Student Story Three

South Asian Male International Student, Class of 2022

If you could tell a first-year student one piece of advice about studying STEM, what would it be?

Make use of your classmates as much as you can. I found studying STEM during the pandemic to be incredibly challenging, mainly because of the lack of cooperation between my peers. When you come to class in-person, you'll have an amazing opportunity. Please take advantage of this.

How prepared did you feel coming into Swarthmore?

I felt somewhat prepared coming in. I did relatively well in high school, and I was a part of the the Swarthmore Summer Scholars program (S³P), which introduced me to a lot of resources at Swarthmore.

What are some differences and commonalities between your STEM experience in high school and at Swarthmore?

I realized that within both high school and college, I tended to procrastinate with my work. However, at Swarthmore, making up for it is harder to do.

What are some ways in which you struggled with STEM classes at Swarthmore, and how did you find support?

I struggled with actualizing the concepts — I understood them in class and in given examples, but could not put them into practice. I found that discussing them with my classmates and teaching assistants (TAs) were helpful in solidifying the usages of these concepts.

What resources were most helpful to you in navigating STEM at Swarthmore?

I think the TAs and the various Photon, Wizard, and Alchemist sessions were of great help. These students were more approachable than professors, and understood things at our level of learning.