Alumni Share Their Advice
On social media, we asked: “Alumni, what’s your best piece of advice for new students?”
Welcome to the world of Lewis & Clark— an adventure of sorts. Mix with guys and gals from around the globe. Breathe the fresh morning air by the reflection pool. Go for a swim in the outdoor pool on sunny days. Soak in the echoes of academia and catch a lecture to wake your curiosity. Play a sport, eat well, and go bird-watching in the forest across the green. Welcome to this enchanted place!
Ask your professors for opportunities to assist them in their research, whether it’s in your major or not. Or whether it’s in your exact area of interest, if you know what that is. Research skills are invaluable no matter what you do after college—and essential if you want to go to graduate school.
If you’re an athlete, try out for a play. If you’re In drama, try out for a sports club. If you’ve never left Oregon, go on an overseas study program. If you’re a world traveler, volunteer with the Special Olympics and get to know the locals. Challenge yourself in ways you never thought possible.
Danial Afzal BA ’13
Interact with as many fellow students as you can. College is also about building stronger relationships and connections, and once y’all graduate, these relationships and strong camaraderies will most definitely aid in after-college life. To date, all of my interactions on Palatine Hill, whether with fellow students or professors, have really helped me as I set up in my next professional venture. And most importantly, have fun and be proud to be a Pio!
Go on an overseas study program through L&C! My wife, Katherine McPhee Hinds BA ’65, MAT ’71, and I were able to be a part of the first overseas study program to Japan in the fall of 1962. The cultural experience and the friends we made forever changed and enriched our lives. Also, a big plus was that we started dating after our return and have been married since 1965.
Eric Taussig BA ’91
Make friends with someone who disagrees with you on an issue you consider important. Change your mind about something after learning new information or encountering a new argument. Don’t worry about BEING right; instead, concern yourself with discovering what IS right and true. Develop strong allergies to unexamined dogma. Seek intellectual discomfort. Develop a reflexive sense of curiosity about questions that fail to get asked. Assume good intent, always.
Go on as many College Outdoors outings as possible to get out into beautiful places, have some adventures, and makes some friends. Go on as many overseas programs as you can! Going to Costa Rica at age 19 helped me get perspective and set me on my life’s path, which was amazing. I am still in touch with my host family. …Enjoy long walks or runs through the woods. There are a lot of great trails! Eat apples on lower campus and blackberries everywhere in late summer. Study? Yes, that too, with focus and gusto, but not all the time! Enjoy your friends, and practice creating a wonderful, balanced life. Have deep conversations. Learn lots! Glean both subject matter knowledge and life wisdom from your professors.
Go to office hours, go to tutoring at the Symbolic and Quantitative Resource Center (SQRC), get to know your professors. Go to campus events to support your peers; they work so hard to pull them together! And blow a kiss to Mount Hood whenever she shows up. Oh, and get enough sleep.
Janel Wire Pratt BA ’75
Get involved with something new! You never know what will excite your passion.
Morganne Sigismonti BA ’17
Go to office hours and say hi to your professors periodically! They will be your best support group throughout your experience as a student and in your future career. Ask them all of your questions and get their advice when you feel stuck. I’m so grateful for all my professors!
Credits: SHUTTERSTOCK images: Great Horned owl BY Eric Isselee; Falling Blackberry by grey_and; Microscope by PANUWACH; Sleeping Sheep by 9peaks; Theater Masks by Elnur
