Advice for during College
In my opinion, there is never a wrong question, when it comes to college. Everyone’s experience is unique. I will be talking about my personal experience. My first fall term was a complete roller coaster, because I was dealing with some health issues, and I didn’t get the best first time experience. However, what I learned from that experience was to keep everything calm and smooth, and to avoid over stressing. Whenever you are starting to feel overstressed, take time for self care, before it gets any worse. For me, the abrupt transition from high school to college was significant, and because I was the first in my family to attend college, everything came at once, and I didn’t know how to manage my stress, which led to some health issues. The first piece of advice I can give you is to make time for yourself. Yes, your college career is important, and you want to work hard, but you also need to enjoy your experience and make time for yourself. Along with learning time management and creating calendars to keep everything organized and in one place.
Secondly, get involved during your years in college. Not only, take the courses you are required, but also get involved in clubs, or programs.There are countless clubs of various types available for students to join at the University of Oregon. The clubs are designed to allow you to have fun while also learning new things and preparing you for future careers after graduation. I am a senior, and unfortunately, I did not get involved in any clubs, but looking back if I could change things, I would have loved to get involved in the MECHA club and also in Mujeres. I am Latina, and both of these clubs target Latinx students, and Mujeres, stands for Women, meaning a club for only latina women. Additionally, before graduating from college, you should do at least one internship. Internships are an opportunity for you to gain experience during college, and look great on graduate school or job applications. I am very thankful for my FHS major to require us to do internships our last two years of college, because it gives me more experience. Not all majors require practicum experience in order to graduate, but even if you declare a major that doesn’t I recommend you do at least one. Lastly, remember to have fun, and take care of yourself.
November 29, 2021
First-Generation Student
This blog targets mainly first-generation students, but can also apply to everyone. As a first generation student speaking, it can be hard and scary at moments. When I was in high school, I needed a lot of help applying to colleges and gathering transcripts, letters of recommendation, and so on. There are many counselors in all highschools, and professors who are willing to help us all. They aren’t there to judge you, nor will they get tired of you if you have too many questions. Like I mentioned before there are never wrong questions, and there are never too many questions. It is beneficial to have questions and doubts; asking questions benefits you as well as your school staff. This is because, if there are many students asking the same questions, that means more of your classmates may have the same ones as well.
It is very normal for first generation students to feel lost, and not know where to start, and this also applies to students who aren’t first generation. BUT, if you don’t speak up or look for help, there is no way that counselors or staff will know that you are lost. Also, most importantly, don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help, or say you are lost. Getting engaged with staff will benefit you when needing help. You’ve already established a relationship with a staff member, so you’ll know who to ask for a letter of recommendation from and who you’ll feel most at ease with when you need help. Same thing goes for when in college. There are many advisors, not only in the program of your major but also other academic advising offices available to all students. My advice to you is to never close yourself off and stay stuck in your bubble; when you do step out, go and ask for help. Advocating for yourself, benefits you in many ways.
Finally, as a University of Oregon student, I recommend that students who are considering applying to the University of Oregon, or who have already been accepted and accepted the admission, apply to the TRIO SSS program. This is a program that my math professor from highschool recommended to me, and the advisors have all been extremely helpful. The program stands for Student Support Services, and it provides not only academic advising and support, but also financial support such as scholarships, tutoring opportunities, and many other services that have made my college experience easier, and I believe it will benefit those who attend the University of Oregon.