For many freshmen, the first term of college is both a challenging experience and a valuable one. Whether it is transitioning or learning to handle the work load, fall term is a way for students to adjust to college life. Now that freshmen have survived their first term of college, many are looking forward to winter term.
One dramatic change for freshmen is the adjustment of living away from home and becoming more independent. When living on campus, many freshmen also had to adjust to the idea of roommates and sharing a room with one or two other people. Part of freshman year is living in the residence halls, and for many, living on campus meant making a lot of good connections.
“Freshman year here at UO has been a great experience,” Madison Clayton said. “Living in the dorms has been a great experience and my roommate and I get along just great.”
For freshman Christina Peil, living away from home was a helpful experience and she did not believe her transition to college was difficult.
“I like the part of living away and living without parents,” Peil said.
In order to help freshmen ease into transition, the UO offers Freshmen Interest Groups, known as FIGs, to bring students with similar interests together in common lecture courses. Rather than being overwhelmed with 200 unknown faces, freshmen are able to become familiar with 25 students from their FIG and learn to adapt to the college classroom.
Though FIGs are only offered fall term, many believe they served their purpose.
“I like the comfort of knowing the 25 people in the FIG and it will be interesting to not have it anymore. I will miss the FIG and the bonding experience,” freshman Susanna Jung said.

Similarly, Clayton believes the FIG was a good connections experience, but believes she will be fine without it.
“I thought the FIG was sort of helpful because I did make some good friends but there was in some cases extra work that I thought was unnecessary,” Clayton said.
By now a lot of freshmen know what college is like and are anxious to see what winter term has in store for them. For some, fall term provided motivation for getting better grades this term and aiming toward goals.
Jung, Peil and Clayton have all been inspired to get higher grades this term.
“I’m a little nervous because I’m taking a heavier load but my goal is to get a 3.5 GPA or higher,” Clayton said.