The University of Oregon

Date: Aug 03 2008
Major: Math (This Major's Salary over time)
Like many people from my high solid high school in Portland, I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone and go to college out of state. I was thrilled when I received my acceptance letter from the University of Michigan. Little did I know that in the coming weeks, I would find out that Michigan had offered me no financial aid, thus I would be staying in Oregon for college. A wave of disappointment swept over me when I heard this news. I went to Oregon with a very negative attitude. My parents even told me that if I really did like it in Eugene, they would allow me to transfer to Michigan after two years and help me obtain loans.

After my first week of college, I came to realize that not receiving financial aid from Michigan turned out to be a blessing in disguise. My four years at Oregon were the best of my life. I double majored in Math and Economics and was also in the honors college. My professors were brilliant, kind, and generally gave interesting lectures. Some were too consumed in their research, but they still made an effort to help when they had free time.

The atmosphere at Oregon is terrific. It's a great mix of people in terms of personality. The great thing about this school is the camaraderie it displays, especially their football season. This school becomes a giant family during Fall term.

Eugene is a fun college town. I don't think I'd want to live there my entire life, but it was great place to be as a college student.

If you are a high achieving in state student who is looking to explore the prestigious out of state schools (like Michigan and Berkeley), don't discount the U of O. It's the best public school in the state and is a lot better than I expected academically. What impressed me most was how many of my peers placed into high caliber grad schools (including myself).