University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)

Jan 2012

Re: San Diego State University or ???
My youngest daughter is a freshman at U of Oregon. She too was admitted to San Diego State. She chose Oregon for its smaller size (SDSU is huge) and because of the freshman programs at Oregon. After one quarter, here is her assessment and mine. My daughter came from Campolindo High, where the U of Oregon was seen as a ''come down'' school. Never mind. My daughter tells me that she ''absolutely loves it''. Last quarter, she took a FIG, a freshman interest group seminar, an inter-disciplinary class with 25 students and profs from two classes. They met every week and also went to the home of each professor, traveled about Eugene and participated in a study group led by a senior student. The experience was wonderful and one that is not available at any UC school or SDSU. This coming semester, she will be in a seminar with 12 other students at a full professor, a freshman-sophomore seminar. The U of Oregon has done a wonderful job of creating small school experiences with in a larger school. Once she is Junior, all of her classes in major will be seminars. There is lot of personal attention. And, there are opportunities for undergrad research and internships for any interested student, again not true for UC or SDSU. That and Eugene is a college town, with students living in a band around the U. Finally the U of O has an extensive program for international study and internships for students who want to work abroad. Don't forget, it is difficult, and increasingly so, to get classes at UC and CSU. Not so at Oregon; your ds can graduate in 4 years with no difficulty in getting classes. Not only does my daughter love Oregon; I could not be more pleased with the quality of her experience. anonymous

Question for anonymous, whose daughter is a freshman at U. of Oregon. I'm wondering if your daughter is in the Honors Program, or the regular U.? My son has been admitted as well and I'm wondering if the small programs you describe are open to everyone, or only the Honors College. Thanks-- student's mom

I am anonymous. My daughter is not in the honor's program, Clark College. In the above program, all classes are seminars. The Freshman Interest Groups, FIGS, are open to all freshman at the U of O. When my daughter received her ''Big Book of Figs'' last spring, she was blown away by a choice of 52 different FIGS offered across all academic disciplines. The freshman-sophmore seminars are also open to all students. My daughter is very happy at the U of O, which she announced was, ''absolutely wonderful''. Also, in her major, all the classes will be seminars starting Junior year. anonymous