University of Oregon Top Questions

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

milki

Don't let past academic failures or experiences determine your future. Your actions today determine the future, not your past. During high school, i feared what the future held for me. I had no idea what college I was going to attend or what I even wanted to do. I continually let my future become a prisoner of my past academic experiences. Now I know that my actions today are the greatest determinant of my future.

Malena

All of the hard work and preparation done in high school is more than worth it.

Shayna

I wish that I had known how far a part everything is on campus, and to wear more comfortable shoes so I could plan my time better and not have to hurry from one classroom to the next in heels and have an asthma attack, like I did my first term. It is also wise to see if you can find classrooms that are more within reasonable distance, as opposed to picking out a class that is on the complete opposite end of the campus.

Amber

How diverse the campus is not.

Lucas

How weird the transition from high school and living at home to college and living away would be. Also I wish I had known how expensive textbooks would become and how often I would actually use them.

Leila

I wish someone had told me that it is not as hard as people make it out to be. I was always told that I was going to die my freshman year, especially with two majors. However, it really has not been all that difficult, and I still have plenty of free time while taking on average 20 credits a term.

Tanner

It is a lot different from High School, and do not be discouraged if you are facing difficult times. Every one does when they first leave home, and when they are on their own. Just because everyone looks like they have it all figured out, they don't. They are all in the same boat as you.

Destin

How a little rain weeks at a time can put a damper on enjoying the outdoors

marie

nothing

Jesseca

I wish I had known about sites that other students rate professors on. It's good to know what your peers think of your instructors before you decide you want to take a class from them.

Amanda

How hard freshmen year was going to be. It is really lonely and hard to adjust to such a new setting. Some of the dormeries are very large and it is hard ot get to know people. Students should join the small groups available for study to try and make new friends.

Angela

I wish I would of known how unwarranted my anxiousness was long before I started classes. When I realized how attainable my goal of graduating from the Uof O was my heart raced with excitement and tears of joy streaked my face. Starting my junior year at such an outstanding school has not only shown me the value of my hard work as a student, but also the immense possibilities awaiting me as I travel my road of higher education.

Katherine

Which majors need to apply to a 'school' before getting their BA/BS. Why do those majors need to apply to different 'schools' when they were already accepted by the UO. What the Degree Audit looked like - each major has their requirements listed online, but the school has general requirements that must be filled as well.

Betsy

I was pleased with my experience at the U of O. I lived in Eugene so I was very familiar with the University of Oregon. I wish I would have been a little bit more serious about grades when I was a undergraduate.

Sarah

One thing I wish I knew before I decided to attend the University of Oregon would have to the amount of rain Eugene receives throughout the year. I do live in Oregon so rain does not have much of an affect on me however, Eugene's extreme amount of rainfall does get old after awhile. I have learned to make the best out of it so plan events that involve the rain since it is usually around. Mud soccer or puddle jumping are just a few of the things that my friends and I enjoy doing throughout the school year.

Evon

I wish I knew how much my parents have to scrifices just to accommodate for me and my education other than I am completely happy.

Lauren

After having pneumonia, shingles, and chronic strep throat, I wish I had considered my immune system's ability to handle the rough climate, not just mentally coping with it. Oregon strongly discourages cars and purposefully does not have much parking, so it's tough to find someone with a car, or park near the health center without walking. Public transportation is not smart because of illness exposure, and my dorm was a 30 minute walk from the health center. Immunodeficiencies are also detrimental to grades because it's hard for professors to believe that you are "always sick".

Cassandra

The best way to meet people is to live in the dorms your first year. The other thing that I would have liked to know is more about the different clubs.

Stephanie

Before moving into the dorms and starting my new life as a university student I wish I had known to relax a little. Being nervous, insecure, and keeping to yourself is no way to make friends. And by all means, friends are important, especially in a new environment. Not to mention it's a lot more fun discovering campus with someone by your side who is discovering it for the first time too.

Zachary

I wish that I had known that i was going to have as much free time as I have now. I also wish I knew that college tests are worth a lot more of your grade than high school tests. Another thing that would have been good to know is that you do not always get the classes you want. The thing I wish I knew before I came to college is how to manage my free time better to do better on tests.

Alice

Before arriving at the UofO, I wish I had known about all the different clubs and activities. I did not find out about the various clubs and times or their meetings until after I had chosen class times that interfered with clubs that I really wanted to be a part of. This was very inconvenient for me personally because it was my first term of college and living off campus also hindered my opportunities to meet and get to know more people.

Elizabeth

During my senior year of high school, I wish that the counselors had showed me what specific classes I would need to complete in order to graduate college. I registered for my classes at college unaware that there was a certain amount of Arts and Letters classes, Social Science classes, Science classes, Multicultural classes, and elective classes that I must fill. It would have been extremely helpful to have known about these pre-requisite classes before registering for my first quarter.

Summer

I wish that I knew the pros and cons of the city more because it would have been a large impact on which college to attend. Also, I wish I could have seen what the student body was like and the clubs and organizations before I applied because I would have liked to know what I could've joined before the term started and things got too busy.

Caroline

Where all the good teachers are

Carsey

I wish I had known how many great friends I would meet and how many awesome classes I would take. I was nervous at first, but everyone at U. of O. was so nice and outgoing, and the school spirit is amazing!! There are so many ways to get involved, from fraternities to sororities, to all other types of student groups, such as Students For Global Health. U. of O. opens up so many opportunities, it is a great school!! Go Ducks!

Kari

I wish I had known more about the scholarships available. During high school, trying to grasp the idea of paying large loans and how much tuition costs doesn't really hit you until you're faced with having to take the loans out yourself. I am only now learning how to search for scholarships and part of that is through the different programs I am going to be going through that have scholarships readily available for those who apply. It would have been more helpful if I had gone straight to my school to see what scholarships they had.

Elisabeth

Before coming to the UO, I wish I'd known what the quality of the dorms was like. If anything, I believe the UO needs to put more money toward new dorms and less toward new sports equipment.

Cambria

I wish I had known that my professors are people as well and an open door policy means the door really is open.

Kim

I wish I had known about the lack of interesting, unique people who attend and the lackluster surrounding area.

Travis

To be honest, this is tough to say. I have had such a great time learning and experiencing new things in life since I came to the University of Oregon. I was not sure how my everyday life was going to be, but the fact that it was somewhat of a mystery before it began has made me more appreciative than ever. But I guess I have to answer the question, so I will have to say I wish I would have known a few more people to make the immediate transition into college a little easier.

Lauren

I wish that I had known that the dorms are WORST rated for the amount of money they cost IN THE COUNTRY and that the professors do not care about their students. It's physically impossible for them to know their students becuase the average lecture class is 300 people. My freshman year I took 4 classes that were 500 people lectures. I choose not to drink or do drugs, and therefore there is no available weekend social life because literally everyone drinks.

Maret

I wish I had known what a HUGE deal getting those AP credits in High School would be. Fortunately I got them anyway and was able to graduate a year and a half early. Get all the AP and college-for-credit-now credits that you can get!

Stephanie

I grew up in this town and therefore knew the feel of the community. Their were not too many shocks for me.

Miles

How great it would be.

Alex

I came from a small town in Oregon, and Eugene was substantially larger in terms of area and population. Before I came to the University of Oregon, I wish that I had known more about the Study Abroad programs, because it has always been my dream to study in Spain, possibly in Barcelona. With living costs going up, I have suspended that pursuit indefinitely to support myself, rent payments, and other living expenses. I knew that living as a college student would be rough at times, but perhaps I underestimated it.

Danielle

I wish I knew how hard upper division classes were. They require you to study non-stop. If you don't study you won't pass. You must go to class & study. Be ready or be ready to fail!

Megan

I wish I had know how demanding some of the workloads from some classes were. I feel I could have performed better in my classes if I had been prepared for how much was needed from me to do well.

Shannon

As a new student, you can only register after one of the new student orientations. Having a bike is very convenient. If you are looking for a cheap off campus apartment, start very early.

Caroline

that there wasnt not a whole lot to do in the surounding city.