University of Portland Top Questions

I wish I had known how hard it would be to transition to life in college. Everyone only mentions how fun and life-changing college is, however I never really realized until I got to school that I was leaving behind family, friends, and the comfort of home to come here. I am not trying to say that the transition to college life is miserable, I am just saying that the struggles of transitioning should not be ignored. It is often cloudy and rainy here in Portland, and that was hard to adjust to coming from Hawaii.

I wish I could have known how much I would be doing! Since I've been here I've had opportunities to get involved in almost every club or organization on campus. It really was a shock compared to the small, rural town I grew up in. I would have prepared myself by being involved more in things at home and in high school. Because here, you get exposed to so many opportunities to grow and to live life. Almost anything you are interested in is available, and if it's not you have the power to make it happen.

I wish that I would've known I wanted to be an environmental science major from the very beginning, and that I wanted to go into that field so I could research internships from the start.

The transition to college from high school is a tough one, especially if you are not from the area. I wish I knew how homesick I would become, or how hard it would be to adjust. Another important lesson to know is while college is a time for new experiences, it does help to have someone you know with you. If you don't, then it is important to make friends. While college at first is difficult, it does eventually get better.

I wish I would of know how kind and caring the professors really are, they really just want you to try your best and succeed. In high school teachers are always telling us the negative parts, if your late to class you get locked out of class and if you are sick you never get a chance to make it up. At time you may get a professor like that but a lot of the time they just want you to do your best. If I had know this about my professors they would not of seem so intimidating.

I wish I would have known about the orginzation of the school and how the food system works. I also wish I would have known how to get a job in the libarby because that was the job I really wanted. I also wish I would have known how kind everyone is and how focused the University is on nursing and engineering and how many credits each class is worth. They are either worth 1 or 3 credits not 4 so students need to take more classes to earn enough credits and it can be overwhelming.

Before I came to this school, I wish I would have known that there would be a lot of attractive young men on campus. I never knew how hard it was to focus on my studies until now. On a more serious note, I also wish I would have known that I would have to take 9 credits worth of theology. I was mentally prepared to handle one class, but now that I realized I need 9 credits, its making me a bit apprehensive.

Before I came to the University of Portland, I wish I would have known how important it is to develop good study habits. I am one of the kids that made it through highschool with only minimal amounts of studying, so I lacked the skills that would help me succeed on tests. I've learned the hard way how important it is to turn off the music, sit somewhere quiet, turn off my phone, and focus only on what is infront of me.

Something I wish I would've known was to not buy textbooks before the first day of classes. A couple of the books that were purchased ended up not being used so it was a waste of money when the money could've been used toward tuition.

I wish I had understood exactly what "Catholic University" entailed. I was unaware of the manner in which Catholic morals would be imposed upon the students. I had assumed that with only 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students identifying as Catholic, it would hardly affect my time here.

Not really anything I didnt already know

I think the biggest thing I wish I had known is that there is truly a place for you here at U.P. Whether it is a club or a group of friends with a common interest, you will definitely not feel out of place. If I had known this, my anxiety for college would not have existed!

I wish I had known a little bit more about what types of field excursion happen. I am majoring in Environment Sciences but I am also doing an emphasis in social work. They love people very very well, but it would be awesome to get out in the great Northwest a little bit more.

I wish I had known how much all the faculty members at this school really try to do everything they can to help every single student be as successful as they can be.

I wish I had known that living on a college campus is a lot like summer school with classes, and that professors and other people who work on campus aren't scary. I would have initially felt better about asking for help and been more comfortable meeting new people.

Looking back at my first few years of college, I wish that I had known more about what I wanted to study or the career path I wanted to take. I am starting my junior year and just chose my major this past semester. Fitting in the rest of my required classes is going to be a challenge and I wish that I had more clearly planned out my four years when I first started.

I wish I had known and remembered that I would need school supplies! Sounds silly, but it completely slipped my mind as I prepared for college... I didn't even have a backpack. Luckily a friend let me borrow hers, but just remember--you are going to college and still need basic school supplies in order to succeed!

I wish I had known how difficult and financially stressful choosing a private college could be. I am so thankful to attend this university and appreciate the financial package I was awarded, but I wish I would have paid more attention to the details and understood how loans worked. I feel if I had known earlier I could have made a more knowledgeable choice and planned accordingly. Learning how the financial game is played would have been beneficial earlier in my college career.

Before attending the University of Portland I wish that I had known better organizational tactics. Being organized is one of the most important things one can do to be successful in any university.

I wish I'd known that some programs aren't as personalized as they claim they are --they try, but it's not as helpful as they made it sound (Ex: field experience placements for Education majors).