University of Portland Top Questions

Before coming to University of Portland, I wish I would have toured and experienced each campus dorm. Even though every residence hall has a supportive community, each one is unqiue and has a certain "vibe". I would have more carefully seclected the dorm that I felt most comfrotable in, somewhere I could picture myself living. Chosing a dorm that fits your personal style makes for an easier transition into college.

Before I came to the University of Portland, I had never even been to the state of Oregon. I wish I had known more about what was to be expected as to the workload, the living conditions, and also the climate! I also wish I had known other people who were going to be attending this college. I didn't know one other person, which made it hard to love at first.

How catty some students could be. Some students still haven't grown up.

I wish I had known how many people go home on the weekends.

That the tuition would continue to increase each year

That a lot of the students were upper middle class and it was possible to tell because they were very elitist and would complain about bad grades because their professors told them they couldn't write. And that the dorms were not very well maintained because they are so old and need to be remodeled. ALso that the financial Aid office doesn't really know what they are doing since there has been so many changes made in the last few years.

I wish I had known some of the overwhelimgly strict policies the school enforces. Also, where the majority of the campus is liberal, the school is conservatively oriented because of its "private religious" status. In this case, it is not always smart to be open and honest with everyone you meet because their paycheck is coming from a conservative bias.

Food choices are minimal. The school could be a bit bigger.

Nothing really.

I wish I had a more clear understanding of what was required by my major to graduate.

Our school is not very diverse. I grew up in a very white community, and I think I could have benefited from a more diverses community at college. There is a small amount of minority amoung our students, and virtually no diversity among our faculty, especially outside the school of engineering. It is definitely something that the university could work on.

Living on campus during freshman year is really difficult; you aren't allowed to have a car, and there is really nothing to do near campus. I felt trapped, and the school is way too small and boring to be there all the time. You're practically in the ghetto, so you don't want to walk too far, though.

I wish I knew how often I would be seeing other students on campus