When I applied to the University, a 3.25 GPA guaranteed potential students a spot on campus. I was shocked — you’re telling me that all I needed to get was a 3.25? This seems a bit low for a University I put at the top of my list. After visiting the school, I sat in on a couple of lectures, took the tour and understood the feel of Eugene and the campus area. People were here to learn, and many wanted to excel beyond what the GPA requirement suggested.
Needless to say, I was convinced that the University was on the rise. They had plenty of top-tier programs and an athletic program that was making a statement in the Pac-10. I’m a huge sports fan, I love the Pacific Northwest and the campus is not only gorgeous, but close to some family. In my eyes, it was worth it.
As the past years went by, I caught wind of a change that was happening. The University was catching more steam as our Rose Bowl-caliber team attracted the eyes of TV networks — and potential students — across the nation. There must have been something telling students to give Oregon a shot: From Spring 2009 to Spring 2011, we added almost 2,000 more students to our total head count.@@from 22,089 to 20,213=1,877@@
And, do you want to know something fun? During that span, the University actually accepted 1,964 more out-of-state students from 2009 to 2011, accepting more out-of-state students than Oregonians.
Why would that be? Why would this happen when we know it costs a considerable amount of money to come to this school from outside the state?
Pump the brakes, and let’s think about this. If students who are from out of state know about the “considerable amount of money” and are still willing to pay it, what does that say about where we’re headed in the future?
I’ll tell you, friends: We’re movin’ on up.
At the start of the millennium, the GPA requirement to get guaranteed admission to the school was a 3.0. By the time I applied, a 3.25 GPA gave the same luxury, followed by a 3.4 for the class of 2011. Next year, students won’t have the same chance we did. The guaranteed admission is over, starting with the class of 2016 (incoming freshmen).@@Are you serious? there is no way the next class is graduating in 2016./sarcasm@@
And don’t worry, Oregonians! You guys still lay claim to 58 percent of the University’s population.
To me, all of this is amazing. The fact that we were attracting students of a higher caliber forced us to raise our admission standards until we couldn’t raise them anymore. Now the University is able to select the highest caliber of students who apply to this school. Not only students who have a great grade point average but also those who are well-rounded and experienced.
“It is a basic supply and demand type of issue,” Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Roger Thompson said@@http://oem.uoregon.edu/roger@@. “Standards went up. The minimum GPA standard did not provide enough context — in essence, not all 3.4 GPAs are created equal.”
We are attracting and accepting the best in the nation. By offering exemplary programs in multiple departments, the old, tucked-away University with the cool football uniforms is no more. We are developing a top-notch university with top-notch facilities, athletics and programs.
“The academic quality of the incoming students is unprecedented at the University of Oregon,” Thompson said in a September news release. “The best and the brightest are joining us on campus this fall, and we’re excited about the potential that the students represent for the state of Oregon.”
I love the transition. Sure, we’re here in the middle of it, but imagine the impact it will have on our degrees as we enter the workforce. It’s only a matter of time until the University rises to a caliber that earlier graduates could only dream about. The rise in academic success is one part (albeit a big part) of the development in store.
Between that, the academic and athletic facilities, the residence halls, the out-of-classroom experience and athletic success, we’re soaring upwards to the higher ends of higher education.
Andersen: University of Oregon’s academic standards are movin’ on up
Daily Emerald
November 7, 2011
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