For someone like me, who has spent his entire life living in a single community, leaving home for college can be extraordinarily daunting—even if that college is only a two-hour drive away. Even more ominous is the prospect of setting those feelings aside and engaging in an academic setting that is as demanding and competitive as the University of Oregon’s Robert D. Clark Honors College, without the support of living with one’s family.
For me, Carnegie Global Oregon made doing that possible.
Like most residential Freshman Interest Groups, the CGO requires that its members live and attend certain classes together for the first term of their first year at the University of Oregon. For many, FIGs serve as a support group, putting students with similar interest into a situation where they can help each other to make the transition into college life—making it to class on time, establishing study habits, working collaboratively on projects, etc.
Meeting Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in Portland
Celebrating the end of another successful year in Prof. Cohen’s back yard
Unlike other FIGs, however, the CGO lasts all four years of a student’s undergraduate career. During this time, the organization continues to serve as a support group; however, as members become more involved on and off campus and as the age and experience of those members varies, the CGO starts to serve as a space where both networking and mentoring can take place.
Never before joining the CGO had I been a part of a group of students as passionate, ambitious, and diverse in their academic pursuits.
Between this and the incredible line-up of speakers and special guests that the organization has exposed me to, I am firmly of the belief that becoming a member of the CGO was one of the best decisions, and most valuable experiences, that I have made during my time at the University of Oregon.