University of Oregon Top Questions

You won't see some of these people ever again, so connect with the ones who matter to you and keep them in your circle, or they will become just someone you were friends with in high school. You're going to become completely distracted by college life and your studies, so it will be very easy to stay on campus with your friends who are there with you. At the same time, be open to meeting new people. They will have new perspectives to share with you, and it will be refreshing to meet people who think the same way you do. Most of all, have a blast!

You do not need to be friends with everyone; just a few are great. The things you learned in cheerleading--that more friends are better--forget all that. There are those that help keep you from being bored, but they don’t truly make you into a better version of yourself. There will be a moment in your freshman year, when the majority of your co-ed house goes to a bonfire, and you spend the entire time trying to be a part of a “huddle for warmth” with your “friends” Vanessa, Michelle, and Heather. You’ll later realize you could have been studying chemistry with Patricia, bonding over your recently developed weird obsession with Le Chatlier’s Principle from Dr. Herrick’s Inorganic Chemistry class. Patricia, like your physiology friends, will always be there. You’ll learn this, and you’ll do your best to ignore it to fit in with the crowd, but don’t. Only four will remain to provide comfort when you don’t do as well as you wanted on your Tissue Injury and Repair oral exam. That’s okay. They rejuvenate you and you’ll know it. Focus on the friends that matter.

If I could go back in time and talk to high school self, I would say to enjoy school. A lot of people like to think that you become a completley different person, and in a sense you do, but its because you are becoming aware of who you as an individual are. In everything you do you have to prioritize, its okay to have fun, just make sure you get your work done. College is fun, it is an experience you will never forget. Do not be scared to talk to your professors, they want you to succeed. In a way college is the same as highschool the only difference is you are paying for it, so there is no room to fail any classes.

Pick a school that has a diversity of cultures and race, there is much to be learned from others. Enjoy the classroom and soak up as much information that you can, remember it is a process, a marathon and not a sprint. Take time to enjoy and discover everything that the college environment has to offer.

I would tell myself to put more effort in finding scholarships and not just wait around for one to find you because it's hard to pay for college but there is tons of free money out there you just have to go and look for it. I would also let myself know that my family will be okay without me because they are strong enough to sustain themselves and that I won't always be there to help them when they need me. I would also tell myself to go out and do things to make new friends because that is something that I regret not doing when I got to college because I always focused on my school work. Sometimes you do need that break from studies and do things that are fun to meet new people because that is what college is about to make new friends and also get an education.

Don't go to a school because of it's perceived status. It may be popular opinion that a school is of a higher caliber but that does not mean that it is high caliber for you. Do your research, do you actually like the aspects of the program? Or does the school offer many different things that interest you, because it is inevitable that you will change your mind about your major or career path. Don't worry about it, it is normal. Just make sure there are options available for you so you aren't stuck being unhappy in a program or institute that isn't the right one for you. Lastly, research the professors. Find a professor who's life work inspires you and reach out to them, even if you don't have a class with them. Ask them what they studied in school and how their career path went. You never know, they could be a lifelong mentor and friend.

Eugene is not terrible, it isn't a big metropolitan city but while you're here you should enjoy what it has to offer. There are great independent cinemas, parks, rivers, cheap or even free arts and music events in the city. The library is the largest in the state and has so many resources for academics and entertainment as well as being the best option to save money on books. The KIDD creative writing year-long program will be the greatest opportunity you will have, start working on your poems now. Don't worry about making lifelong friends as a freshman in the dorms, you won't talk to most of those people after you move out, concentrate on joining activities and going to events that interest you because that's how you'll make your real friends. Safe Ride is a great free service to use to go to off campus activities, go to more of those than I did. Get used to people trying to force football and school spirit on you constantly, they don't care about ethics, they just care about belonging to a group. Be careful who you choose to live with.

If I could go back into the past and talk to myself as a senior, I warn him of the consequences of procrastinating. With the quarter of my university, I cannot afford to procrastinate, which I had a terrible problem with during high school. i would proceed to tell myself to become more organized. In college, organization is key so that you know where all of your essential items are, while I struggled with the sheer though of organizing my binder and backpack in high school, for though it was mesy I could find all of my items. In closing, I would tell myself to begin to open myself up to essential responsibility that I had procrastinated to learn, such as washing landry, for these are neccessityies that I would need to know in college, for i cannot just go home and have parents do it for me. I need to know how to become my own man and learn how to make the right decisions even in overbearing predicaments. I would confide in him my confidence that he could do all such things for I have already done it and told him that I believe in him.

Andrew, I want to start off by saying that you went to one of the best high schools in the state for preparing students for college. Jesuit in Portland helped you academically, emotionally, and physically. With that in mind, the first piece of advice I give to you is take the SAT seriously. Even though it may seem like an insignificant test, it represents your work ethic for consistently trying to work towards a long term goal. Once you have confidence in your work ethic, you can achieve anything Also, millions of dollars in scholarships and grants are given to people who do well on their SAT scores for another motivating factor. My second piece of advice is start writing down specific dream jobs as soon as possible. This way you can work towards them and know what it takes to get there. Be polite and persistent when you pursue these dreams because it is difficult to accomplish goals on the first try. You have a plethora of friends and family who will support you in every move you do. Make use of your connections! In the meantime, stay happy and always look to improve. Good luck!

I would tell my high school senior self to enjoy the time that I spent with my friends, since I wouldn't talk to them a lot after graduation, to finish high school with good grades, and to apply for a lot more scholarships so that I wouldn't have to take out as much money in loans.

If I could talk to my high school self about college, I would be sure to encourage high school me to apply for scholarships and work hard in school. The most important thing I learned about applying for and attending college is that college is an investment, and if you make a smart investment, it will pay off. If you invest in yourself before attending college, you will be in a better position to receive scholarship funding and get into your school of choice. Another word of advice I would give to my high school self is to not be afraid to be alone. As a teenager it can be difficult to imagine leaving your friends and going somewhere where you do not know anyone. In college, I learned that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow, and the only way to learn to face difficult situations.

The best advice I would give to myself is, "What I do today, affects my tomorrows". Had I followed my advice, I would have not slacked off during my freshman year of high school. I had to dig myself out of an academic hole (2.1 freshman G.P.A to 3.4 graduating G.P.A.). I would have been able to earn more college and scholarship choices had I had my act together sooner. I take that experience to heart as I am now preparing to enter college.

Be more confident and follow through with your dreams. Don't be afraid.

I would tell her that your college years are the best years of your life, and not because of the parties; they are the best years of your life because you come to find your confidence and your strengths and weaknesses – you truly get to know yourself, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself evolving. I would explain to her that communication with your professors sounds intimidating, but is absolutely crucial in succeeding in college because they will gladly assist you if you are willing. I would tell her to not give up so easily and that even though she comes from a low income family, she has always been strong willed and should start taking initiative in applying for scholarships and grants like a mad woman right now, as opposed to relying on loans once college comes around. I would warn her against trying to find a boyfriend immediately, and instead focus on building genuine friendships – because that is what truly matters and is what will get you through hard times. I would hug her and tell her everything will be okay, because that is what she needed – to let go of insecurities and soar.

Imagine that high school is a game of Monopoly. Whether you win or lose is decided on your tactical skills and little bit of luck from the dice. If you land on a bad square, things are hard for a round or two, but you can always rely on ‘Go’ to pull you up again, just as you can rely on your parents and teachers to help you when you fall. When high school ends, however, the game isn’t over.Instead, you move on to round two. There is no board. You are equipped with the knowledge you gained from round one, but the spaces that you became so familiar with are gone. You become your own ‘Go’ space. When the board is not there, and when there are no limitations, many people panic and begin to doubt themselves. My advice to you is to not fear the independence you will experience, but to embrace it. Yes, the game gets harder when the board is taken away, but use that opportunity to explore. Create your own rules. Have fun. But please avoid the ‘Go directly to jail’ card. You can’t get out of jail for free.

If I could sit down with myself I would say, "You don't have to be a science major to be successful." I would say that just because you're the first to go to college in the family does not mean that you cannot pursue a humanities, social science or art major. I would tell myself not to be ashamed of wanting to major in something I am passionate about because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. I would say that I can change lives in other ways than just medicine. I would make sure to tell myself that I have the power to change the world no matter what my major is and that being successful is not what will dictate my happiness. I will reassure myself about how smart I actually am as opposed to how smart I don't think I am. And lastly, I would say this: "You can be anything you want to be, but don't forget to have fun. College is the only time you will have to be a little selfish, but never use it as an excuse. Remain humble, stay selfless and.. good luck my friend."

I would tell myself not to stress out so much, especially about the transition from high school and living at home to college and living in a different state. You can handle anything that comes your way, and you'll be good at it besides. Don't let your anxiety get the better of you.

Graduate earlier! You had all the credits you needed to do so. So why didn’t you? Taking those extra classes senior year may have made you smarter but they are not accredited like college credits. Sure celebrating senior year was fun & graduating with your fellow high school comrades was exciting, but had you graduated a year earlier you could have been a year further in college by now. But for the most part, do everything like you are doing now. Take those AP and advanced classes. Take calculus and join all those clubs. Participate in decades, pep rallies and sporting events. Be social, enjoy high school and study hard. You will look back on it all with fawned memories and even greater so fawned-ness the harder you work for it and the more activities you participate in.

College is a wonderful experience, and It is almost your last scholar experience if you go to the university or other special school. As an advice, I will keep my same goals. First, be steady because of the constance depend how far and succesful you will be. Second, be always optimistic, what give me the positive aptitudes and encourages to be successful. The last, but not least is that always try harder. Despite sometimes you do not get the grade that you want, do not see this as an obstacle. The right advice in these situations is that next time try harder, with more love and do not get stress. Over all, if you fall three times, wake up four times.

It is your last year of high school: work hard but have fun. Although high school seems all-important now, you don’t have to be sad to leave it behind. Enjoy yourself and prepare to be amazed by the diversity of students, activities and opportunities that await you in college. Contact the admissions office and make contact with other students from Alaska who are also attending your college; invite them to a meet and greet so you will have some familiar faces when you arrive. Attend Greek sorority rush; you get to live in the dorms for a week so you can get a feel for that and you also get to see what life would be like as a sorority member. Living in the house affords a social network and access to more-experienced upper classmen. Academically, always go to class no matter what. Don’t take any classes before 9:30am. Buy the books and do the reading before class. Don’t work – let learning be your only job. Use the GERs to explore topics that you know nothing about. Don’t be shy; go to your professors’ office hours. Get to know them and ask questions.