University of Vermont Top Questions

How much winter clothes you will need- be pre pared to bundle up! Also how to balance academics and a social life properly

Don't be afriad of considering a gap year!

I wish I had a better understanding of the diverse community that surrounds the University- the greater Burlington community. It wasn't until my senior year that I really began to explore off-campus. The Old North End is home to several distinct communities of immigrant and refugees. I would encourage new students to begin appreciating these communities earlier on.

I wish I knew how many opportunities existed for undergraduates to get involved in clubs, groups and how receptive administration was to the feedback from these organizations. I ended up getting very involved, but had I known this, would have gotten more involved sooner.

I wished i met a lot more people because the campus is a little spread out but nothing too drastic

The University of Vermont has an extremely laid-back atmosphere. The faculity, too, are liberal and relaxed about student's educations and careers. While it is possible to get a strong, rigurous education, the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the individual student. It becomes the stduent's responsibility to actively pursue the level of education they want if it reaches beyond the scope of what professors offer. While some teahcers are willing to go the extra mile, the student may have to look to means beyond traditional education to satisfy her thirst for knowledge.

Before I came to college I wish I knew just how different it would really be from high school. I had not realized just how much harder all the classes would be and how much studying would truly be involved. In high school I was able to near the top of my class without much work but in college there is a lot more effort needed but its completly worth it. I definetly am glad that I was able to quickly discover that the library is your best friend in college.

Before coming to UVM I wish I had known to be proactive right from the start. It's easy to sit back and assume opportunities will come to you, but it's important to take initiative and get involved early on. Often times people find their niches quickly and it gets harder to find your place the longer you wait.

Before I started school I wish I had already known how to effectively manage my homework. At UVM I am a student athlete, a member of the swim team. Therefore I have limited time to study and every second I can use to work counts. I did fine handing in homework assignments on time, but my biggest problem was starting to study too late. Now I know its best to study in small portions throughout the semester instead of cramming for tests. My grades have improved by actively planning my studying routine everyday.

I wish I knew what fees and charges were upcoming. I would like a clear list of class required materials in advance of the starting date for classes.

I wish I had known that the university has an agreement with the local community college. If you receive a two-year degree from the community college and maintain a decent GPA, then you can transfer to UVM pretty easily. Not all of the credits transfer, but many do, and you can save a lot of money.

In high school, I got pretty good grades without working too hard. When I got to college, however, I quickly realized that I needed to put forth much more effort, and that the work load was more demanding than I had expected. I wish I had known how to manage my time better, and to put more time into schoolwork.

I wish I had known how to ski or snowboard. The winter season here is very popular and unless you know how to get involved in snow sports it can be very difficult to get through the spring semester. I came from Florida and was completely unaware of how to ski and get myself involved. Now that I know it is much easier for me to balance my social and academic life.

I really wish I had listened to everyone about how cold it was up there. It's freezing. I also wish I had known how to snowboard, but I'll learn.

Put in the extra effort to get everything out of your experience that you can, including skiing or snowboarding because it is well worth it!

how cold it was in vermont, how expensive off campus housing was (slum housing), how rich and stuck up a lot of the students are, how unhelpful the administrative staff is, you're just a number all they want is your money, they keep admiting more and more students and the town is just not big enough thus causing the high rent for dumpy apartments

I wish someone had suggested I do an internship or prepare for the job market after college more.

More about the theatre department. Me being a theatre major, i wish i knew more about their classes and what was covered in these classes before attending the school.

I wish I had known more about the other majors on campus before choosing one

That I would not get do do everything that I wanted, all the time

I wish I had known how academically rigorous the engineering program is here. It's extremely difficult and much harder than I ever anticipated it to be. However I'm hanging in there and I hope I can keep up my grades in order to stay here.

I wish I had understood Freshman housing more. Trinity campus is isolating for freshman

I think I was best of knowing as little as I did. I knew that this University would support my sexual orientation, was environmentally friendly, and academically driven. All the other things you learn along the way just come with experience.

Paying for this school would screw me over for life. And I could probably get the same education anywhere else - but not the same experience.

How expensive everything is... the surrounding area, on campus stores, campus food, etc.

that the business school is not very practical based, only theory and whats in a book.

I came from a small town so when I arrived here UVM seemed huge, realisticly it feels like a small town. I wished I had known this so I wouldn't have been intimidated at first.

I came to UVM with a great scholarship package, the only reason I turned down my cheaper state schools. Unfortunetly every year more money is taken from my package, while the tuition goes up. All colleges do this, but I wish I had known this would happen. It is not fair that colleges entice and then leave you hanging and in debt to your neck by graduation time. I wouldn't be able to leave UVM no matter how much they take away, I love it here, but it definitly might deter others from coming in the first place.

I wish I had known how cold it gets in the winter! Also, the University of Vermont does not have a very ethnically diverse campus and so it doesnt accurately represent the country we are living in. Most students here are caucasions from middle, or upper middle class families. I love it at the University of Vermont and am very happy with my decision to come here.

Classes are often big freshman year

I wish I had known more about the party scene. It was something that I didn't see a lot of when I was looking at the school but was shocked when I got here. My first roommate was heavy into drugs. Lets just say that things didn't go very well between us.