University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Top Questions

What should every freshman at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh know before they start?

mitchell

My middle school and high school had been trying to instill the importance of keeping a calender/journal to keep your assignments and deadlines in order; this is very important. You need to remember you are on your own with keeping on task and getting work turned in on time. Another thing to be prepared for is a roommate. While fun to hang out and make new friends, it is a new experience to wake up next to a total stranger and it is helpful to be prepared to have an open mind. My advice would be to get involved in as many activities as your studies can allow. It helps to get out of your dorm and meet people but not at the cost of your grades. Use this as a chance to start becoming independant.

Leah

If I had to turn back time and give myself advice, I would cover many aspects of college. I would first tell myself to study a lot more than I did in high school. In college, an overall class grade usually consists of only a few exams instead of multiple little assignments like in high school, so starting off with a good exam score will benefit your overall grade. I would also tell myself to be prepared for distractions. Students are awake all hours of the night and play music, watch tv, and talk loudly so it may disturb both studying time and sleeping habits. So, a college student needs to learn how to work around the environmental settings they are in. Lastly, I would make sure to tell myself to make friends. It is hard to get through college without friends. You are able to study in groups, learn where various people are from and who their friends are and it is also nice to establish life long friendships.

Katherine

I would tell myself to enjoy life while I can before I have to worry so much about paying for school!!!

Gaby

Girl, you are not even going to believe all the changes you'll have to endure, like how much you really will miss Mom and the cats, how jealous you really will be with your boyfriend going to Madison, and how shy you'll become. People always say dorms are small, but you have such a great time getting to know everyone. Well, because of working so much and either going home each weekend for more work or to Madison to see Travis, that didn't exactly happen. Talk to people, befriend anyone, don't be so scared! Everyone's nervous, everyone's a bit lonely, it's ok. But what's not ok is letting your roommate walk all over you. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT let her boyfriend stay over 3 days a week just because she's your best friend and she's lonely when you're at work. She sees him every single weekend, she needs to get out there and make friends too! I know it is so hard for you to break out of your shell, but it's necessary. Also, you actually have to study! A LOT! You can do it.

Nicole

It has been a real learning experience. I have learned the big responsiblity it is to get an education. With out the education I see no future for me. I have learned alot and how studying is so important. I have a had some ups and downs in my life but since I have started with school it has shown me how important my education can be. It has shown me were I can go and where I want to be in the next few years. Taking care of animals is my life and learning more about them makes me understand the quality of life and that they need someone like me to be there for them when they need help. Thank you.

Stephanie

I have gotten so much out of my college experience. It has tought me what the real world entails and how hard it is to support yourself without your parent's help. It showed me time management and how to be productive and gave me a reality check as to what needs to be done in order to have a successful future and career. It takes a lot of hard work and determination and the "slacking off" I did in high school is over. I have learned to mature and become an individual with goals. Attending college is valued to me because if I would have not attended I would not have been shown what it takes to get the results you want in life.

megan

I have met so many new friends and friends that I can see myself being friends with for a lifetime. I have gone out of my comfort zone by doing things I normally wouldn't do (sports, clubs.) It has been valuable to attend because I have learned how to work smart in school and use my time wisely.

Amanda

In the year and a half I have attended college I have learned many things. Before college I felt like I could never pick one thing that I wanted to be for the rest of my life because there were just so many choices. As I listened to all of my fellow classmates exchange there future dream jobs, I thought to myself that I was falling behind and that the time that everyone tells you, you have so much of is gone and I still have no idea what I'm going to be. When I came to college with a chosen major that I wasn't entirely sure about, I realized that it's not about signing your life away and dedicating yourself to one thing for your entire life, it's about the experience and the mistakes you make along the way. College has taught me about oppurtunities and that even with a declared major, that doesn't necessarily mean it is what I will end up doing. In fact a major is more of a goal that is set to motivate a person to finish their education; because with education all things are possible.

Eric

I have opened myself up to new people and new experiences. College has made me more friendly and outgoing, it has also made me more independent. With the course load falling all on your shoulders it is up to you to make a study program that works for you. No one is there making sure you study and get your work done , it's up to you and that has lead to me becoming more independent as well as more task oriented. It has also made me develop time management skills. With social and acadamic lives clashing it requires a person to develop time management skills quickly otherwise one may lose either social aspects of their life or fail in academic ascpects of their life.

Kristina

What I have gotten out of my college experience thus far is a renewed love of learning, through wonderful professors and a diverse curriculum.

Rachel

My college experience has opened my eyes to a world I did not know existed. Because of my experience at UW-Oshkosh, I am aware of a diverse world that exists all around me. I have been exposed to different races, religions, backgrounds, and sexual orientation that I was ignorant to before I began college here. By being involved in several clubs and organizations, I have become extremely close friends with people that I never would have thought I would be friends with. This experience has made me a better person. I am more aware of issues that are occurring all the time. My career goal is to be a counselor, and attending college here has prepared me for the issues and people that I will encounter when I enter graduate school and the work force. It has made me much more accepting and empathetic to what people who are unlike me face every day.

Laurel

I have gotten so much out of my college experience. I have learned to be more outspoken and not as shy. I am naturally an introvert and I have been able to come out of my comfort zone. I have been able to meet many people that have different backgrounds than me. Since, I went to a small, private high school; I did not get the chance to experience the different cultures. Ultimately I have gotten to learn new things and feed off of other people?s ideas. It is amazing how people think differently and how you can learn so much from other people. I knew that you do learn from other people but, I think you get the chance to do that more in college. It was valuable to me because I would not have learned the things I have learned. I would not have overcome being shy and fear of speaking in front of people. I believe the people I met helped me push through and continue on my journey to becoming a nurse.

Antonella

I have gotten so much out of my college experiences. I have actually attended two different colleges and plan on finally staying at my third one this fall. Since I started at my first school which was The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, I thought I had it all figured out. However, I found there was so many different types of people out there, so many talented people. I learned how to be open minded, because if your not you close yourself off to the amazing people, places, and things the world has to offer. I also learned how to be more independent. I started having to do things on my own like talk to people about things I was interested in applying for, speaking in front of others, etc. None of which are a big deal, but I think it was a step to help me become a more self sufficient person. I plan on attending West Virginia University in the fall and I believe that will only continue to help me become a more independent and intelligent person. College has worked wonders for me and I am so excited to be in school today.

Rachel

Attending a semester at a university allowed me to see what is important about my education. I've learned that going to college isn't about choosing the major that your parents want you to choose, or trying to get a career that will pay you more than your friends' jobs. It's more than just what your grades are or how many parties you attend. Education is more than pleasing your teachers and being the star of a sports team. It's about making friendships that will last for years. It's about choosing a course of study that you can feel good about, and one that can be useful to you. Most of all, going to college is about learning, whether it's in class or outside of classes. It's about getting to know yourself and preparing yourself for the opportunities will come and the decisions that you will face later in life. And, college is about having fun and learning to enjoy life, because life is too short to be confined to a classroom.

Sydney

My college experience is not your typical college student's experience, starting with the fact that I started living on-campus and taking a full load of courses at age sixteen through the Georgia Academy of Aviation, Mathematics, Engineering and Science at Middle Georgia College. Over the past four semesters there, I have taken 74 credit hours worth of courses, earned my A.S. in Physics, met hundreds of new people, eaten "the good, the bad, and the ugly" at the school's cafeteria, and dedicated countless hours to both schoolwork and extracurricular activities. All of my experience has not been enjoyable, for example, my Calculus-based Physics class where a good grade on a test is a C. Yet, if I could go back, knowing what I know now, and make the decision whether or not to go to college, I would still choose going to college. The value in my experience is not only in that degree or larger paycheck. The most valuable part of my experience has been discovering who I really am--without the familiarity of family and friends, but with the same decisions that I had to face when they were around.

Chad

I have learned alot more about managing a company than I had previously known about it. I had received some managerial training at my current job for about a year, and tying that into what I have learned from my coomunity college has given me a better understanding of how to be a beter manager and leader. I will leave my community college with an associates degree, but I plan on transfering to a university in Florida to keep my college career going and having a better chance at finding a more suiting higher paying job.

Carly

I wish everyone could have an opportunity to attend a college. This is not only a chance to become more educated, but living on campus has made me more responsible and organized. I am learning more about myself and what I really want in life. The first two months were difficult; being away from home and family, but I survived. I have learned to appreciate home cooked meals, my double bed, my family and other things that I took for granted. I have made so many new friends and I have also learned how to say no and make good choices. Not following the crowd, especially when you don't know alot of people, can be difficult. I now realize that my family taught me how to make wise choices, which is so important when you are on your own. As I attend classes that I never thought I would be interested in, the world opens up to me more and more. The professors are helpful and I have learned to introduce myself to them and ask for their help. They want you to suceed and they will do everything they can as long as you do your part.

Sarah

The college experience for me has been very rewarding. In high school I would study a small amount and I received pretty good grades (High Honors). When I attended college and put a little more effort in to studying the rewards were incredible! Now I felt like my studying was paying off, not only was I succeeding but I was learning and retaining the information handed to me. Not long after attending I was inducted into the Honors Program and other academic organizations. All of these rewards helped my self esteem and I felt independent for the first time in my life. Here I was, a small town girl, in a much larger place and no one knew the difference.

Phillip

Personally I feel like I have recieved direction both from students and faculty and staff on my campus. I came into college with no clue on what I wanted to do with my life. I am currently in my third year on campus and really have my heart set on grad school and entering the field of student affairs so I can have the privilage to give back to college students.

Robert

I would tell myself to get out and talk more with people. Get to know more people and do more stuff. College isn't just about the classes, it's also about the people. Don't spend all your time playin video games in your dorm get outside and play some real games. Be open minded. If someone doesn't believe the same way you do, find out why they believe what they do. Don't disagree just to disagree with people. Don't be afraid to try new things, you might like them. Just because something doesn't work out doesn't mean it's all your fault, look at the big picture. Everything happens for a reason, most of the time the reason isn't known until long after the event. And the final thing I would tell myself is to work hard and focus and nothing will keep you from achieving your dreams.