Clarkson University Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Andrea

There is not a lot of diversity at Clarkson whatsoever. Most students are white middle-class. Any person of color or different social class may possibly feel out of place, although I don't believe they would be necessarily discriminated against. Most of the students are in-state, but the majority stay on campus during the weekends anyways. Campus seriously lacks any political awareness.

Ashley

Clarkson University is one of the most diverse schools around, in fact, I think that is one of the things Clarkson is known for. There are students from every race/nationality all over, its another one of my favorite things about this school: everyone interacts with everyone, no matter what race, religion, socio-economic status, etc.

Christian

Hard working and studious. Most students of Clarkson have high ambition to learn, and when available, spend their time just like everyone else. Most students come from the middle class, not very many students have their parents pay for their whole education. Most of my friends have scholarships, work to pay for school, take out small loans, or a combination of all three. When referring to the "work week", class days, people generally don't focus too heavily on their clothing and style. When the weekend comes, students dress up to go out to eat with friends or family, hang out at fraternity/sorrority houses, and go out to bars if they are of age. One third of Clarkson students are Hockey fans, and religiously go to the hockey games every weekend.

Andrew

Racial experiences? - I'm friendly with basically all ethnicities. Black, white, asian, you name it and I'm friends with at least one of them. out of place? - I feel as though if you're intelligent and try at all to be outgoing, you'll be able to fit in just fine. Wardrobe? - casual clothes. Some teachers say no hats, but besides that mostly warm, casual clothes. student interactions? - From my experience, everyone interacts with everyone else. It's a relatively small school so you become friendly with everyone. four tables? - 1. students doing homework. 2. students in greek letters 3. students laughing about something benign. 4. More students laughing about the daily joke on reddit. where are students from? - New york area. Few outliers from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the World. Financial backgrounds? - I'd say middle class. politically aware? - I would have to say no for the most part. Very little political talk besides in classes and the huge topics. (SOPA, PIPA, ACTA ect...) Talk about earnings one day? - We all want to be millionaires and expect jobs out of college so yes, we do talk about money since we expect to make a lot some day.

Chelsea

I guess to put it bluntly, most students are white, male, slightly conservative (politically), upper-middle class, and majoring in engineering. However, all of my friends were liberals, about half were female, and many were either international students or lower-middle class Americans. I feel like there are three main groups of students on campus- engineering majors, hockey players, and everyone else. The "everyone else" category being considerably more diverse (and yes, we do have an LGBTQ group on campus). We are a pretty laid back bunch- we wear jeans and hoodies to class, don't get too worked up over political issues, and consider a good Friday night to be hanging out with friends in a dorm room eating and having a couple beers.

Peter

Most student at Clarkson are from the Northeast, however there are still students from all over. There is also strong foreign population. I wouldn't really say that any type of student would feel out of place, there are many different groups of people at the University, just some are more prevalent than others.

Junie

Even through Clarkson is middle of no where, it is diverse with many people around the country and also around the world. To some it may not seem like it, but from my personal background, there are alot of people from everywhere that offers many different stories. There are people from different states, different believes, race, and also classes.We also have great diversity in the graduate field.

Michael

Every race and ethnicity is present on Clarkson Universities campus. I feel that no student would feel out of place at Clarkson. Most students wear jeans and t-shirts, some dress in suits and ties, and some in sweat pants (mainly during finals week). Different types of students interact all the time, this can be seen in clubs, inter-mural sports, and everywhere around campus. Four tables of students would be composed of a table of sport athletes from the same team, two tables of guys and girls that probably live on the same floor in the same dorm, and a table consisting of faculty and staff. Most students are from New York and Vermont. Middle class backgrounds seem to be the most prevalent financial backgrounds. Students seem to be politically aware for the most part. Clarkson students tend to be humble about future salaries, but it is a rewarding and exciting thought.

Abigail

Students at Clarkson are very down to earth and everyone is there for the same reason, to get an amazing education. Due to the small town vibe that Potsdam, NY provides, any student that wants a city atmosphere should not consider Clarkson. The small classes give students the ability to interact with classmates that they typically wouldn't be friends with. Most students are from New York but there are students from all over the country and there are even international students. Students here at Clarkson don't really care about what other students do, as long as they are happy.

Leonel

The Clarkson student body is predominantly Caucasian with a strong middle to upper class background. They are either from villages or small towns with mainly Caucasians. If they come from cities then they come from schools with no little to no racial diversity. But that does not mean Clarkson has some diversity. Clarkson is diverse, not as much as other colleges, but still diverse. As a Mexican-American from Los Angeles, California, I stood out very strongly in Clarkson. Though i stood out and felt like an outsider, everyone treated me kindly. Yes there were some ignorant comments but they could easily be "ignored". Some of the students are politically aware but others just make comments that are inaccurate, but what can you expect it's college. Regardless of the typical students in Clarkson, anyone can easily adjust to the Clarkson environment.

Kendra

The students at Clarkson are very diverse. The one thing that most have in common is that they are hardworking motivated people. The community is very open and accepting towards diversity, anybody can fit in here. We have students from all around the United States as well as international students. Students are really open and approachable, it is a very warm, friendly community. There is no one stereotype for a Clarkson Student, everyone is an individual with their own, thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and backgrounds. The University really supports diversity initiatives on campus.

Samantha

My classmates, in general, defy convention to the maximum; they are ambitious and adventurous and they know how to work hard and play hard.

mari

7:1 ratio, lots of whites, but relatively diverse.

fei

hard-working, smart and cooperative

Christopher

The most intelligent, wonderfuly quirky, completely personable group of people that I've ever had in my life and continue to have in my life.

Crista

While attending Clarkson University, my classmates are competitive, caring, hard working and will remain my life long friends.

Kathleen

Everyone is friendly, openminded to new ideas, and willing to help others, because its a school with competition, everyone helps and encourages everyone else.

Alexander

Argueably almost all students (males outnumbering females 3-1) excelled academically in high school math and science and are on track for an advanced degree and career in engineering or research or both.

Scott

Very dedicated to everything that they do.

Maureen

They are smart young adults who make me poud to call them my classmates.

Carlos

Because of our remote locating I find it that most students here are Clarkson are from the Eastern side of America. More specifically most students here are from the New York area. Although there are people from Missouri, California, and Utah we predominantly have students from this side of the states. Socially, I would like to say that we have a very diverse student body. I know people who are jocks, Greeks, nerds, social butterflies, anti-socials, videogames addicts and everything in between. You are guaranteed to find your group of friends that you will hang out with the most through out all of your 4 years. Only advice I have is to get out and meet people on your first day here, don’t be shy and remember that everybody is on the same boat.

Chris

Clarkson students are very open and accepting of all different types of people. Many students are outgoing, but many also stay in their rooms. I believe that the students who spend their free time out having fun, are the ones who truly experience what college life is all about. It is very easy to meet new people in and outside of the classroom at Clarkson, and people are always willing to strike up a conversation. An issue that is getting better with time is known as the "Clarkson Ratio." This is the guy to girl ratio at Clarkson, 4:1. The more socially active people, like myself, like to meet girls from SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University.

Alex

Clarkson is located in Upstate, NY in an area that is predominantly Caucasian so this does have some affect on the students that enroll into Clarkson. Clarkson's current president is from Australia, so you can be sure that he is trying to make the campus as diverse as possible. Throughout the years that I have attended Clarkson, I have seen a steady improvement. There are a few students from California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York City, and plenty foreign exchange students.

Jennifer

Clarkson's student body is not the most diverse of colleges in the country but it does have some diversity amongst students. Clarkson has a study exchange program where they send students to other countries for a semester and students from these colleges send students to Clarkson for the semester. This program allows Clarkson students to have the opportunity to actually go to a different country and experience the cultural differences of the country. It also allows students to stay right at Clarkson and meet new and interesting people from other countries. As previously mentioned, there are alot more guys than girls at Clarkson but the neighboring colleges of Potsdam State as well as Saint Lawrence are close by.

Tyler

Woman are almost non approachable, as the few good looking girls think they are god, ( IE - The Clarkson Syndrome ), and the rest are, well, non approachable via personal choice haha ). Like I said before though, SLU and State are within minutes of CU, so no worries there. Most kids are white, upper middle class, and intelligent. Students are not cut throat, but very team oriented, something I have found to be extremely encouraging.

Will

Like I said, not much diversity even though Clarkson tries to make it seem like there is, VERY few care about politics, few women, but it is climbing to 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} slowly, and the campuses around have a lot if you get out to them. The women always say "the odds are good but the goods are odd," but I frequently want to retort by saying for guys that "the odds are bad and the goods are also....uhhh." If you can find a woman here though, she will rake in the green. That aside, almost everyone here has some inherent geek interest in science regardless of major, sex, or age with few exceptions, but it is not nearly as bad as colleges such as RPI and WPI.

Will

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Alejandro

My classmates are friendly, helpful, studious, and smart.

Colin

most of them are very book smart, but are scocially awkward and think that because they are so smart they are better than those around them. they tend to be the types who have never done much wrong.

Ryan

My classmates are supportive, helpful, and kind.