A year ago the current freshmen class of the UO was wrapping up its senior year of high school and gearing up for graduation. Now, as most of campus anxiously awaits summer, the first year of college is already over.
Part of the first year experience for many is living in the residence halls and being partnered with roommates. Often, it’s their first time living away from home and getting out of their comfort zones, but that’s all part of being a freshman. For some, living in the residence halls was a fantastic experience.
“I loved living in LLC. I’m a little upset that I’m moving out,” freshman Sara Ilanit said. “I love having food so close and it was nice to live in the center of campus and be able to walk everywhere in a short amount of time.”
Living in the dorms, freshmen get the advantage of being able to scan their I.D. cards to buy food. On campus, freshmen are provided with an array of different dining options, from Hamilton’s Big Mouth Burrito to Carson’s all you can eat buffet. But after months of eating the same food, some get tired of the dorm food experience.
“I loved the food. It was really good and I would have a lot of rollover points,” freshman Susanna Jung said. “Towards spring term I got tired of eating the dorm food and now sometimes I go off campus but with that I have even more rollover points.”
When starting college, many freshmen do not know many people. For Jung, joining Fraternity and Sorority Life was a good way to meet other students. Being part of FSL wasn’t her intention coming to college, but she is happy that she decided to rush.
“My roommate told me about it and encouraged me to rush with her,” Jung said. “It gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of nice people. In all honesty it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean when else are you going to be able to have this opportunity in your life besides college?”
Freshmen learn to adapt to taking fun classes and exploring their interests. They also must learn to adjust to the idea of buying text books every term.
“My recommendation is renting textbooks or buying them online,” Ilanit said. “It’s a lot cheaper and there’s no need to buy textbooks unless you’re taking a language — then you should. Otherwise you’re just going to end up selling them.”
As the year winds down and freshmen look forward to next year, some have advice for the incoming freshmen class.
“If you live in the dorms make sure to get to know the people in your hall and try to get involved in different clubs,” freshman Taylor Barnhart said. “Enjoy the freedom.”