Multimodal Interviews

Jackson Hoffman, a first-year college student, discussed his experience and support systems. His primary sources of support were his parents and financial aid from the college. He didn't seek mentorship but felt he should have. He didn't have any support systems and figured everything out himself. He didn't address financial challenges or navigate the social aspects of college effectively. His perception of college has worsened, but he is doing well in his computer science major. He wishes he had chosen an easier major. He wants the college to eliminate early morning classes. He was surprised by the party culture at his college. He chose computer science because he wants to pursue game or AI development. His family was indifferent about him attending college. Hello, I'm here with Jackson Hoffman, and we're going to talk about his experience as a first-year college student. Okay, so, Jackson, who were your primary sources of support during your college journey? Well, I guess my parents, financial aid from Tech, and me, I guess. And did you seek out mentorship from faculty or other students? I didn't, but I probably should have. Okay. How did your support systems contribute to your overall college experience? I don't really have any support systems. I just kind of figured it all out myself. Okay. Relatable. Relatable, yeah. Were there any financial challenges that you had to overcome, and how did you address them? Let's skip that one. How did you navigate the social aspects of college life, especially if it was different from your previous experiences? Man, these questions are hard. Really? Okay. Well, let's do some. Well, I don't know. How did you feel during your first few weeks on campus, coming here? I don't know. It's like a really big place, like very different from back home. I mean, the city itself is smaller, but, you know, like, it's like... It's its own little place. I guess more important, but not as important at the same time. Yeah, a lot more freedom. Than you do living with your parents. Yeah. Okay. What about now? Compared to the beginning of college and now, what's your perception of college? My perception has gotten a lot worse. Okay. You can be honest. Yeah. I'm still doing somewhat well in my classes. Okay. And can you tell the audience you're a major? I'm a computer science major. And you're a first-year student? Yep. But you are a first-year. So who in your family went to college? My dad went to college. He did. Honestly, I'm not too sure what he did. He did something. He did something. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently, looking back? Honestly, I kind of wish I picked an easier major. But, I mean, I like computer science. It's fun. How do you think the college can help you? How can you think they can better support you? I don't know. Get rid of the 8 a.m.s. Like, nobody's going to be waking up at 8 a.m. for class. You know what I'm saying? I understand. Not everybody's a morning person. What surprised you the most about the college environment? I didn't know how big of, like, a party school tech was until I got here. Yeah, I had heard it, but I don't think I fully grasped it. I hadn't heard it either. All right. But, yeah. So why did you come to college? Why did you choose to major in computer science at Texas Tech? Because I either want to get into game development or AI development in the future. Okay. So, you kind of need to go to college for that kind of stuff. How did your family view, like, you coming to college? Were they proud? Or were they just, like, indifferent? They were kind of indifferent. Okay. Interesting. All right, Jackson. Thank you for coming to interview today. Thanks for having me, too. Hello. I'm here with Jenny Hernandez, and we're going to talk about being a first-generation college student and her first-year experience. Okay, let's get into it. So, Jenny, who were your primary sources of support during your college journey? Primary sources of support during my college journey was definitely my mom and also I feel like I could say my college advisor at times, but for the most part it was me. Okay. So you did seek out mentorship from faculty? Yes. So did you seek out financial aid or scholarships, and what was that experience like? Okay, and were there any financial challenges that you had to overcome? How did you approach studying and time management in the college circle? Okay. What strategies did you use to maintain a healthy work-life balance? So what surprised you the most from being in the college? I think I just noticed a difference in people, like what I'm used to. Okay, and what's your major? Well, it's pretty rough, like it's a big, like it's very challenging. Thank you for coming on. Sure. Thank you.