University of Alaska Fairbanks Top Questions

What should every freshman at University of Alaska Fairbanks know before they start?

Riquendra

Out of my college experiance, what little i have so far, i have recieved mixxed emotions. I personally think that it something you have to have your mind set on and you have to find the right school for yourself, otherwise, i feel your wasting your time and hard earned money. It is a lot of money, but worth it in the end. So however nessisary, find ways to get through it.

Ben

I have gotten real world experiance and education. What I have learned is actually useful. It is valuable for me to attend because I have a 2 year old daughter that I am trying to provide for and the education will help me get a better paying career.

Kariza

I started my college career at Chemeketa Community College. I graduated high school in June 2008 and started college the next fall. I'm glad I started out at a community college, because of the experiences I have had over the last year and a half. Through my college experiences I have become more aware of what is going on around me, many future jobs I could have and the people I have meet. Even in the Baccalaureate core classes that I have taken, they have opened my eyes to how living cells form and grow to into the many living things I see. I've realized that I am judging other cultures by what I think is normal than what is normal to them. As well, I have come to know more about how religion made its way to America. In learning these things, my learning desire has grown and become intrigued. This is valuable to me because we live in a world that is always changing and we are continuously learning new things. By learning news things it has and will help me make someone else?s day better, which makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

Randolph

In a crucial period of the new millennium, in which certain evils threaten the inalienable rights obtained through a divine power, intelligence stands to be a significant trait to possess. Politics, physics, history, mathematics, etc. all contribute towards a growing community. College is a place with a positive atmosphere that has allowed me to expand not only my knowledge of the world but my personal qualities as well. I have been more socially active have been able to expand different talents I obtain. I have learned so much and intend on continuing to learn. I have made connections between statistics, quantum mechanics and progressions of human beings in the process of globalization. To obtain knowledge is certainly valuable in today?s competitive world. Not only is it important for career purposes that enable man to provide for his family but it provides a meaning to life. Given this opportunity to live, I believe it is our duty to put our minds to use and to push the boundaries of progression. College has allowed me to make a step towards this, ultimately making the world a better place. Therefore, nothing is more valuable than knowledge.

Shawna

My family always told me to do my best, and that is what I came here to do. Ever since I was little, I have always dreamed of becoming a "business woman". Since I came to University of Alaska, I feel like I am accomplishing my dream. I feel that this last semester is just one step closer to my one main goal in life. I have definiatly learned new information here in college. Staying up late to finish a ten page paper, studing with my friends for a huge final, or just going to the library to check out the books you have to read, but I have learned so much more than just education. I have learned what it is like to be off on my own. In college you have the right to do what ever you feel like. It is your right to stay focused and learn as much as possible. Attending the Universirty of Alaska Fairbanks has opened my eyes to a higher education and that is why I need help to maintain in college. I come to you to ask for assistence in helping me pursue my bachlar degree in business adiminstration.

Cody

Well, obviously I've learned things (that's pretty much the whole point of college, right?), which has been immensley valuable to me. I not only have more knowledge about my major, topics related to it, and the world in general, I have also learned important lessons about myself. I have a firmer grasp of the way my mind works and the limits that I can push myself to, and hopefully one day beyond. Without the experience college has given me I would not know these things. I hope to continue learning important things about myself and the world around me in my further experiences at college.

Amber

My college experience has not only provided for me on a social level through making friends, connections, and valuable relationships with my professors, but it has also motivated me in my education to not only get through with passing grades, but to extend past my best and to reach for the impossible. I came to college as an aspiring female programmer, an intent that was initially daunting under the critical looks of my male peers. Through the encouragement of my professors, support of my friends, and my stubborn determination, however, I have been proving myself more and more capable in my field, both in class and out of it. It is for this reason, this support and caring from the staff of my school that has made my college experience all the more exciting and worthwhile. They have not only put their faith and time towards helping me, but have also encouraged my faith in myself, and that is more valuable than any GPA.

Chelsea

Freshman year is not difficult. The transition from high school is easy. Make as many friends and connections you can freshman year, because after that, free time is like a diamond in the rough. You will need these friends you make to help you get through the workload; they will be your back up and support system. They will remind you why you're doing this on those long, lonely nights in front of a computer screen. They will be there to bounce ideas of of. They will be there when you've had a rough critique. They'll be there to call you when you're late to class to see where you are, and run home to wake you up if need be. They will become your partners in the industry. Keep a journal. Right down daily observations, things you see people doing. Things that interest you. All these things will flee your mind when you need a fun, inovative, creative idea for a project. Or, even more scary- for a thesis. Keep your eyes open. Don't stay in your room every night- get out there. It's not as scary as it seems.

Lauren

College requires making mature decision. If I could go back I would have pushed myself into more challenging class like AP /IB. By taking these class there would have be multiply benefits. First you would save on school tuition. During today?s economic time everyone including students is trying to find ways to stretch their dollar and if taking a free class in high school would allow that why, not take it. Second the way College is ran is so different than high school. No one is constantly checking your homework to make sure you on time. In college you must be the one to crack the whip on yourself to complete assignments and show up to class. If students were put in more intensive class like AP/ IB then they would have an idea of what is going to be expected of them. Learning to be mature does not come in a day. It comes by practicing it. It comes by allowing the student to make their own choices and reaping the benefits of making a good or bad one. If I could go back I would have enrolled in more AP class and used that to my benefit.

Brandi

This university, so far just isn't what I expected. Really, any university for a freshman isn't familiar in any way. Thinking back, I would've like to change my grades and all of the important things, but really I would've just like to be happy. In 2008, I graduated from Kenwood High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. Originally, I was set to graduate in 2009, maybe I should've stuck with that plan and for my senior year, I could have moved to Fort Yukon, Alaska and finished in my hometown. In a setting like that, I would have been more headstrong about my school, and pushed my G.P.A. up. Really there is so much to change, but I just have to accept my decisions and move on.