Clark University

In which ways do you feel you are learning and growing?

I learned so much at Clark. One of the best things about Clark is that it's a liberal arts school, so you don't go to learn just one thing (e.g., physics or business). You are required to take courses in a variety of areas, some of which may be outside of your comfort zone.

I was a Computer Science major, but during my time at Clark, I took courses in Japanese history, philosophy, logic, geography, theater arts, math, and so many other great courses.

As others have mentioned, the international population at Clark is a wonderful learning experience, and I had friends from Turkey, India, Israel, and Kuwait, just to name a few places. I learned a lot about acceptance of other cultures this way.

In addition, the various clubs and societies helped me learn about things other than academics.

How are you enjoying your time at this college?

It wasn't all roses, of course, but I look back extremely fondly at my time at Clark. I had tremendous fun, made a lot of friends, and did a lot of cool things.

What tips can you share with prospective students?

Clark is a special place. You aren't a faceless number crammed in a large lecture hall. Professors are generally very friendly and very enthusiastic, and love to help people learn their subjects.

Classes tend to be very small, especially past the introductory level. I attended one advanced Computer Science class where there were only two students! The class was a lot of fun and very interactive.

No doubt when you're looking at schools, you'll be thinking, "How will this school get me a decent job?", and that's ok. But you should ALSO be thinking, "How will this school improve my life?"

Clark will improve your life significantly by introducing you to subjects and ideas you never would have considered otherwise. Sure, you may never use SOME of that stuff later, but here's the funny thing: it's impossible to know which ones will be useful in the future. I've often been surprised when something I learned at Clark comes up in my daily life: maybe a term from a language I learned, or a concept from an unusual course.

Clark helped broaden my horizons in ways that led me to lead a richer life. If I were offered the chance to swap my time at Clark with equal time at, say, Harvard, I wouldn't switch. Harvard may have more name prestige, which WOULD help in getting a job, but as the time between my college years and now increases, I find myself relying less and less on the prestige of the school and more on what the school taught me.

So if this sounds like the place for you, definitely apply.

And do spend time on that essay. My grades in high school weren't stellar, but Clark really does value interesting and diverse students. Use that essay to show how you stand out from the crowd. You don't necessarily have to be the smarted, tallest, fastest, or have the best grades or exam scores. None of those HURT, mind you, but they look for more than just numbers.

What qualities do you have that have best prepared you for success at this institution?

I was truly interested in things instead of just memorizing subjects to pass exams. (Ok, I did that for a few courses, but not most of them!) I find that worked very well at Clark, where passion about learning matters. And professors LOVE when you're passionate about their subjects, and they'll match you in effort; if you work hard to learn what they're teaching, they'll work that much harder to help you understand it.

Remember that the goal of a university is not to get good grades, but to LEARN. The grades are merely a measurement of how well, but grades are the byproduct a university offers, not the product itself.

In what ways do you feel this college challenges students academically?

You'll definitely wind up going outside your comfort zone here. A liberal arts school requires you to take a diverse set of courses, so you can't just be a one-trick pony. Odds are, you're going to be taking courses in math, science, arts, philosophy, psychology, geography, English, and history, just to name a few.

You probably won't be naturally good at all of these subjects, so you'll have to stretch.

I also feel that the passion and intelligence of the professors is an open challenge: "I dare you to learn as much as I can teach you."

There will of course be some classes you just muddle through, and some you will struggle with. That's fine.

One really cool thing about Clark, by the way, is their "Forgive the First F" (FFF) policy. What it means that if you fail a class at Clark, and it's your first such failure, that grade doesn't count against your GPA! This is their way to encourage you to break out of that comfort zone and try something you ordinarily would avoid if you were playing it safe for the GPA. So go ahead and take that "Mathematical Methods of Ancient Babylon" (or whatever) course. What's the worst that can happen? If you fail it horribly, your GPA remains unscathed, and maybe you'll LIKE Ancient Babylonian math! (I have no idea if there even IS such a thing, mind you.)

How would you describe the dorm life at this school?

It wasn't for me, but I'm autistic, and I much preferred living in an apartment. However, most of my friends were in the dorms all four years, and they LOVED it.