What would you say are the best dorms for freshman? What are the reputations/vibes of the different dorms on campus?
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Toured the school over Halloween with my son and although I’m not sure about social vibe, there is quite a difference in aesthetics between the older and newer dorms. The newest dorm Unthank was beautiful and very much centrally located. My son is interested in art/design so he would request Kalapuya Ilihi which was farther from central campus but part of an ARC.
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Hello NU2this: My daughter is a freshman in Unthank this year at the University of Oregon. It’s a beautiful dorm, but it is the largest one, with a lot of coming-and-going because a large food court is downstairs. She’s happy there, but there are also many nice smaller dorms too, depending on what your son is looking for. Kalapuya Illihi is very nice, as is Global Scholars, and the other newer ones that you see on the website. The campus is fairly compact, so it is easy to get around campus from wherever you are. The oldest dorms are coming down over the next couple of years. By the way, the food at UO is fabulous. So many wonderful choices, freshly prepared, and healthy.
About the social vibe: it’s a very friendly, happy, campus. About half the students are from out-of-state, mostly California. The joke is that UO is really UC Eugene (or UC Oregon). Some of them are surprised by weather – it rains a lot. We are from Washington, so are used to it, and know that life continues on in the rain. Athletics are big there, both as spectators or as participants at the fabulous rec center. My daughter finds the emphasis on greek life among the freshman a little annoying, but that’s probably the case at any large state school. Most students are NOT in the Greek system, but those that are tend to be pretty loud about it. Eugene is a great town, and most students live off campus in nearby apartments by their sophomore year. However, Eugene is not OZ–there are problems with crime, homelessness, and mental illness. Student safety, however, is a priority.
As parents, we are happy that she decided to go to UO. The school is quite well funded for a state school, due to all the out-of-state tuition dollars following in, and very generous donors (e.g., think Phil and Penny Knight). Our other daughter attends a prestigious liberal arts college in New England, and to be honest, UO seems comparable in their level of resources for students (advising, support staff, opportunities, etc).
Good luck to your son.
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