I am an in state student who applied to U of O as a safety. I’ve gotten into better schools that I would prefer, but, unfortunately, I don’t think we will be able to swing them. I’m pretty sure I will wind up having to attend Oregon.
I am a very academic student, and I have always loved learning. Partying and sports have always seemed like distractions and never interested me. I genuinely love school.
Unfortunately, when I hear anything about the U of O, I hear about the fantastic sports programs and Greek life. Academics it seems, are not highly regarded. To be perfectly frank, it seems like a terrible school. I’m dreading having to go there and being surrounded by people who don’t care about learning. IT seems like the complete opposite of my ideal college experience.
I’ve applied to the honors college, but frankly that, too, seems pretty mediocre.
I’m hoping that some current students might be able to talk a little bit about their academic experience at U of O. Specifically people who applied as a safety and could have gone to higher caliber schools. Whatever you do, please be honest!
I’m considering taking a gap year and reapplying to schools if I think that the U of O will really be the disaster I fear.
I can’t speak from a student perspective, but I am a parent of a UO sophmore and I have a son who was just admitted. I think there is something for everyone at UO–definitely a party scene if you are looking for that and also many serious students who work very hard. You might look into choosing a residential FIG (freshman interest group). They have specific ones for Honors College students–they all take the same smaller size classes (2 classes and a discussion group) fall term and live on the same dorm floor. Last year, my daughter’s roommate was in honors college so she was on a very quiet dorm floor in Global Scholars Hall–lots of quiet, serious students. It wasn’t for her, but it sounds like it might be something that would work for you.
Look on LinkedIn and see where Oregonians ended up! They are now working for top tech companies. Oregon does have a strong focus on academics and has a great alumni