University of Oregon Top Questions

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

Rebekah

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships. YOU CAN NEVER APPLY FOR TOO MANY SCHOLARSHIPS!! I would also tell myself that staying home the first year to go to a community college is smart because it takes time to decide what to major in. After the first year of college it is easier to decide what to major in because you have a better idea of what to expect compared to your thoughts straight out of high school. Lastly, I would tell myself not to be shy! The proffessors are there to help and you are paying them to help you, so take advantage of it! Most importantly, enjoy college and your education as much as you possibly can!

Ashleigh

I would give myself the advice of learning better study habits and working on my work ethics, because college is not as easy as it seems .You have to do a lot of work to succeed.

Brittany

Dear high-school senior Brittany, there are so many things I want to tell you. I want to start off by saying: everything is going to be okay. I know you are absolutely terrified and sad about leaving your friends and family but you will grow into such a stronger person. I want to tell you that even though your self-esteem is the lowest anyone could imagine, you are beautiful. It is okay that you are frightened and completely confused about your life - please embrace the questions, mystery, and feeling of not knowing anything about your future because there is something so peaceful and beautiful about it. There will be times in college where you will want to give up because you feel so uncomfortable, alone, homesick, and confused but I am here to tell you this: God is walking right beside you. Brittany, listen to me, and I mean really listen: Don't let your fears, doubts, and insecurities control your life for one more second – you are too valued to waste away. No matter how bogged down you feel by other people's expectations, do this for you: you have a voice and you are worthy.

Tachina

I would say so much to my highschool senior self. The very first is that working on yourself will help you succeed not in academics but also in social situations. I would also tell myself that it would be difficult to make friends but I would be able too, with hard work and dedication. I would want to tell myself to not let my problems with anxiety get in the way of anything. I would say that most of college homework is reading. Reading would be a very important thing to keep up on because falling behind in reading makes classes difficult. The last thing I would tell myself to be happy because that is what matters the most!

Conor

College is a wonderful change from high school, and you will make excellent memories and close friends, but there are several things you should know in order for this to go as well as it can. The most importat advice I can give you is to find a balance Firstly, balance fun and school carefully and precisely. It is very easy to let your grade slips with endless opportunities to go out all enticing you to do so. Yet, don't overstress yourself with too heavy of a class load or you will find yourself in an unhappy predicament. Secondly, get involved with a student group. It's the quickest way to make friends and bond over doing the things you have in common. Don't, however, overcommit yourself to these groups. You need to get a better understanding of your limits before you stretch them. Lastly, It is absolutely okay for you to not know what you should be doing, no one is asking you to, so don't feel pressured to. Your entire life is still in front of you. Don't sweat the small stuff, do what you love, and the rest will fall into place.

Callan

I would tell myself to get more involved with campus activities. I would also encourage myself to be more outgoing nd make a larger group of friends.

Taryn

I would tell my high school self, YES, it could happen to you . As of right now I'm going through a huge change. I was sexually assaulted a week ago; I'm trying every day to get through it. I realized that when it happened I didn't want to become another statistic that doesn't report or talk about it. I have shared it with a few close people in my life and my family. They have all been there to support me, except my boyfriend. I have now realized that he doesn't care about me like I thought he did. I've learned that in order to realize who really cares about me and wants me to become a better person after traumatic experiences, is the people that are right by my side the entire way. I plan on going to counseling and get tests done to make sure I'm 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} safe. It's already been a week and I'm starting to realize I can't dwell on this forever; I need to gain back my strength and confidence and improve my life every day.

Lucas

The largest piece of advice I would give myself in high school would be to be very confident in who you are and to put yourself out there a little bit. Be ambitious when meeting people and remember to stay focused on school, but always make time to have fun and enjoy the college experience. Dont be afraid to meet people, and try to become involved in various school related extracurriculars, like clubs.

AYELE

I would tell myself not to be so serious and that it is fine to make mistakes. When you make a mistake pick yourself up and move forward. You will exprience college life and it will be the best time of your life. Go out and win.

Morghan

If I could go back and talk to myself in high school I would tell myself to enjoy those days because they go by faster than you think. Once you get into college you get a taste of what the real world will look like. You aren't treated like a little kid in school anymore and your teachers dont tell you when assignments are due. It is up to you to figure it out. I would tell myself to stay on top of the studies and apply for tons of scholarships! College surely isn't cheap and every penny you can earn adds up and will help. The I would probably tell myself to just have fun don't worry about graduating because college becomes the best four years of your life.

Amerissa

Oh, Senior Ami, You don't know nearly as much as you think you know. Allow me to help: you are valuable, loved, and strong. Don't let yourself be consumed by guilt of the past or be worried about things to come. Continue to do everything you love, date the boy who made you cry, and add too many things to your agenda. It'll make you happier, wiser, and a bit more careful in the future. If you ever wonder if you did something hurtful, step up and apologize. If someone has wronged you, tell them and then forgive whether or not it is asked of you. If you are afraid, remember that you are never alone. Remember to be gracious in both victory and defeat. Work harder at everything and take a little longer to enjoy things like districts and state. Yes, dear, you are good enough to go to state. Save money wherever possible. Do those ridiculous college essays and take those AP tests even when you don't want to. Remember to always be thankful even in the bleakest time. I love who you are! Keep on growing up. Have Peace, College Freshman Ami

Yona

I would advise myself to beopen for change. Before arriving into college life I assumed that I knew exactly what pathway my education would take me. However this changed quite quickly. It was difficult but a worthwhile experience. I suppose I would tell myself to expect all the unexpected.

Rachel

If I could go back and talk to my high school self I would tell my younger self about finacial aid and how easy it actually is to apply for college. This was some of my barriers to going to college in my past. I had the drive and the brains to do the work, but no one expected me to graduate or to want to go to college. However, college was a life long dream of mine. I did not know that I had only been given part of the directions, or that maybe I should have became more proactive in achieving my dream. That is the past, now I am in college, in part because someone told me about financial aid. This is now what I would like to do: assist others with finding the map to their dreams.

Destin

If I could've given myself advice when I was a senior in high school, I would of told my self to have a good senior year academically. If you finish high school with a high GPA, you will have a lot of options going into college. It would allow you to pick from a multitude of different universities across the country and apply for many different scholarships. I would've also told myself to make sure you pick a college that provides the best environment for you to succeed. It doesn't matter how academically strong you are, if you can't picture or imagine yourself living in that particular city or walking that campus, then you will have a miserable college experience. I would make sure that you are comfortable with the environment your gonna be in for the next four to five years.

DeAndria

If I were to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior the advice I would tell myself are to never give up on school, life is hard but it gets easy by working hard on whatever you can put your mind to. The best part about the transition from high school to college is knowing and having the attitude to believe that you will make it through any obstacle that life may throw at you and that challenges aren’t to torture you or make you feel like you can’t do anything but there to make you stronger, build confidence in yourself, make you feel like you can take on the world and most of all believe in yourself because before you can believe in yourself you must first have on confidence and a positive attitude. The transition from high school to college is a big transition mainly because you have teacher reminding you about your homework or what to study but the great part about it is when you go to college you learn how to do for yourself, basically all the changes needed to get ready for the real world

Kara

I'd tell myself to embrace my love of math and science and leave the literature to my leisure moments because English majors are nigh unemployable right out of the gate. I would tell myself that college is supposed to be hard, so take challenging classes, go to professor's office hours, and really dig in and not just do what seemed easy. I'd tell myself it's okay to take out loans to get through school because all the time you spend at a minimum-wage-earning job is time you could be studying or getting involved, and killing yourself to get through school debt-free is unrealistic and doesn't leave you with enough time to savor college (both academically and socially). I would tie myself down for one weekend a month and make myself apply for every scholarship I could! I would tell myself to order my books online instead of paying a premium at the campus bookstore. I would tell myself to go to school out of state and try something different.

Chayla

If I had the luxurary of going back to my high school senior self, I would give her a list of things that I never was intimidated by in highschool. I would let myself know of the high work load. In high school, when teachers were expressing how heavy the work load was, I didnt believe them. I would let myself know that it catches up with me, and I wouldnt have the luxury of just taking my time at doing my work. I would also tell myself that I had one chance. One chance to make this happen, and my family was doing everything they could do make my dreams come true. I would make sure to tell myself that college is not just all partying and fun. If I want to be successful with my life I need to put time and effort. I would tell myself that first term would be one of the hardest things I have ever done, so please, please, try my hardest and do whatever I could to do well, or I would get things taken from me. People would be dissappointed, but mostly I would be mad at myself for messing around.

Heather

Heather, do not waste anytime! As soon as your senior year begins, apply for and visit any college you may be interested in. Apply for any scholarships you come in contact with. Don't be afraid to talk to your counselor, they are there for a reason. Do not take all electives. Enroll in a few challenging courses, even if you do not need them, so that you do not get lazy. Also, take the ACT as many times as you can. First thing in January fill out your FAFSA! Please, try to know where you will attend college by high school gradution and have already attended orientation! Make sure to meet with a college counselor and get your schedule made. Classes fill up quick! As I said before, meet and talk with your counselor if you are ever confused at all. Don't exclude the choice of taking a Summer school class, at the college of your choice. Study hard, rest, don't stress, and never leave God out of anything. He got you to where you are today.

Christopher

You have more time than you think. There is no timeclock counting down. Take time to really be aware of every nuance of your daily experiences. Build those memories solidly, you will love to look back on them. Go too fast and you will not only miss out on the experience, but the joy of reliving it in years to come. Be present. When you are worrying about the future and crying about the past you miss all the many fortunes around you. Enjoy your mistakes and failures. They are the only way you learn. In fact, you will only really figure out who you are in the world, where you fit and where to go by experiencing who you are not, where you do not fit and where you dislike to be. Become comfortable being uncomfortable. If you are uncomfortable, it means you are being pushed outside your comfort zone . . . and therefore growing. Life is uphill. Either you are striving towards higher goals . . . or sliding back towards death. If life is tough, you are doing it right. How people treat you is on them, how you react is on you. Overall, smile often and laugh more . . .

Mary

If I could go back in time and educate myself on college, I would give myself a little different advice. As a high school senior, I was nervous about college and being on my own. I knew I had always wanted to attend University of Oregon, so that was not an issue. Even with my confidence in my school choice, I had no idea what to think about being a college student. I would tell myself to just relax and be way more open minded. Academics are very important, but so is being involved in the school. I would tell myself to be more open minded to ways to be involved , like sororities, clubs, intermural sports, athletic events, concerts, and plays. To get a part time job to meet new people and make extra money to be able to do the fun things. I would tell myself that your first year of college is what you make of it, and to be confident and make it the best I can do and be the best student, friend, classmate I can be, and to simply relax and enjoy every ounce of freshman year because you can't get it back.