Chapman University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Yifan

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Jessica

It is essential to engage and participate in activities as soon as you arrive on campus. Students are much more active in clubs and activities then I had imagined and it seemed difficult to engage myself in activities midway through the semester. Your college experience is greatly enhanced if you become an active member and it becomes significantly easier to form friendships with people who have similar interests.

Reagan

I just transferred to Chapman this semester. I attended community college before this and I wish I would have known that it is very common for people to take this route and I wish I had not been so upset with myself for taking a while to figure out what I wanted to do as a career path. Everyone is finding themselves and figuring out their lives and it is okay to be afraid, but it is imperative that you keep moving forward or else you won't ever find what you're truly supposd to do!

Elisabeth

I wish I'd decided sooner to persue my graphic design minor

Jenny

At a small private college, the people you live with in your dorm are the people you will continuously see the next 4 years. So forming bonds is very important.

kiana

I wish I had known that most students at Chapman would live on campus or in the neighboring streets. instead I, got an apartment about twenty minutes away in a bordering beach town. Chapman students are very nit and all stay close to campus. If i had know this before, i would have moved to the city of orange with fellow students. It seemed as all students lived with fellow chapman students, and I lived woth roommates that attended school in neighboring cities.

Alicia

I wish I had known before my freshman year is to get involved with activities, groups, clubs, events right off the bat. In the beginning, every freshmen is in the same boat, trying to find their place, feeling overwhelmed with meeting so many new people, and figuring out their classes. Freshmen year it is important to find any club or group or activity that interests you and join it. This way you have something that connects you with others with similar interests, be it an environmental, social, or educational organization.

Jimena

I wish I had known there is more to school finance than just tuition. I find myself out of money and needing to ask my parents for help.

Hannah

To have fun and make a lot of friends. You will know these people forever and you NEED to get out there and meet as many people as you can. But along with that, it is easy to gain a reputation your freshman year. Once again, you will know these people forever and you do not want to be known as the "party freshman" or the "weird kid who doesn't talk to anyone." Be yourself, have fun, make friends, and actually go to class.

Michelle

It really is okay not to know what major you are doing, or change it. At Chapman it is really easy to change majors or minors, something very important to know. Also before signing up for classes check ratemyprofessor.com

Marissa

I wish someone told me that there would be so many opportunities and so many things to do but that you'd have to choose wisely because you can't do everything

Jacqueline

Learning more about myself and really finding what I want in life so I could have picked the best major for me as a freshman and started that earlier based on my strengths, talents, goals, and desires. I also wished I applied for even more scholarships to get financial aid and avoid taking out so many loans

Jared

1. That you don't have to buy every single book that is one the sylabus. 2. That there are study rooms available. 3. That professor office hours are easily accesible.

Jessica

Chapman is a great school. As a commuter, it is difficult to meet new friends. Get involved! Not all sororities and fraternities are party-centric. Explore your options. Chapman is a small campus with easy access to professors and administrators. Cozy up and get to know your mentors! You will need their recommendations.

Lance

Like how a puddle freezes faster than a lake, word of mouth spreads much faster through Chapman's small campus then compared to larger schools like UCLA. In order to develop a bond of trust with my roommate I discussed a serious matter of my past. Within a day several people confronted me with an exaggerated version of my story. My roommate and I struggled to co-exist for the rest of the year. I wish I knew to be more careful upon walking on thin ice, but instead I fell through to the freezing water!

Chaz

I wish that I knew that in order to register for some courses you either need to be a certain major or apply to get approval from the department head. I also wish I knew how diverse and liberal Chapman really is. The campus is lively, and there are so many clubs that support a wide variety of beliefs and values.

Justin

In Orange, the public transportation is below average so without a car, it is hard to get around places and shop for groceries. Even though I knew around the Southern California region had a high volume of Spanish speaking individuals, I wish I had taken Spanish in high school so I would have been able to speak to others whom their main dialect was Spanish.

Julie

The wonderful fact about Chapman University is if you are not sure about something, prior to becoming a student there, any question you have will be answered as soon as you step foot on campus. To be completely honest, at first, I wished that I had known how many people enjoy partying at this school... To me, it seemed excessive and it almost led me to rethink my decision. However, not long after, I realized how insignificant the party population percentage is when compared to the ones who are truly in college to focus on their dreams.

Sabrina

I wish I had known how big sororities and fraternities were on campus. I didn't think they were that big, which appealed to me when I decided to go here. Once I started attending school here, I found that Greek life was a big part of the social life.

Jessica

nothing really. There isn't too much to complain about, and if I had known some of the smaller things that bother me now I probably would have used them as excuses not to come. (I never really intended on moving to SoCal and learning Film, but it's been amazing)

Amanda

I wish I had known more about the enviornment. I only visited the school once before I came, and I didn't have a chance to see school in session. I also would've liked to know that there is no cellphone reception in the buildings.

Cosette

That proximity to home is nothing to worry about. You won't lose your old friends or get incurably, disablingly homesick, especially after the first month or so, and living out of state or not should not change anything. There is something to love and something to complain about everywhere you could possibly go.

Nisreen

The type of people that attend and that dorming freshman year is important to making friends for the rest of the college experience. Many of the students pay a lot of attention to the way they look every day and the style/brand they are sporting.

Kimberly

How having a car isn't necessary but makes things a lot easier

Ryan

How to apply for more financial aid, and sign up for more varied classes.

Sun

I wish I had known how small the campus was going to be.

Erika

Nothing! I love Chapman. It is a great school.

Aejoo

How unfair professors can be sometimes. How it's better and cheaper to just go to a junior college the first few years.

David

That I wanted to pursue the digital arts, specifically 3D. That way, I wouldn't have spent the first two years in the dark.

Christy

Psychology majors need to go to graduate school to do something in that field.

Alexandra

I wish I had known that there is not much of a social scene and if you don't join a frat or a sorority, your weekend activities are limited.

Kathleen

Nothing really, I'm pretty happy with my situation

Kerri

How hard each class was and how much time you need to dedicate to each one.

Megan

That it is even better than what I could have ever expected - except for the high tuition.

Brittany

I wish I had known the amount of money it was going to cost me. A lot of the reason it ended up costing me more than I expected was that my personal situation changed a lot, not necessarily because of the school. I could have gone to schools of the same quality for cheaper. I love it here, but I dislike the financial situation I am currently in. I also wish I didn't come to college without any idea what I wanted to do as a career. Advisors didn't really help much here.