First, two items for your calendar:

The HACAC College Fair will be held at Maui High School on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Juniors, now is the time to get your search started if you have not already done so. Take this opportunity to meet with admissions counselors from all over the country (and some international).

Next, FAFSA applications are now open for the 2020-21 school year. Students and parents should get together now to get your application processed for the best shot at financial aid opportunities.

Now, on to the Oregon Ducks!

The University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon, just about two hours south of Portland. This makes it an easy trip for Maui students and their families.

When driving to Eugene from Portland, one travels through both rural and suburban areas, but Eugene itself is a very self-sufficient college town. It is a large (19,000 undergraduate students) public university that has approximately 54 percent females, 46 percent males, and 42 percent of students who come from out of state.

Walking around, one is immediately met with a campus with a very traditional feel. For a school as large as it is, it does not feel that big. There are brick buildings scattered about with a beautiful, grassy quad and tons of trees.

When I visited, it was spring, and there were many flowering trees all over the place.

It was very easy to walk from one side of campus to the other in a short time.

Almost all freshmen live on campus, but after that, most students venture off-campus or to fraternities or sororities to live. Sixteen percent of men join fraternities, and 20 percent of women join sororities. (Fun fact: the movie “Animal House” was filmed at one of the fraternities here.)

Freshmen are encouraged to sign up for housing as soon as they accept admission to be assured of their preferred dormitory selection. The dorm rooms I saw were small but adequate.

Student D-I athletes are treated to their own special living environment; however, I was not able to visit that area personally.

The admissions requirements for U of O are pretty standard, with approximately 83 percent of applicants admitted. The majority of those applicants score between 1,100 and 1,300 on their combined SATs and 22-28 on ACTs.

The school offers a wide variety of majors, with the only notable exception being engineering. The most popular majors are in the Social Sciences and Business.

One of U of O’s most famous alumni is Phil Knight, founder of Nike, and his mark can be found all over campus.

“Uncle Phil,” as he is familiarly called, was a track and field athlete in the late 1950s, and he has generously donated many buildings and facilities. Matthew Knight Arena, where the Ducks’ basketball team plays, is named for his son, who died in 2004.

The Ducks are part of the Pac-12, and most notably have been known for their football program both nationally as well as here in Hawaii (most recently due to the popularity and success of Marcus Mariota in 2014).

Mariota was the first Heisman Trophy winner from U of O, and his final year, the Ducks went to the national championship bowl game.

The Ducks field 18 different sports in Division I for men and women, and also have a wide variety of sports offered at both the club and intramural level.

Tuition at U of O has gone up dramatically over the past ten years due to the overflow of students coming in from out of state, particularly California: just over $36,000 per year, with average room and board coming in around $13,500.

The average financial aid package for incoming freshman is just over $10,000 for those students with demonstrated need. Financial aid packages tend to be a combination of scholarships, work study and loans.

As always, for the best chance at financial aid, get your FAFSA completed early.

I will close with a quote from a former student and U of O graduate: “The University of Oregon was a great experience for me. I loved the way the city rallied around the university for sporting events. The class sizes were also ideal and allowed me to get to know the teachers and form relationships with them.”

Maryanne Hogan is an Independent College Admissions Consultant working with students on Maui. Visit her website thecollegeauntie.com for more information or to make an appointment.