University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Top Questions

I have gained so much from attending UW-Eau Claire my first semester. The most important thing that I have gotten out of attending college is I have learned that there are so many resources on campus that are there help you. I have used many of these resources such as career services, the student support services and many more that all helped me to declare a major that I am proud of. I went into my first semester thinking I wanted to become a nurse, but than after taking my first semester classes and taking some career services surveys I realized that what I really wanted to be was a physical therapist. Taking those surveys helped me to learn more about myself and what I really enjoy doing. If I had not come to UW-Eau Claire and gotten help from the career services people I would not have found my dream job and I would have been striving for a goal that wasn't true to my heart. That is what I have gotten out of my first semester of college.

During my college experience I have received many great experiences and life lessons. First I learned to be outgoing and talk to different people to make new friends. I have also learned how to live on my own and adjust to living far away from home. Out of my college experience I have advanced my education greatly and plan to continue that so someday I will receive a successful job in the future. That is one of the reasons why it has been valuable to attend because it will help me to pursue my future career and my college experiences taught me many life lessons that I have become very useful in my life while attending school. Last, it has been valuable to attend because it has opened my mind to many different ideas and knowledgeable information that I will be very helpful in my future experiences.

Going to college has made me appreciate the things I had before that I took for granted, and it has also given me new experiences I am glad to have had. On the one hand, I never realized before I came to college how much I loved being home. I love the area I'm from, and leaving it showed me how much I miss it when I'm away. I also have realized that I love being close to my family; now that I'm not with them all the time it makes the time we have together much more meaningful. I am glad I came to college because I have met new friends and I have now seen a part of the world that I never would have if I had stayed close to home. I'm exposed to new ideas and people every day and those experiences are invaluable.

I have gotten experience by living on campus that I was not able to achieve while living at home and attending school. It has been valuable to attend UW-EC because of the diversity not only among students but among teachers here as well. I have developed many friendships here, and some of them will last me a lifetime. I struggled alot last semester with personal issues that faculty and staff were extremely helpful in getting me the assistance I needed to get through my tough time. This campus is really focused on our success and I have yet to meet someone who is not willing to help someone who needs it. Eau Claire gives a nice sense of community and it is something I am proud to be part of in my secondary education. I will remember this place and visit often to continue the relationships that I have built.

Without a doubt, the biggest thing that I received from my college experience was my sense of wonder for the world around me. The college experience has prepared me to answer the question, "Why does this phenomenon occur and how does it affect the human experience?" The colleg e experience has prepared me to continue to answer this essential question and then complete an investigation of the question in professional, personal, and community endeavors. For example, my sense of wonder allowed me to assist with the creation of a corporate social responsibility program of a regional company. Personally, my sense of wonder has allowed me to continue my education. From a community perspective, my sense of wonder has allowed me to obtain leadership positions of various non profit organizations. The college experience was extremely valuable for me to sustain such a sense of wonder. The college experience provided me with various opportunitites to build upon my theory and practical assessment while being exposed to new ideas and methods of analyzing and thinking. I am extremely grateful for my college experience and all that it was and continues to offer me in life.

I grew up in a small town west of the Twin Cities and I had roughly 200 students in my graduating class. Of these 200 students, I was one of only four minorities. This has never been a circumstance of conflict, it is simply how I have grown up my whole life. One aspect of college that I have greatly appreciated is the immense diversity. I have found that diversity is an element that touches every nook and cranny of the college culture. From race to religion, courses to activities, the overall expansion of my environment is incredible. Listening to the experiences of a variety of people has opened my eyes to so many different ideas about life, which in turn as broadened my own curiosity about the world. With this diversity has come the presentation of unbelievable opportunities to travel and explore my immediate surroundings as well as those beyond. I believe that college is the one time in a person's life when they are meant and encouraged to throw themselves into the world and see what happens, and it is so enriching to be able to do just that.

Through my experience at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, I have become comfortable with a wider range of settings as well as building indispensable traits. The school has exposed me to a variety of classroom sizes and teaching structures which have helped me understand my own learning style. This, in effect, has helped encouraged me to adjust my studying habits which have helped improve my grades and overall academic performance. The responsibility I now feel toward my success has led me to become independent and more ambitious. These newly developed traits and habits have not been taken for granted. There is no doubt in mind that I would not have been so secure if I had not gone to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

My experiences with college have given me a multitude of various things and information that I can take with me to use when I become a certified teacher. The organizations on campus that are catered to teaching majors have been very beneficial to me. As a result of being a member of such organizations, I have gotten a true and in-depth look at field of education and what it is that I am really getting myself into by pursuing a degree in education. Before attending college, I had basic assumptions of how things involving teaching would occur, but unfortunately many of my assumptions were incorrect. My college experience has helped me become more aware what it really takes to become a teacher and how the process actually works. All of the things that I have learned, both through lecture and experience, have been and will continue to be valuable to me. Since being here I feel as though I am much more prepared to enter the teaching field than I was in the past.

My college experience has really just begun. I have only just gotten involved in a sorority and have just gotten used to how classes work and how the university works. Because I am a transfer student, I find my experience to be an interesting one. I was unsatisfied at my previous school, I felt lost and small, but now that I am at UWEC, I have found my place and love the univeristy and it's community. I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else, and am thankful and glad for my transfer. Like I said, my journey as an undergraduate student just started. I am excited to carry out this journey at UWEC and can't wait to see what happens along this journey. So far, I have really learned a great deal about time management and prioritizing between friends and school. I find myself to be consumed with school and not too concerned with friends, but I have learned that the people you are surrounded with make or break your journey, not the education. As important as education is, you must find balance. That's my goal, to find balance.

I am a 32 year old, single mother of three wonderful children. After a break from education, it was a bit scary attending the university the first few weeks. Although, after the initial culture shock, my eyes have opened to many new ideas, and I have learned so much just in my first year at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire (UWEC). Just five years ago, going to college was only a dream. The courses I have taken in my first year on campus were mostly humanities classes; which I tend to do very well in. But, unlike a technical college education, attending UWEC has, in a way, forced me to take classes I never thought I would do well in. For instance, Elementary Statistics is definately one classes I never thought I would be able to pass. I have found that with a little extra hard work, I am capable of successfully completing courses I never thought would be possible. In essence, I have definately found the much needed self-confidence that was lost when I attended high school.

College has undoubatble been one of the greatest undertakings in my life thus far. Beyond any class curriculum, college has educated me and instilled life lessons in me that reach further than any textbook or lecture could take me. It has opened my eyes to the world around me as well as shown me alot about myself I did not know. I have had the oppurtunity to meet amazing people from different walks of lifes, and it is nothing short of incredible to see how the yearning for education can bring such a diffusion of people together. Attaining my education has promoted integrety and responsiblity above all else, two traits that I feel denote success no matter what your future goals may be. I personally am amazed at how much I have been able to accomplish this far, but I feel the value lies in understanding how little it is of what I am yet to accomplish.

Jumping headfirst into a new environment, with only a light understanding of what lies ahead of you, is a real eye-opener. Though this college is fairly good at preparing you for your first semester, there is still a great deal that one must learn alone. Getting to know people and learning to communicate with new personalities is a great learning experience for anyone, and Eau Claire does a great job of breaking the ice. I am confident in the abilities of nearly all the professors I've encountered so far; they all seem very concerned and interested in the goals and success of the students they are teaching. Being passive and having a "it'll be fine" attitude does not help one's cause in the college world, and that was one of the biggest lessons I learned.

I think attendimg college is important in the sense that it allows people to be exposed to and to think about subjects they might not consider in a regular 9 to 5 job. The traditional US system of higher education makes no excuses for holding to a system of learning that does not provide practical, real-world experience. They emphasize a growth in knowledge, the understanding of the world and different cultures, and the kind of education that will make people what they deem to be well-rounded and literate. But at the same time, it would not be hard to incorporate required internships or practical tracks of learning for people who would like an advantage against their peers who chose to work for four years instead of going to college. Many, many college graduates find competition from people already settled into a career path. And many, many people graduate from college with a considerable amount of debt. But I am not worried about my debt. I do not regret going to college for the people I've met ane the subjects I've considered.

In high school everyone wonders, "What will I be when I grow up?". We all think this means what kind of job will I have. But really there are two questions buried in that one and my college experience has helped me answer both. First, what kind of person will I be when I grown up? Having roommates have taught me to share, be considerate, and work together. Difficult classes have taught me to persevere and strive to do my best. Friendship issues have taught me to be nonjudgemental, compassionate and to use mature methods to resolve issues. The answer to the second part of the question, "What will I be?" has me very excited about my future as a Speach and Language Pathologist. I knew I wanted something that would combine children and the medical field, but this field is something I had never been exposed to until I got to college. I have 3 more years to receive my Masters Degree, but already the personal growth and knowing I have found the right field for me, has made every minute and every dollar spent on college worth it.

Due to unforeseen events, I have had online classes ever since I've started my college carreer and I have learned that it takes a whole other level of discipline and motivation to be successful. While it is convenient for those who cannot attend a class on campus, it has made me value on campus classes a lot more.

I am very greatful for the quality of education that I am receiving at the school I am attending. I have been made aware of many aspects of life that I didn't have any previous exposure to. I hope to inspire my children to strive for excellence even if you face unexpected challenges along the way. I hope the education I am receiving will prepare me to better help the community that I work in and that I can really make a difference in helping people who have had little opportunities in life to acheive their greatest potential.

The college has made me realize how diffrent life is after high school. It required me to make decisions for myself, and to budget my money. It also made me realize how easy it is to spend a lot of money in no time, thanks to my loans.

I have gotten confidence and a sense of my own self idenity. I know that I can do anything I set my mind too. It has been valuable to attend because I will one day graduate with a nursing degree and be able to put my confidence to work helping other people.

I have gotten a lot out of my college experience so far, but I think that the most important thing that I have gained is my work ethic. I think that since going to Eau Claire, I have improved on getting things done in a timely mannor, as well as understanding what I am doing. I also think that I have gained a lot of skills so far, simply because they professors are so amazing. I have learned so much more than I thought I would have by now. I have gained a sense of self, and really found out what I am good at. I have developed people skills that I never thought I would have, and I cherish that.

I have only been in college for one completed semester and I have gained much in experience, knowledge, and friendships. I have volunteered at least thirty hours with Special Olympics, for Circle K, and elsewhere. I have accumulated more knowledge in Physics, Mathematics, Spanish, and Chemistry. But the most valuable experiences that I have endured is friendship. With my old friends and new friends, I have had great times and told great stories. We have had laughs and more laughs. We have endured our first finals "hell" week and survived together. For the three reasons listed above, it has been extremely valuable for me to attend because I know that my college experience has, is, and will mold into the valuable citizen I need to be.