While summertime in Bexell Hall typically means quieter days, that’s not always the case. That’s because hundreds of incoming first year and transfer students and their families take part in START, an extensive two-day program with sessions offered June through September that is required for all incoming students at Oregon State.
Bexell has been abuzz with activity lately as START gives students an introduction to life at OSU, leading them through their first advising appointments, signing up for their first classes, and sharing the information they’ll need to succeed once the school year arrives in the fall.
Among those visiting today were three incoming first-year students from out-of-state who – just after completing their registration for their fall classes – shared their thoughts about Oregon State and their experience with START.
Mackenzie Chiles from Boise, Idaho said that she chose Oregon State because of her overall impressions of OSU being “a great school and an awesome place to live.” While she’s not sure exactly what she wants to concentrate her studies on, she said that she chose the College of Business specifically because her business classes in high school were the only classes that she found consistently engaging. Despite not yet knowing what she plans to major in when she applies to pro school, Mackenzie is excited to explore some introductory classes from a variety of majors.
“I love how nice and genuine everyone in Corvallis has been, and I can’t wait to get to campus and start my college career,” said Chiles.
Oregon State first got on Hayden Bailey’s radar because of his passion for and love of baseball. The left-handed pitcher from Colusa, Calif. is even hoping to make the Beavers’ perennially-ranked baseball team as a walk-on.
“I’m really drawn to the College of Business because of how useful and versatile a business degree is,” said Bailey, who is planning on majoring in either marketing or management. “I’ve been really impressed with how helpful the staff of the college have been during START, and it’s been a great way to make connections and start meeting some of my future classmates” he said.
Taylor Collins, from Chino Hills, Calif. knows exactly what she wants to accomplish with a degree from Oregon State.
“I want to start my own company someday,” said Collins, who is interested in launching a business that specializes in either event planning or beauty products.
“My parents fell in love with Corvallis, and I’ve heard that the Entrepreneurship program here is really great. So Oregon State just made sense to all of us,” she said.
Collins said that while she was initially worried that registering for classes would be complicated and confusing, taking part in START made the process really simple.
“Going through START has definitely helped ease some of my concerns,” she said. “It’s been reassuring getting connected and familiar with campus and some of the available resources before starting my classes.”
