Who are you? What made you decide to come to Tiffin University?
I am Anais Geslin. I am an international student from France, and I am majoring in marketing. I am also competing for women’s tennis.
I came to Tiffin University for different reasons: tennis team, school and safety. I spent a lot of time talking with my coach during my recruitment. I had a great contact with him since the beginning. He was amiable and understandable to me. Another reason was the campus and campus’s safety. It could seem crazy, but I did not want to go to a big university with a large campus where I would need to ask for a ride every time I wanted to go somewhere. The safety aspect was more with my mother’s concern. No one in my family has come to the U.S before me. So, she was very concerned about my safety. We spent quite a bit of time on the TU website to know if it was a safe place. I also liked the TU environment when I was going through the website and social media.
How is your college experience so far?
I am enjoying my college experience. I got a bit confused when I came here because everything is different from back home. I wanted to live on campus and get more independent. I did not expect the professors and the staff to be helpful with students. I think TU does a fantastic job of creating a relationship between students and professors. We learn so much more form them. I enjoy being a part of the tennis team. I share so much moment with my teammates that it makes my college experience so much better. I am already a senior, and I cannot believe I will graduate from TU next spring.
How do you look forward to your last year?
That is an interesting question. Everything is a bit different from when I got here. COVID-19 has impacted many universities around the U.S. During the summer; I saw some colleges decided to move the class online for the fall semester. I was a bit scared that TU would do the same, but they didn’t. TU has worked hard to allow seated classes to happen, and I am glad we can go to class. Of course, the hybrid courses are different from traditional courses, but I think it keeps us safe from COVID-19. I believe the hybrid system is excellent. I have more time to study and get ahead with my assignments. Hybrid classes teach me to motivate myself and become more independent while maintaining contact with the professors.
What factors influence you to stay at Tiffin?
The essential factor was safety. At the end of the spring semester, my country’s situation was getting challenging, while Tiffin was a bit far away from COVID. Traveling around the world to go home will put my family and me at risk to get COVID-19. I chose to remain on the TU campus where the environment was safer. I had the chance to have my coach and some international friends who decided to experience a great summer on the Tiffin University campus. It was also a chance for me to discover Tiffin and keep practicing tennis.
What do you think about the Dragon Pledge?
I am glad that TU worked hard over the summer to plan for all the students to come back. The Dragon Pledge is efficient, and we can see TU taking care of their students and faculty and staff members. It was challenging to adapt to the new rules, but I was doing alright after a couple of days. I like this idea that the Dragon Pledge is flexible and evolved according to the COVID-19 situation. I hope we will go through the semester without moving everything online.