University of Portland

Lots of Trust

In general, I feel like the university trusts its students. They aren't all that strict about rules, and in return, students tend to follow must of them despite the lack of punishment. However, recently there have been more rules about purchasing food. Even in a cafeteria where it is impossible to get away with stealing food, and despite the fact that food was very rarely stolen from any of the cafeterias, and despite the fact that the cafeteria was still extremely profitable this year, students now have to pay before ordering food, and then wait for food. It's as though they have stopped trusting us.

Lots of Practical Experience

Everything we learn in class is applied in field experience at local schools. I loved it so much that I did almost twice as many hours as I was required to do! It's really great to see exactly what I just learned in class, later in the day at field experience. I'm extremely impressed by the quality of education I am receiving in this program. I feel like I'm learning how to be a teacher from every possible angle, and I am confident that upon graduation, I will be prepared to teach almost any child.

Confusion About My Major

I went in after 1st semester to change my major (I had been a Elementary Education and French double major). It turned out I hadn't been registered as a French major anyway! It's a good thing I didn't want that major anymore, but I worry what might have happened if I hadn't decided to drop that major.

I ended up adding a minor to my major, which is pretty rare for my major. This makes it a bit more complicated, especially since elementary ed. is such a demanding major and the classes for my minor tend to be in the middle of the day, at the same time as field experience. It will all turn out ok in the long run, but if you do plan to be an ed major, be cautious if choosing to do a minor. Try to get an endorsement instead, if possible.