University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Top Questions

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

Rashaam

How the scholarship process works.

Alicia

With being an incoming freshman, I wish I did more research into all the different options you have when choosing a major, also I wish I would have known how the Quest Program at UW-Oshkosh worked a little better.

Heather

If there was something I wish I had known, it would be where to find scholarship information and just resources in general; both academic and social. With the technological revolution everyone pushes online resources but it was not until late in my sophomore year that one of my friends pointed me to the scholarship board in Dempsey hall, I wish I had know about that sooner as it would have saved me a lot of anxiety about where I should even start to look for scholarships before I even started at Oshkosh.

Ellie

I wish I would have known more of the course options that I had! While academic advisors are super useful, I basically let mine choose all of my first semester classes for me. I wish I would have been more familiar with the course catalog so that I could have made my own decision.

Elizabeth

Before coming to Oshkosh I wish I would have known how much of a challenge it is to get into the nursing program. I am trying so hard but I am afraid I won't be able to make it into the program and then I would not know what else to do.

Ashley

I wish I would have known to take advantage of more volunteer oportunities and clubs at my school. I also wish I would have known to pick an earlier registration date so I could get into all of the classes I needed before they were full so that I would not be behind of the four year plan.

Megan

I wish I would have known how hard it would be to get financial aid service. The school does not provide many scholarships for my majors (music performance and music business) and I do not fit many of the requirements of the ones they do have (most scholarships are for music ed majors or voice majors). It is difficult to apply for work-study as well.

Kaitlin

I wish I would have been more informed about the freshman meals plans and meal plans in general. I know now that meal plans don't roll over every week, but the next week your meal plan resets. The university also has certain periods of time that one can use their meal plan, which is in three seperate times a day and one cannot use two meals in the same period. It all makes sense now, but took some getting used to.

Jessica

I wish I had known better time management skills. I have some tough classes this semester, and sometimes my time management is not the best, or I put too much effort into one class and then fall behind in my others. This is something I have been steadily working on, and it has progressed over my year and a half here. I expect it to improve as I move further towards graduation.

Chloe

I wish I would have known about the new University Studies Program that they are making the freshmen take. I feel as if it was a waste of my time and money.

Miranda

I wish I would've known more about the financial aid and how to apply for it. I also wish I would have known about the many different expenses and student accounts that I have to use throughout the school year instead of struggling to figure them out on my own.

Samantha

I wish I would have known how easy/hard it is to get into certain classes. For my major, nursing, some classes are hard to get into and fill up before I have the chance to register. I imagine most colleges are like that, but I wish I had known prior to coming here.

Erin

Before coming to UW Oshkosh, I wish my high school would have better prepared me to more well diversed. I am beyond excited to meet people of all different backgrounds, and in general make friends with people that are different than I am. I think it is important to step outside of boundries and familiarize with people of all different race and ethnicites, religons, etc. By doing this over the next 4 years through my attendance at UW Oshkosh, I strongly beleive this will help better me for my future and possibly prepare me for the real world.

Sarah

I wish I had known more about the majors they offered and what those majors truly meant. I went into freshman year as a communications major and really disliked it. I finally discovered journalism and am extremely thrilled because I love it. I guess I wish I had been more prepared for making such a huge decision on my own. I think that high schools could do a better job of helping out with this.

Emily

I think I would have liked to been more prepared for sharing everything! I love my roommate but the bathrooms and showers are busy!!

Sam

I wish I would have better prepared myself for the financial burdens of school.

Choua

To graduate in 4 years for most majors, you should take 15 credits/semester.

Chandler

How difficult it actually was to be accepted to the College of Nursing.

Robert

University is all about time management. How a student manages his/her time will be one of the greatest factors in determining his/her success in university. I prepared my time management skills before university by practicing. In the summer before I began my undergraduate studies, I juggled two jobs, regular plasma donations, and being a youth deacon at my church. The only time I was home was usually to sleep. It was like I was already living on my own, responsible for everything that went on in my life. This is exactly what university is.

Michelle

I really would have liked to know more about work study and the opportunities for finding a job on campus. I applied for a position at the student recreational center the summer before I attended UW - Oshkosh and in response to my application I received an email stating that I should have applied earlier in March. At that time, I was still a senior in high school, and I wasn’t thinking about a college job yet. Unfortunately my work study funds were pretty much put to waste. I wish I had some knowledge of when to apply sooner.

Melinda

Know excatly what classes you need and plan ahead so you can apply to your field in a more timely fashion.

Emily

How cold it can actually get! But other than that I love everything about the school. I already knew a great deal about Oshkosh and what it was like before I came to it, I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going and what I was going to be in for once I got there.

Nicholas

I wish I would have know of all the great opportunities that it has. I would have gotten started in all the clubs and activities sooner if I had known about them more right away.

Austin

How to handle the finacial aid more easily and where to find more scholarships. I also wish I knew about the benefits of AP classes more in the amount of money they can save you.

Sasha

I guess I found myself never really thinking about the price of the school, because I knew that's where I wanted to go in order to get the best education for my Nursing career that I could and now that I go there I find myself stressing out about paying for college a lot.

Whitney

Declaring a major is not something students need to do their first year.

Nicole

I wish I would have known that it is nothing like high school which does not prepare you enough for college. My freshman year of college I took 18 credits and did not study enough. Therefore, I did not do as good as I know I can and I am still paying for that today. My course load is getting harder so I have to work twice as hard to make up for my mistake but also do really well too.

Danielle

I wish before transfering to UW Oshkosh that i knew that there was not as much tutoring services and office hourse for the teachers. I wish i knew that living so close to home would be a bigger distraction than helping me focus.

Lindsey

I wish I had known the large amount of drinking and partying that happens in the dorms.

Trista

How difficult the staff (other than faculty) could be to work with sometimes and how difficult some of the programs would be.

Maricica

Before coming I wish I knew that, there’s more to college than just learning about the profession that you would like to go into. You learn a lot about yourself and the type of person that you are. You are pushed to your limits and times and the way that you deal with the situation might be different than you might have dealt with with in the past.

Hayley

It was a little overwhelming going from a small school to a university. Because you assume everyone knows where they are going and what they are doing, but it was untrue. Everyone is in the same situation. After I realized that I felt more secure in my daily routine.

Hannah

I wish that I would of know that you really need to manage your time. Get tutors for your harder classes even if you don't think you need them. They can only tutor a certain amount of students so get your tutor as soon as possible. Focus on your schooling first. Fun can come later. If you slack off it can greatly affect your GPA. I also wish I would of known what kind of groups there are to help me throughout the semester. There are many out there looking for students who need help so go find them.

Collin

The major is not as important as your GPA for getting in to graduate school. Focus all your energy in to getting good grades and not on focusing your dicipline, that comes easly later in life.

Chris

Keep your door open and make as many friends as possible the first week of school.

Sam

Unlike some schools where you have some options as to when you take exams, "finals week" at UWO is just another week. The professors set the exams during their normal lecture periods. If you're unlucky, that could mean you're forced to take up to 3 finals in one day.

Jessica

I wish that I would have known how to properly study for tests/exams/quizzes. Also, I really wish that I would have known how to search for all the scholarships I could have applied for. With knowing that I could have taken out a lot less in loans than I did, so knowing to apply for scholarships was a big one.

whitney

There is nothing I wish I had known before coming to this school. What made me decide on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh was that they never left anything out, whenever I had a question I could call and get my answer right on the spot. Their website is very helpful and has a resource for everything. Prices for tuition are straight forward and they never try to cheat you out of money. They have always been honest and helpful, and I am happy I chose UW Oshkosh.

Nicole

I wish I had known more about the clubs and how to schedule classes better.

Dylan

How much work you would need to put into your freshman year, and the adjustment that comes along with it.

Angela

What I wish I had known before I came to this school was to take control of my course scheduling. The only person that really cares about you graduating on time is you! The longer that the school can keep you there, the better for them. Therefore, you really have to make sure that you are on track to graduate from your degree program. Make sure that you understand your academic report that the school has because it entails all the requirements for graduating. By taking initiative into your own hands, you are making positive progress towards your future goals.

Andrew

I wish I would have known how things worked in the classroom. My highschool didn't stress the importance of course the course syllabus. In college, everything revolves around the syllabus

Becky

The different courses and majors they offered here.

Denys

I wish that I would have known how cold it gets in the winters. You walk quite a long ways from your dorm hall to all classes and in the middle of January it gets very cold. The wind blows and you find yourself wearing layers upon layers of clothing just to stay warm on your walk to class.

Shaena

I wish I would have known how friendly the professors are and that there is always a place for me to fit in on campus. I was extremely shy and thought that college would be just like high school, when in reality, it's the exact opposite.I was intimidated that college would be a 'fend for yourself' experience but everyone here only wants to see me succeed. College is a great enviornment to be in to learn and grow.

Rachel

I wish I was informed about how expensive class materials such as text books would be. It would have been nice to know when planning for college and creating a budget. Books can cost hundreds of dollars. I have not been able to purchase books and participate in class at times simply due to the fact that I can not afford the required material.

Lance

I wish I would've known that 21 meals a week is WAY too much! That was quite a waste of money my first semester here. I currently have the 15-meal plan, and even that is still too much.

Mariah

I wish I had known that school work is hard and I do actually need to study.

Margaret

I wish I had known how important it was to get involved on campus as soon as possible. Getting involved right away is how you make the friends and connections that will help you out later on in your college experience. It also helps with the homesickness you experience right away when you first move to school.

alexander

I wish that I knew of the many different ways in which you can receive finical aid and not worry about getting a campus job. I also wish I knew how to manage my time more than I thought I knew how to you. Time management is important if you plan on playing any kind of college sports; knowing is one thing but to effectively do it is a whole other ball game. Lastly, I wish I knew how to use my professors’ help/office hours to the fullest and not let my questions go unanswered.