University of Oregon Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Jenny

The most popular activities are sporting events, exploring the nature of Eugene and Greek life.

Elisabeth

Intramural sports. Clubs on campus.

Tanner

The two most talked about groups on campus are the sports groups (football and basketball) and the A Cappella group (On the Rocks). Our athletics are very popular, football being the most popular. On the Rocks play every Friday at 5 at The Fish Bowl, a building at University of Oregon. At the time I am not involved in any groups, however a few of my friends meet every Friday at 4:30 to catch up with each other. The friends I meet with are not those I consider to be my closest friends, however, they are friends who I enjoy to spend my time with. The ones I consider to my my closest friends, when it comes to University of Oregon, are the small group of three from my Dorm. If you live in the dorms, there is a small cafe that is open until 3am. This was a very popular place to go late at night and very early in the morning. Partying happens every weekend, Friday night and Saturday night. Although I do not go to the parties, I hear people laughing and talking quite loudly outside of my apartment. I live off campus and eat out almost every day. The campus town mainly has places to eat, but if you are looking for something outside of the campus town, there is shuttle that you can take, which is free for students.

Leila

The most popular student groups involve student government, student safety, and saving the environment. Eugene is a very environmentally conscious place to be, and safety is their number one priority for students on and off campus.

M

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Jelve

The athletes and the sorority and fraternity groups are the most popular.

Elizabeth

I think that one of the most popular student activities to participate in are the football games. Sitting in the student section is an experience of its own and you can't help but feel proud to be a Duck. It helps when your team has done really well the past couple years, too. The only downside about football games is the ticket distribution system. Sometimes it can be difficult to get tickets but it is worth it if you do. There are always events to go to. The University puts on events every once in a while like the condom fashion show, the burlesque show, the drag show, plays from the theater department and concerts by the music department. Eugene also has a couple venues to go see bands live. The opening of the Matt Knight Arena (basketball stadium) has brought events like Professional Bull Riding, Elton John, Circ de Soleil and other concerts. If you want to get out of Eugene the coast is about an hour away, the mountains are about an hour away the other direction and Portland is only two hours away.

Elizabeth

Intramural sports are very big here. Freshman year I played on an ultimate frisbee team that was co-ed. There are co-ed teams and then there are also just female or male teams. Other sports include: flag football, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, etc. The sororities and fraternities are also a big part of the University as well. I am involved in a group called National Society for Collegiate Scholars. It is a group for students who have achieved a certain gpa during freshmen or sophomore year in college. We have the opportunity to volunteer on and off campus and also can participate in activities that are planned by the government of NSCS. Athletic events are also extremely popular here! All tickets to athletic events are free for students but not everyone gets them. The hardest tickets to get here are for the football games. Students have to go through an online distribution system to get tickets which can be frustrating at times. Each class is given different distribution times and allotment of tickets. Obviously seniors have a bigger allotment of tickets than freshmen do. Recently they just made a season ticket package available that you can buy to ensure that you have a ticket for every game but even this is done in the same fashion. Football games are really fun! Other athletic events are much easier to get tickets to. For example, baseball games you just show up at the game and let them scan your student id card and you are in. The dorms are a really good experience, I think. I met my best friends in the dorms. I think that it is something that everyone should have to experience. Living in close proximity to some of your best friends is one of the awesome things about it. After freshmen year (if you move off campus) you will not be able to go bother your friend down the hall at midnight or just walk up the stairs to hang out in someone's room. The University of Oregon is in the middle of building a huge new dorm complex that looks really nice. The dorms are located right next to campus and are only about a fifteen minute walk from Autzen (the football stadium), a five minute walk from Matt Knight Arena (the basketball stadium, which holds lots of concerts and other cool events) and a two minute walk from Hayward (the famous track stadium). Oregon is well known for its track team because Nike was founded here! Some of my favorite times during college have been at the track meets.

Elizabeth

Intramural sports are very big here. Freshman year I played on an ultimate frisbee team that was co-ed. There are co-ed teams and then there are also just female or male teams. Other sports include: flag football, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, etc. The sororities and fraternities are a big part of the University as well. I am involved in a group called National Society for Collegiate Scholars. It is a group for students who have achieved a certain gpa during freshmen or sophomore year in college. We volunteer on and off campus and also have activities that are planned by the government of NSCS. Athletic events are extremely popular here! All tickets to athletic events are free for students but not everyone gets them. The hardest tickets to get here are football. Students have to go through an online system of getting tickets which can be frustrating at times and each class has different distribution times and allotment of tickets. Obviously seniors have a bigger allotment of tickets than freshmen do. Recently they just made a season ticket package available that you can buy to ensure that you have a ticket for every game but even this is done in the same fashion. Football games are really fun! Other athletic events are much easier to get tickets to. For example, baseball games you just shop and let them scan your student id card and you are in. Many people at the University of Oregon party. Party nights are thursday through saturday. This is where a lot of people make friends as well as find potential boyfriends and girlfriends. Although, I met my boyfriend in class. There is always something going on during the weekend. If you do not like to drink, there is usually something going on on campus. There are plays, concerts (not just classical) and other activities like the burlesque show, the condom fashion show, etc. The dorms are a really good experience, I think. I met my best friends in the dorms. I think that it is an experience that everyone should have to experience. University of Oregon is in the middle of building a huge dorm complex that looks really nice. The dorms are located right next to campus and are only about a fifteen minute walk from Autzen (football stadium), five minute walk from Matt Knight Arena (basketball stadium, which holds lots of concerts and other cool events) and a two minute walk from Hayward (the famous track stadium). Oregon is known for its track team and some of my favorite times here have been at the track meets.

Amaretta

The school is so diverse that clubs, fraternities/ sororities, and other organizations are equally as popular. The most important events of the school are the Football games, by far! The stadiums are always full and on Game Day Eugene is FLOODED with people (so if you need to drive anywhere leave early, expect delays on some bus routes) We just got a new basketball arena so those have been pretty popular as well.

Anastasia

Greek life has the most student participation. There is also a big sports culture.

Catherine

It's all about sports! We love our football, basketball, baseball, everything! That doesn't mean everyone attends every game, or knows every player. I could walk right by a star football player and not even realize it. Although I'm not present at all the games, I do watch many of them, and I do keep up with the current stats of our teams. It's impossible not to! On flyers, in the newspaper, and in conversations humming around campus you hear the latest sports news. Me personally, I'm more involved in the sciences. As a member of an evolutionary biology lab at the UO, I get to rub elbows with post-docs and professors, I get to feed and count worms, and I get to be a member of a research team that is actually publishing new findings (not to mention how cool it is that I have keys to some of the science buildings and labs). As a transfer/post-bac student, I have no idea what dorm life is like at the UO. I grew up in Eugene, moved away, and ended up at the UO, back in Eugene after several years. My close friends I have had since pre-school. I have however made a lot of friends at the UO. But since I have my close circle of friends and a serious boyfriend, I'm not knowledgeable about the UO dating scene. Although, I have more than one acquaintance who married his/her UO college sweetheart. People at the UO party as much or as little as they want to. I'm over 21, so sometimes I go to the bars. Taylors, Rennies, Max's, and the new Webfoot are all fun, and friendly with delicious bar food! I especially like Taylors', because during the summer you can sit outside, get a cheap pitcher, and watch the game or tv from on the porch--the people watching from this perch is also excellent. Taylors is also good for dancing. Rennies has delicious bloody mary's. and Max's has been here since my mom graduated from the UO in 1969--the drinks are good, the popcorn is free, and Max himself still lives above the bar. I have heard that the greek life students will party a lot, but as for the group of students I know, we go to bars or hang out at home. The newest fun thing is karaoke. O Bar, near student housing, has an awesome pajama karaoke night. We went yesterday and it was amazing.

Jessica

In my opinion, one of the most popular student organizations is Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), partially because I am in this organization. There are so many different student groups on campus that it is hard to distinguish one as being the most popular. But in terms of overall members, I believe FSL dominates this. The student government, ASUO, is also very popular. The dorms are popular for freshman, and students tend to leave their doors open and be social if they are in a freshman dorm. However, though I was freshman age I came to the University with credits so was put in an upper-division dorm. This was not a pleasant experience for myself because most the students within this dorm were not very social. Athletic events are extremely popular, particularly the football games. Getting student tickets tends to be quite challenging. The University of Oregon tends to be a party school, but not on the level of ASU or other Pac-12 Universities. On the weekends though that is the primary activity. If a student doesn't want to drink, there are many activities on campus or around Eugene to partake in, including shooting pool, bowling, etc. Being a member of a sorority, I usually end up going to parties on the weekends. If school is becoming more difficult, however, I'll do other sober activities with friends, like going to the movies.

M

The University of Oregon is the party school of the Pacific Northwest, save Washington State. Students are incredibly social, though not necessarily accepting of loners. The most popular events on campus revolve around football in the fall term - basically all of Eugene is out watching the game. Naturally, drinking and partying are extremely common as well. I'm a member of the College Democrats and Alliance of Happy Atheists, as well as a musical group depending on whether or not I can fit it into my schedule. Greek life is relatively common - I'd say 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is in a fraternity or sorority. Personally, I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole, but they're easy enough to avoid if you wish. My favorite things to do off campus are to watch an indie movie at the Bijou Theater or hike Spencer's or Skinner's Buttes.

Ryan

Some of the more popular student groups are the fraternities and sororities. These groups are designed to create a sense of belonging for students and to also improve students' social network, which can be of great benefit when applying for internships and full-time jobs later on.

Ellen

Football. Bars. Trips home because Eugene sucks culturally, unless you're a fried out hippie from the sixties who is stuck in a perpetual flashback. Some of the older or more evolved students take in the great outdoors, though they rarely remember such excursions due to the mushrooms.

Bob

Beer is good for the soul. I hate hippies.

Ryan

ASUO is the most popular student organization on campus (Association of Students at the University of Oregon). I am involved in the International Student Association. Athletic events are very big. People really want to line up when the favorite team is playing. People party a lot. Thirsty Thursday and during the weekends. Off campus activities, I usually go to Portland or just hang out at my friend's house.

Reese

There are so many organizations/clubs at the UO. There are club sports for students who like to play sports for fun. There are professional clubs like Alpha Kappa Psi and others.

Katie

There's always something to do.

Jasmine

I work with reproductive rights on campus. We do a lot of events to educate the campus community about choice issues. There are always amazing speakers, documentary screenings, plays, bands etc on campus. There is no reason to be bored in Eugene.

Andy

Mens ultimate team is the bomb. There are great campus bars and the downtown bars are fun too. Max's is my bar of choice. Football and basketball season are huge here. Soon to be baseball too. People party a fair amount here. Peace!

Ali

Only about 12-15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people are involved in Greek Life at UO. This is a small amount of the student population, but I still found all but a very few of my closest friends through activities involving Chi Omega and other Fraternities and Sororities. I have truly met many lifelong friends as well as many others that I would have never had the opportunity to meet. Joining a Sorority was the best decision I made in college, and I would recommend at least participating in recruitment to everyone. The other place I met people was the dorms freshman year.

Cameron

Football, basketball, and Track are really big here, but all sports get recognition. It kinda depends on what team is hot at the time. Club sports are big, from snowboarding to cycling, there is a club sport for you! Dorms are really fun, with tons of activities for the complex. You WILL meet tons of people, whether you like it or not! Each hall is like a small family it seems like. Rec sports are also big, you can just get your friends together and make a team to play. The athletic facilities are high end, and with constant support from Uncle Phil Knight at Nike, we stay on top of any University in the country. Hands down! The Library is sweet, that is all I can say about it. You don't have to be a party hound here at Oregon, and there are tons of fun things to do in town without drinking. Greek life is here but not huge, known mostly for throwing crazy, non-alcoholic parties for any UO student. Usually broken up because of Fire Code violations. Lots of dancing and fun in Eugene. Last weekend I played beach volleyball and went to the movies.

Alex

A group I am involved with is the UO American Marketing Association, we are a group of professional marketers and the only marketing club on campus to date. UO AMA prides itself on offering real word marketing, in that we not only have guest speakers, but we actually promote and gain sponsorship dollars for a few events throughout the year to give our members actually experience.

Jesse

Club sports are incredibly popular, and we have many National Championship teams. Intramurals are a great way for students to still play their favorite sports in a laid back setting against other students. NCAA sports are very popluar, we love our FOOOTBALL!!! During the fall and winter, football and basketball are huge social events, and tailgating on football Saturdays is an all day event.

Whitney

Club sports and intramural sports are very popular, we are a very active campus. The dorms are great places to meet friends, my entire hall is a close knit community, doors are always open and bong always in circulation. We part hard all the time, but on individual terms. Greek life is present, but by no means dominates the social scene. Last weekend i went to a benefit party hosted by the Campbell Club-- a student run housing co-op. On any given Saturday night there are concerts downtown as well as university sponsored events, nothing requires drinking.

Jeff

Most students leave their doors open, except for the token hall hermits. Athletic events are popular always, especially this year. Not too big on the dating scene, wish I had more time. My closest friends came from high school and the hall that I lived in freshman year. Also, I have formed some pretty strong bonds through my major. I am always awake Tuesday at 2 am becuase it's always the night that I am completing an epic biochemistry assignment thats due the next day! Parties are easy to come by, but not always fun. Last weekend I stayed in like I have every weekend so far, I'm a little bitter about it. But aside from this term I usually find at least one night to go out or do something other than study. On Saturdays, I usually just chill out at the house with the roommates.

Lee

There is not a whole lot to do on a Saturday night if you're not drinking. It can be very difficult to find a party if you're not in the Greek system.

Elizabeth

Everybody is pretty wild about football and basketball. People party a lot. If you wanted to do something that doesn't involve drinking you could go see an indie film at the Bijou, go to a show at the Campbell Club or the WOW hall, or go out to dinner. There are some good restaurants in town.

Jack

It seems that fraternities and sororities are REALLY important to the people who are actually in fraternities and sororities. But you can make your own friends and have a good life without ever going near them. But if you're into greek life, that's cool too. There are some good opportunities in them, but you run the risk of being stereotyped as the typical frat guy or sorority girl.

Michele

People tend to only live in the dorms their freshman year. The majority of students live off campus in houses or apartments, but some people continue to live on campus. Even though it's been almost two years since I left the dorms, I am still friends with a lot of the people I lived with. In terms of UO athletics, I would have to say football is the most popular sport to watch, but basketball is also very popular. I have yet to go to a basketball game because I always seem to be working when tickets are distributed, but I've been to some football games and they are extremely fun. Autzen Stadium is off campus, but many students and Eugene residents meet on campus and walk together. I always get excited every time I go to a game. Some people don't like to go unless they're drunk, but I personally have a great time without drinking.