unlike other small towns in the area. It is also nice that the town completely revolves around the university and students are received quite well within the community. There are several stores including a Wal-Mart, a few fast food chains, and several local restaurants to enjoy, and if you get bored with all that there are two much bigger cities located less than an hour away! One downfall that many students will complain about is the cold winters...and I mean COLD! Otherwise, I think USD is a great place to be and I have had an amazing time so far.

At USD, I feel that the majority of professors take initiative to get to know their students as well as the unique learning pace that each class will need within the semester. Every professor I’ve ever had has taken the time and effort to remember my name and connect with me, as well as the other students, over the subject matter and any questions I may have had. Personally, I like to make sure that I visit with each professor outside of class; I need the one-on-one attention to make sure I understand the subject. Also, the professors here take notice of who comes to office hours and who does not, and sometimes it can make all the difference when they evaluate final grades and you are sitting between an ‘A’ and a ‘B’. Just like high school, you will see some students who love to participate in class and others who do not speak a word unless forced to, or others who will resist participation and dismiss the importance of what is going on in class to look cool. I would say that you find less of this reluctance to participate once you’ve taken all of your general classes and move on to the classes directly associated with your field of study. Class sizes tend to decrease in the upper level classes and most people seem to realize the importance of in-class participation in regards to achieving success while attending school. Many students seem to be concerned about their personal levels of achievement and I feel that students here are very competitive. The amount of time spent studying really depends on the individual and their intended major/class. In the library or often in the commons, you will find a large number of students studying, especially during finals week! I am an English major specializing in Creative Writing, as well as a Theatre minor. In my experience at USD, the English department seems very well put together and the professors solidly know their subjects. They also offer opportunities such as writing workshops, guest writers, internships, and other job offers related to the field. Within the Theatre department, I am also offered many opportunities and just within the past semester the faculty within the department has helped me realize my potential as well as offered personal guidance on how to achieve my specific career goal. I feel like I am not just taught certain skills in these areas simply just to learn them, but that I am directly taught to use them in the job fields which they are related. The most unique class I have ever taken at USD was Introduction to Acting. The class dynamic was set up quite differently from that of other classes and the traditional learning atmosphere was strongly infused with creativity that pushed new boundaries for me. We started each class with yoga and tai chi warm-ups to relax ourselves and prepare for preforming with each other. The class size was less than half of all other classes I have taken and there was also a large trust factor amongst all the students participating within the class. My least favorite class would have to be Shakespeare, not to say I didn’t enjoy what I have learned from the class or that the teacher wasn’t great, but the difficulty of the class kept me up late nights and the amount of work that I had to do far surpassed that of my other classes. One of my favorite classes at USD was an American Literature class that was taught survey style with a large number of students. The professor did an amazing job of keeping the subject material interesting and also made many connections that pertain to modern day life and especially to the life of a college student. He used humor and common interests to encourage deep thoughts about what we had read that semester and he presented daily power-point presentations to remember the key concepts of his lectures. The subject was not necessarily interesting for me, but this professor found a way to entertain his students and make us find ways in which the works discussed were fascinating when closely examined.

Vermillion can easily be considered a ‘party town’ and many students drink on the weekends (and sometimes during the week) at house parties or downtown at the bars. I would say that there is an equal split between students that spend their time engaged strictly with academic activities, or at least constructive activities and those who party like a rock star every chance they get. If I am awake at 2 A.M. on a Tuesday, I can guarantee that I am working on homework for the next day’s class. ?If you wanted to do something besides drink on a Saturday night, there are usually a few bands playing at random locations, open-mike nights, two movie theatres that give student discounts, bowling, or a number of varying activities put on at the dorms and student centers (video games, arts and crafts, team games, etc.). Most students that want to stay connected or interact with others will leave their dorm doors open. Although I don’t live in the dorms anymore, I hear that almost everyone leaves their door open while they are there. Greek life is a huge deal on campus, with over 30 fraternities/sororities to become a part of and each one supporting a system of life-long friendships (I know from friends involved with several different Greek houses). Athletic events gain the most popularity of all campus activities, especially football, but theatre productions are definitely a must-see among the USD community. Depending on the guest speaker, there will be an influx of students attending the event, especially when it is mandatory for credit in a particular class. In my experience, I have found the guest speakers to be very interesting, especially when related to my field of study. Personally, I spend most of my time off campus working or hanging out with friends at some of the previously mentioned hang-outs. I met my closest friends not on campus, but through my job at a local restaurant. Most of my co-workers are students as well, but I would probably never have met them through classes alone. In fact, with the help of a friend from work, I started the Improv Club on campus last semester. I love being a part of something I am so interesting in and we always have so much fun with it. We meet once a week for a couple hours and basically just play improv games and learn about the craft from my co-founder, who teaches us what he knows about improv from his experience. Hopefully by the end of the year we will be ready to perform for an audience! It is one of my proudest accomplishments since I have been at USD and I have formed many important friendships since we started the group.