University of Arizona Top Questions

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

Marissa

I wish I had known more about how research focused this school seems to be. Some professors seem really passionate and involved, but most seem to just not care that much about their classes. I also wish I had known there wasn't much to do on campus. All the clubs and stuff seem to be at night, and there aren't really student recreation lounges (just study ones). If you don't live on campus and you have large chunks of free time during the day, there's not much to do.

Trevor

In general, I wish I would have known how attending a high education place could be so expensive. I saw the number figures and did not really worry about the way to pay for it. So i would strong stress to anyone that to pay for college is what you really need to put effort and work into.

Melissa

That you really need to show school colors and need a bike to get around campus. Also it would be a great idea to have an umbrella and water bottle in the summer to survive.

Samantha

I wish I had known how big some of the classes were going to be. I sometimes feel lost in a sea of hundreds of students, and it makes it a lot harder to connect with the professors.

Tara

For me, I wish I had known how to study before entering the University of Arizona.

Destiny

Advisors are just that, advisors. In highschool the advisors would tell you exactly what you needed to do. Here they merely offer suggestions and the student is responsibe for doing other research to really figure out what will be the best path to graduation.

Summer

Before I came to the University of Arizona, I would want to know the layout of the campus so that I wouldn't get lost. The University of Arizona did a phenominal job sending out useful information to the undergraduate students.

Devon

I wish I had known that it would be hot all year round.

Andrea

I wish I had known that college would be more challenging than high school. High school was so easy for me and I found out the hard way that it is difficuly to balance sleep, a social life, and schoolwork.

Jake

If I could have known one thing that I did not know prior to attending the University of Arizona I would have liked to have been informed about how small everything was and how, once your tired of life on campus, there isn't much to do outside of the campus. Another thing that would have been beneficial to know is the work load that you receive really makes your time management skills necessary. This would have helped me astronomically in the first semester of school at the University of Arizona.

Francisco

More about applying for scholarships and information about intramural sports.

Nico

I wish I had known that even the upper division courses would be filled with up to 200 people in a lecture hall.

Liska

I wish I had known more about the different activities and extracurriculars available as an incoming freshman.

Courtney

Nothing at all. Overall my experience at the UofA has been great. I grew up in Tucson and had no surprises coming into the university.

Robin

I wish I would have known how difficult it would be to live off campus. Living off campus means I have get up 5 o'clock in the morning for an 8 am class.

Ian

I wish things had been more clear about food costs. The University's food plan website is terribly at suggesting which meal plan you should buy; no matter what it will tell you to buy the most expensive meal plan, even if you are only planning on eating one meal on campus a day. It was also hard to know how much food on campus would actually cost. Prices at the University of Arizona are not too bad but they are definitely a bit higher than out in the real world.

Kaylie

Before coming to this school, I wish I had known that sharing a small space with a roommate is not as bad as people make it seem. Throughout most of my life, I have had my own room with my own "everything." Before living on campus, the concept of having a roommate was advertised to me as being a difficult experience and hard to get acclimated to, but after experiencing it, it really is nothing like that. You learn to adapt to living with another person and get along just fine. It is defintely not as bad as it seems.

Sean

I wish I would have known about the facilities and programs that may have helped me through most of my first year going into college. That would've helped because it could have been easier to get around to places and make my class scheduals go through like a breeze. Also that someone would have told me about the activities you can get involved in, which is what makes the school time there to be more exciting and fulfilling. With these things, I believe that the school year may have been much more enjoyable to go through than not knowing.

Antonio

There's one thing every student should know: commit yourself fully to the experience. Being immersed into an entirely new academic and social environment was the only way to learn who I am. The time spent forming friendships, which eventually led to campus involvement, and eventually to leading my own club is what led to me to what I am today - a content, eager, and passionate person ready to better the world. If I hadn't taken the time to use the resources the university gave me, then I would be a much different person, one with much lower ambitions.

Carley

I wished I would have known how popular Greek life was on campus. The first semester I was overwhelmed at how much sorority involvement there was and I almost felt as if I was missing out on some college experience. It wasn't until my second and third years that I realized that my school has so much more to offer than that.

Samantha

I wish I would have known to come down to Tucson early to apply for jobs. There are a lot of students here and the jobs are very limited. I will keep applying and talking to people that I know, and meet, to see if I can find somewhere to work. I am sure something will open up if I keep at it. I will stay positive but I learned that next time I need to be ahead of everyone else. I need to work and I want to work and I will work.

Chental

I only drove by the school once, while visiting a relative that lives in Tucson. I did not know much, the school was a last minute decision. It was close enough to my family but far away from my home community. The school turned out to not be what I expected. The students were very different from what I expected, most were just interested in partying and drinking. I would have and should have better researched this school community before coming.

Robert

i wish i knew what kind of classes i needed to take to be more prepared for majiors requirements.

Fatima

I wish I would have known how to study better at the beginning of my college carrer. That study habits in college are way different than in High School.

Kristin

It rains HARD, it gets pretty cold in November, it's nothing like the Midwest, and you have to dress up to go out.

Briana

That the first year of college can break your GPA, and can set the tone. I also wish I knew that even professional fraturnities/sororities are very socially based. I wish i also was more comfortable asking questions so that I could deepen and expand my learning experience. I wish that during each class I would have gone above and beyond the reading required of me. Additionally, I wish I would have had better discipline in terms of my time management skills. I wish I had known that WHO you spend time with can gravely effect one's academic success.

Kevin

I was informed at Freshman Orientation about how diverse the school population was, but I did not expect the impact it has. Many of the students in my dorm are from all over the United States, and even international countries. By being such a diverse university, I have learned more about various cultures and traditions, than I had ever imagined. I have learned to be more opened in my outlook on life, less judgmental of others and more accepting of others. I have learned to express my voice through writing and appreciate my mentors and their guidance to succeed.

Emilio

I wish I knew a little more about orginzation before I came to the UofA.

Brent

I wish I knew how important it was to get a head start on learning career-related material.

John

That I should have gotten involved in research earlier

Raymond

Its has extreme temperature.

Stephanie

If I had to sum up my beliefs on the Univeristy of Arizona, I would say, "this school is perfect". Before I even came to this school, I knew it would be important to make strong connections with people and to get inovolved within the University because after all, there are 40,000 students that are currently enrolled in this school. Joining a sorority and nursing club while also volunteering at Campus Health has helped me to meet individuals that share similar interests. I could not imagine going anywhere else!

David

Before attending this university I wish I had known that I needed not only a B.A. degree but, also experiance in my field of study. I idealistically believed that with a B.A. degree i would find a career and be embraced in the professional world.

Jasimine

I wish I would have known more about what it takes to get a degree in a particular area spelled out more clearly.

Gavin

I wish I had known more about what major I wanted to do. I spent about a year exploring my options, and the U of A had facilities which really helped me with this. However, now that I'm in the major I want I'm going to graduate in 5 years instead of 4 since I basicaly started the needed classes a year late.

Martha

College is a lot of hard work. There are times when it is not fun. But with perseverence you can get through your program successfully.

Jessica

Being an art major, I was concerned about what the work load was like as well as what was expected of me in my art classes. Before I started attending the University of Arizona it would have been nice to learn about some of the projects art students were asked to create. I wish I would have known more about what the University offered and provided to the students to help with academics.

Rebecca

Because U of A is so big, it can be hard to navigate some of the logistical aspetcs, like signing up for classes and making sure tuition is paid and whatnot. It would have been nice to have had a little bit better idea about how certain processes were managed (like declaring a major), because I ended up on many a wild goose chase in an attempt to find the correct advisor for this or that.

Alexandria

Before coming to the University of Arizona, I wish I would have known the support system that my university offers! Everywhere I turn there are people trained and ready to push me in the right direction.

Kathryn

I wish I had known what the stereotypical college student was like. I came from a sheltered life and was kind of blown away by the average student.

Darian

I wish I interviewed more of the faculty in my major and known more about them as educators and professors

Lindsey

I wish I had known how large class sizes could be. As I walked into my first freshman lecture of 500+ plus students, I did not know what to do, where to sit, or who to talk to. I eventually got used to it, but coming from a smaller high school definitely sheltered me from what a university is like. I also wish I would have known how much tuition would sky-rocket in four years. I suppose I could have prepared myself by saving more money, but no one can predict these things.

Britt

There is nothing I wish I would have known before I came to college last year per say. Everything that I have taken part in over the last year and a half I feel was an experience to help me strive forward. Along with finding a Major that you are passionate about and can excel highly in, that is what I believe college is about. Experiences in college are what help you learn and grow in ways that a classroom can not always teach you. Without those experiences you are filled with knowledge with no idea how to use it.

Layne

I would have liked to know what the social life is like and what students enjoy doing for fun. Also, I would have liked to know what the safe places to live off campus are.

julia

I did the research before enrolling, so I pretty much learn all what I needed.

Laura

Before I came to school I wish I knew that it's not as scary as it seems. It truly is a great experience, and as long as you get your work done you will be just fine. I am a very independent person, but it is still a very friendly environment where I have made lots of friends and enjoy all of my professors.

Ali

I wish I would have known that you don't have to be in a sorority to find a niche here at the University of Arizona. I pledged a sorority my freshman year and continued in the sorority up until my Junior year of college. It took three years to realize that so much time is asked to be devoted to Greek life, that it was becoming difficult to focus on anything else-- schoolwork, work, etc.

Ryan

I wish I had known to take more summer school in order to complete gen ed classes outside of the university setting. The teachers make lectures boring and uninteresting, and the students are half asleep most of the time.

Madeline

That the academics are incredibly difficult, which you wouldn't expect from the acceptance rate.

Samantha

I transfered into the University from a community college. Prior to attending the Univeristy, it would have been beneficial to be informed of the difference (increase) in class and homework load as compared to the community college. I also would have completed more of my general education requirements and the community college to reduce the overall debt I will have when I graduate.