Coco and Mark Jones: Duck Parents

Coco and Mark Jones
Menlo Park, California

The Jones' daughter Lauren is an undeclared major at the UO.

How did Lauren decide the UO was right for her?
We started the process with her thinking about options: Big/Medium/Small, and East/Central/West. By the start of her senior year she was leaning Medium-to-Big (but not too Big) and definitely West. As the year passed, Lauren truly came to understand that she really wanted "the collegiate experience."  She had a number of academic interests, and wanted to explore many of them before deciding on an area of study. Ultimately, her interest gravitated to product design, and that’s where she’s putting all her focus.

Did you visit the UO campus with your daughter?
We brought her up to the last Duck Days spring visit event. Lauren had a tour of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, and was pretty excited. The sun was out, which was important to her.  That night in the hotel Lauren wrote down the pros and cons for her top three schools, and told me the right choice was the UO. After that night, she never looked back.

Can you describe your experience as the parent of a first-year college student?
For us the fall quarter was as big a transition as it was for our daughter. We came to Family Weekend and talked to her daily, particularly during the first two weeks. I knew she would make it and have a great experience when she sent me a photo of herself hamming it up with the Duck mascot.

How have you stayed in contact with Lauren?
Daily texts, emails, video, and phone. We’ve also made it a point to find a reason to be in Eugene once a quarter. 

Any words of wisdom for parents of freshmen?
Stay in contact. Talk, and more importantly, listen for as long as they want. When they don’t have time, you know they’re settling in and finding their way.