Northern Arizona University Top Questions

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

Robert

More about the major and classes for the degree.

Kelsey

I wish I would have explored more options.

KL

Lack of financial aid for upper classmen.

Marissa

I wish I knew that they had a forensic based chemistry major. I didn't know about it unil I went for my orientation because it wasn't something that they had a lot of information about.

David

I wish I could have learned more about the professors who taught classes required for my degree. I think some of the professors were uninvested in the teaching of the students. That is unacceptable in a college environment. There are some teachers there that are very helpful and willing to help students. There should be a better system to determine whether or not a professor is effective at doing their job.

Jonathan

I wish I had known that off campus housing was much cheaper than on campus housing.

Jennifer

I wish I had known about the possibilities available to me after high school. I wish I had ANY guidance from ANY guidance counselor. I had no idea that I was eligible for both scholastic and sports scholarships.

Alexander

Nothing here caught me off guard, which is DEFINATLEY not a bad thing. Coming to this university, expect the norm, and you will recieve a more preferable version of your own expectations.

Hailey

I didn't realize how cold it gets and how long it stays cold! On a positive note I had no idea how friendly people are up here and didn't realize how accessable everything is from campus.

Robert

Before coming to NAU, I wish I knew more about the programs the school had to offer and the potential that Freshman would have coming into a new environment giving them the capability to succeed while spending there time here at NAU.

Rebecca

I wish I would have know what I wanted to study. The only way I could have narrowed my prospects prior to enrolling would have been internship programs in high school or equivillant experience. In addition, the class sizes broadcasted when I enrolled were not true; they were much larger in reality.

Kirstin

This is my first semester at Northern Arizona University so as of right now this school has been very helpful for me to get started and feel completely comfortable and not over whelmed.

Tyler

Take as many credits as possible. The more credits you take means the earlier enrollment time you get. It allows you to have a better chance at getting the classes you need, which is essential. During the enrollment month, it is utter chaos. All the freshman students tend to have the same amount of credits, resulting in them enrolling all at the same time. If you have a few more credits, you can enroll earlier, beating the rush. But make sure to take a work load that is manageable. Do not overload and make your college experience miserable by forcing yourself to take seven or more classes.

Kevin

I am well informed about important aspects of the school.

Amanda

That the cost of living off campus is expensive, even the cost of living on campus can be high.

Jordan

I wish I had known just how much it snows. For being in Arizona, people do not realize that the city of Flagstaff gets as much snowfall as it does.

Amanda

I wished I could have discovered all the helping aids the school had to offer before I was enrolled so I could be more aware of which programs would be beneficial to me.

Ann

They told me everything I had to know and did not left out anything that I should know before coming to the school.

Natasha

How cold it gets at 7500 feet!

Jennifer

Before coming to Northern Arizona University, I can't say in particular that there are very many things I wish I had known. It is very important to visit the school before accepting their offer and participate in the orientation program. These were the things that helped me prepare for my time here, so I know that if I had not participated in NAU discover days or orientation, I would feel a lot less connected and prepared to the school life.

Sala

I wish I would have known how the other students were. By that I mean what they were interested in, what their hobbies were, and how focused on school they were.

Kimberly

I wish I would have known how cold it gets in the winter! Brrrrrr! I have no complaints otherwise.

Laura

I have few regrets about my attendance at NAU. I suppose the biggest thing would be that it's ok to make mistakes and ask querstions. I wish I would have asked even more questions, especially about the nitty-gritty real-world work of being a teacher.

Kelly

Before I attended school I wish I had recieved more information, or advice, on the book ordering process. I did it very last minute before my first semester started because it did not occur to me to do it since it had not really been mentioned before. Incoming freshman need to be advised on the best way to buy or rent their own textbooks. They need to understand how to save money, since textbooks are extremely expensive. Without any advice on this it is extremely overwhelming to be looking for books last minute that cost a fortune.

Rebecca

Being in the theatre department is very demanding but you are thrown right into the experience from day one. You don't have to wait til grad school to experience theatre.

haley

I wish I would have known that most of the establishments in Flagstaff close at 10, even on weekends! Similarly, it would have been nice to know just how unpredictable the weather is up here, especially since I'm from Phoenix. It can start out sunny and warm and literally 2 seconds later it's hailing. Flagstaff is a nice town but I expected a little more excitement.

Wikota

I wish i had known about all the all the organazations i was eligible for..and what i can do to keep myself busy..like for campus jobs.

Jessamyn

Before coming to this school I wish I had known, generally, how much money I would require, not just for tuition, but for books and other miscellaneous fees. If I had known that ahead of time I like to think that I would have spent more time and effort to gain scholarships and grants to aid me in paying for these expenses. Then I would not be stressing over how I am going to pay for college on top of completing my course work.

April

I wish I would have known more about the degree programs. I did not do as much research as i could have on them, because i have declared a major, Environmental Studies, but i am thinking about changing it to nutrition. Unfortunately, NAU does not have a nutrition degree available, so this means i am stuck with Environmental Studies, or i have to transfer. The councelors were not very helpful in explaining each degree program to me either. I wish they could explain what each degree was for and possible career choices with that degree, so i could have options.

Amanda

The fundimental ideas of chemistry, I just started taking it and I'm struggeling. Also, how to put chains on my car. It snows a lot here, it would have been very useful knowledge.

Mandi

Honestly, I wish I had known how difficult it would be to be away from my family and friends. I find myself having to progress daily towards finding others things here that I can hold on to and make a part of my life. It's something that must be taken one day at a time. The hardest part (and the most comforting part) to remember is that a lot of your fellow students are going through the exact same thing.

Cameron

I would tell myself to get more involved within the campus. I am a junior and just recently joined a community service organization on campus, and I wish I would have joined my freshman year! There are so many opportunities to be proactive and make friends, and I wish I would have taken advantage of them my first day.

Holly

I wish I had known to buy my textbooks online and not the campus bookstore. I also wish I had known not to take any classes earlier than 9am, because it seems like it's a reasonable time compared to high school that starts at 7am but it is hard to wake up and be awake for class.

Tai

With a campus this size, it would have been nice to know exactly where certain resources were located and the easiest ways to get there, especially considering that the NAU campus is very much geered toward foot traffic (only two roads run through campus) rather than having students drive. Generally speaking most of these resources are located onthe North Campus, and the Cline Library is basically dead center of North Campus and offers a great place to orient yourself on campus.

Jose

The only thing I wish i had know was how to deal with the transition from high school college a little better.

quentin

What i Wanted. Why i was studying.

Samantha

I wish I had known that many students at this university are not hard working and driven. I also wish I had known that this school was very liberal and not very open minded to those who do not share the same political view.

Anna

I lived in Flagstaff all my life, so the weather was not a surprise; for those not familiar: pack a coat. Regarding school, I wish I had been more knowledgeable about the library and outside resources which would enhance my understanding in my major study area. This was before internet, when the library was an important tool, but I have had library service introductions in other schools, even in the days of online databases, and have found them most valuable. I believe some information of this sort should be provided as part of an enrollment packet.

Josephine

I wish I had known the amount of work and time it really takes for each class, it is a lot more than would be expected.

Lindsey

I wish I had more academic advising. (I think this would be applied to any school)

Beatrix

I wish I had known how small the actual city of flagstaff is, and how cold it gets in the winter.

morgan

It has an amazing area for hiking, bikin and anything outdoors your heart deires. It is at 7000 feet so it is a great place to stay/get in shape. I issed out on most o this for my first year. Plus, there is an Aspen tree forrest ou hae to go see. Ask a local...a real local and they shoul know.

Danielle

how cold it got here. And that there was a majority of white poeple.

Aimee

I wish I had known what my passion was. To be able to come in and say " This is what I love and I want to have this incorperated into the rest of my life. " College is a place to explore and create new opportunities, and one I would have loved to take would to delve in deeper to my passions and learn new aspects of them and challenge myself. I now know they are photography and dance, yet it would have been helpful to know before entering college.

Kristin

That the cost of living is so high.

Brandon

There are two things that I would have liked to know before I came to NAU. The first one is to bring a fan, Flagstaff is an environment that doesn't need air conditioning but there can be some days where it gets hot! Secondly, I would have liked to know the importance of introducing myself and getting to know my instructors as early as possible. My instructors are knowledgeable and have had prior experience in the fields that I plan on pursuing. Their advice is invaluable during school and their recommendation will be invaluable after school.

Lauren

I wish I had known to bring a bike! Although I had heard a little bit about transportation on this campus, I didn't know exactly how many people relied on bikes. The campus is actually rather small and extremely bike accessible.

Melanie

I would have liked to know more about the professors on campus and how the classes are ran. It would have been nice to know an upper-classman that was already a student there so I could hear their thoughts. Campus tours give you a very skewed view of the school, whereas an actual student that wasn't there to give tours could have given me a more accurate representation.

Kiley

I live two and a half hours away from NAU and I did not realize going up that I could come home whenever I chose. There were several weekends, especially on the holidays, when most of campus was gone. It would have helped my fear of leaving my original home! I also did not realize how well-developed the school is in tutoring, providing resources, and opening doors of opportunity for all aspects of a students life. I brought too much extra food, extra supplies, and extra "worry" that I would not be as satisified as I am now.

Kayla

I wished I had known more about the study abroad program, because I probably would have planned ahead and been able to do it. I also wish I had known about jobs offered on campus; then I would have applied for them. If I knew more about the town of Flagstaff, I would have gotten involved much earlier in the community and things the city offers, like the art walk and dancing in the square.