Old Dominion University Top Questions

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

Latoya

I wish someone would have told me not to take all of my general eds right away.

Allison

Before i came to this school i wish i had known more about scholarship opportunities.

Jeffrey

Books are more expensive than I thought.

Atiya

Before attenting college, I wish I would have known how it is important to save your money because education is expensive.

Regina

I would have preferred to know that I could do the concurrent enrollment at TCC and ODU even if I do not already hold a Bachelor's degree. This could have allowed me to start working towards my BSN a year earlier. I am finishing up my ADN at TCC now and just starting my BSN at ODU. I feel as though I have wasted valuable time because I told that I had to wait; which is not the case.

jamari

Before I came to school, I wish I had known about the amount of freedom there is in college. I now understand why focus is key to being successful in college

Tia

Before graduating high school, it would be beneficial for students to have an understanding of finance and "handling business" in and outside of the college arena. Handling your own business without an understanding of exactly how loans work, or who to speak to about certain issues involving school, can be difficult. Fortunately, I have a family, that helps me to figure these things out. I would encourgae prospective students to take a personal finance class if possible ,or to consult someone who is knowledgeable about personal finance.

Rachel

How big it was. I understood that it was a major university but I had no idea just how big it really was. The class sizes were large the crowds were large, and everything in-between felt large. I think because its such a large university that it makes things difficult and teachers are less willing to work with you because they get paid either way.

Savannah

I wish I would've known that it is mandatory to get such an expensive meal plan, even though I'm a vegetarian.

Rhiana

How much fun one can have on campus without going to parties.

Eric

Have inspiring the envirment truly is!

Ashley

N/A

Rashanda

I came to ODU as a second degree student, which doesn't require orientation. I wish that orientation had been mandatory because I've had to learn many things from my fellow students.

Paola

I wish I knew that they were doing renovations to the school. Although it's for the better, i've been through schools with renovations since I was in elementary school so I would have enjoyed not being surrounded by construction. I also would have liked to know to invest in money for food because the cafeteria food isn't so great but everything else that you have to pay for seperately is so much better.

Maria

I wish I had known more about the programs that are offered.

Bryan

I wish I had realized the value of community colleges for first two years and the importance of campus security. If you don't feel safe, you won't go out and engage in activities among other students.

Destiny

I wish I would have been informed more about the scholarship programs that are being offered. I also wished I would have known how horrible the parking and flooding is in the area. I took orientation but I had more questions to ask after I started the first day of class.

michaela

how to manage time better.

Katherine

I wish I had known more about the different business majors and what course work they entail. I was unaware of some of the classes that were unable to transfer from my other college eeven though they had a transfer agreement.

Eryn

I wish I had known more about the neighborhoods surrounding Old Dominion University. In my opinion, they are not the safest neighborhoods, and thus, I do not feel comfortable taking night classes.

Tierra

Freshman year I wish someone would have told me how important it was to make close connections with some of your professors. Any one of your teachers can be a potential reference or help in the long run. Its much better to start early rather than wait and then try to get your favorite teacher from freshman year to write you a recommendation letter when you are a junior or senior. They will have forgotten about you. Also it is just good to have someone you trust as a professor to talk to about academics, career goals, and overall life planning. They can serve as a mentor and get to know you and stick with you throughout your college experience and this can be really helpful.

Renee

I'm not taking classes on campus.

Brittany

One thing I wish I would have known before I came to ODU was the cost of college living. I thought it would be cheaper.

Kelly

I wish I had known about how it floods around here when it rains! If you are going to go to college here, you need rainboots or shoes that do well in water! When it rains, the campus is covered in water puddles, and if it rains for long the roads get very flooded.

Christina

I would like a little more on how to register for classes, access LEO online, school email and blackboard. Being a distance learning student, I did not receive a welcome packet to help with these things.

Amanda

I felt like I knew all the adequate things that helped me succeed at Old Dominion University before I came, the only thing is that it would go by so quickly!

Tevin

How the set up housing for students on campus already because its not that good.

Aaron

The necessary hours a week for studying needed to be successful with grades!

Patricia

I wish I would have known that my degree in nursing was a "portfolio" program.

Chris

One thing that I wish I had known before I came to this school was how small the campus with respect to other schools in Virginia. The very first time I arrived on campus, I thought it was big because I was used to highschool; after a friend and I walked basically the entire campus in one day I realized it was alot smaller than I thought.

Martinia

That I wanted to major in criminal justice and not women studies.

Justina

I wish I would have know that the housing process isn't as satisfying as I thought it would be.

Ryan

Ha, the only piece of information that I wish I knew going in was the erratic weather patterns. I had never lived by the coast before, so the constant wind and/or rain was a very harsh surprise.

Jordan

I have been attending Old Dominion University. Before coming to this school, I wish I would have known more about the dangerous community that surrounds the school. I also wish I would have known the importance of going to all of my classes.

Courtney

The parking is horrible. The University is growing faster than they can build dorms.

Casey

The cost of living here. It is far more expensive than most university towns I have been to.

Lauren

My major.

Jessica

I wish I would have known about more housing opportunities before I came to this school. ODU is a commuter school but I think more people would live on-campus or closer to campus had they known about the ODU off-campus communities.

Brittany

I wish I had known how much walking I was going to be doing to get to all my classes, that not all the classes are close together and I wish I had known that I get to pick my classes online instead of asking what I should pick. That you meet new people from all over the world and get to understand their culture and how they came to the school

Michelle

Every school has it's own culture of people and community. I wish I had known what kind of community resides here at ODU because I believe that college is meant for the sole pupose of learning, but not just in academics but within our very selves. It gives us the opportunity to grow ourselves individually, and make relationships. In a school that is mostly known in past years to be a communter school (it is no longer a communter school now), it can be difficult at times to involve oneself in the present community.

Tiara

I wish I knew the climate was so weird. One day it's cold and still, the next it may be warm but very windy. You would think vice versa, but here at ODU you'd be surprised!

Karina

I had wish I had known more of the curriculum and academic career path which I am currently treading. I wish I had spoken to someone helpful within my academic interest to guide me in taking certain classes before others. I met with an advisor but she was also counseling five to seven other transfer students and I was not able to get her opinion on classes I enrolled in. Since then, I have however, been able to meet and speak to people within my academic department who have passed on wonderful and helpful advice.

Damar

How much of a hassle commuting can be.

Danielle

The number one thing that I had wished I would have known before coming, would be to buy my books off-line, intead of spending $500 at my school's bookstore. Also, to be a little more open-minded to new ways of doing things as well as the types of people that I encoutered. Lastly, I wish I would have definitly got involved my first semester freshmen year, because there are so many opporutnities at school to showcase your talent and skills.

Tyler

I wish I would have known the required courses for my major so that I could have taken a few in community college.

Meredith

I wish I had known how the people are. Had I known, I would never have chosen to come here.

William

That the surrounding area was pretty dangerous.

Ryan

I wish I had a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life before coming to my school. I have had a difficult time getting advising while attending my school. The advisors have difficult schedules that make it really tough to see my advisor. Also the advisors do not relay what exactly you need to accomplish to graduate. My school is a pretty good school besides the advising issues.

Armando

I wish that I had known how hard it is to survive as a fulltime student. I am trying to become a better person and become a doctor so I may help, heal and take care of other people. Its hard to survive without help.

Brianna

Before attending/ acception to Old Dominion I wish I had someone to tell me to stay focused no matter what may happen. To take complete advantage of outside sources and tutors are strongly encouraged. I wish I had known that sometimes there is no one to help you and you have to figure somethings out on your own. I know now that some teachers are here for the paycheck and sometimes have no urge to help the students understand fully the concept ,(not many) and that sometimes it's best to contact another teacher in that field of study.