Bianca Gandaria

Quotes collected by: Veronika Kondratieva 

SOURCE: Bianca Gandaria

Identifying info about source: Freshman, from Mission, Texas, Electronic Media major

Email: brg45@txstate.edu

 

University has a record enrollment of 35,568 students this semester. You think university should keep growing?

“Yeah, I think so, cuz it’s a small town, but eventually, with university growing, people will start touring over here and we maybe can bring money in the city that way it’ll benefit us as college students.”

Being one of the 35,568 students does it affect your interaction with other students?

“No, I don’t feel that way. But in the classroom, cuz I’m a freshman, so it’s a different ball game and I have a class with 300 people and I feel that I can’t have one-on-one interaction with a teacher. And it’s already known that in college you have mass classes, but with student population growing I feel we are touch with professors.” 

Do you think this fact affects your grade?

“I think it does. I have a girl in my history class, and she is a senior. She feels that it is just a waste of time for her to be in that class, and she doesn’t want to be there because she doesn’t have that one-on-one connection with the professor. And if that’s a senior talking that goes to show how I feel.” 

Did you choose Texas State due to its size?

“One of my main reasons to come here was family because I have family up here, so it wasn’t a really dramatic change. I feel home, people are friendly. That is a plus. Secondly, I came here for my major. But firstly it was definitely for comfort.” 

Do you feel competitive in classes right now with so many people there? How do you go the extra mile to make yourself stand out?

“I go to tutoring. My history class is my biggest class. I don’t have a problem with the content I just feel that I’m not getting it all because of the professor. He gets other kids’ opinions rather than what I think and therefore I contradict myself on what I think he means. So I go with SIS, they’ve helped me out a lot. That’s how I get back into the classroom. I’m really outspoken, but in that particular class with so many students I feel like I’m just a number, so I’m just quiet.”

Does a huge student body affect your scheduling in terms of getting in and out of classes, navigating through Quad and building hallways?

“I don’t’ have that problem because I don’t pass through the Quad at all.”

Do you think any school services are suffering with the big amount of students?

“Scholarship wise. That’s a big thing. I didn’t get much, only $750, that didn’t help much. The only reason I’m here is because my father is a veteran, and I have the Hazelwood Act. That’s how I’m here; otherwise I would have just stayed home.”

Do you have any suggestions for the university?

“Definitely more buses! Now, they have the Zipcars, but they are also limited and you have to pay extra for them. Maybe they should lower the prices because we are students here.” 

Have you noticed a greater diversity of students? How does that impact you?

“It’s a big change to where I am from, but I don’t think it’s overwhelming. I think it’s nice because there are so many different backgrounds.”