<p>Hi! I'm a New Student Orientation leader this year. If anyone has any burning questions about L&C, just ask. I'm willing to speak candidly about any aspect of life at Lewis & Clark.</p>
<p>Aloha,</p>
<p>Oooh, I love Wasabi…we cannot get enough of it here in Hawaii.</p>
<p>D stats:
ACT-31, GPA 4.4. Not a lot of ECs, spends majority of her free time writing. Currently working on a couple novels; one may be completed by end of summer. Her sport is Paddling (Hawaiian outrigger canoes), but is in a Rowing (crew) Camp this summer to get a feel if that would be something she might pursue. Potential Majors: Biology, Psychology, and Creative Writing.</p>
<p>The problem she has (and I somewhat concur) is that “every college looks and feels the same”. The brochures are all the same. Their websites all look the same. They all have a Quad and an Old Main building. So, Wasabi, I have two burning questions:
- What is special about Lewis & Clark that no other college can compare?
- Weather? In your opinion, how much of an affect does it have on the student psyche after months of clouds?</p>
<p>FYI…My D and I have scheduled a visit at L&C for 6/27. Will you be leading tours then? Also, she is in the Fir Acres Writing Camp there from 7/1-7/13 and is very excited to attend.</p>
<p>Mahalo</p>
<p>Honestly, LC is a beautiful green campus with extensive, well maintained gardens centered around a turn of the century Tudor style mansion. </p>
<p>Just like any other Lib Arts college, class sizes are generally very small (most classes outside of the science department cap at around 20-25, and that’s generally a larger class)
The Biology department is amazing; there are many talented, enthusiastic professors, and so many opportunities for research and outside involvement in their work. It is actually what drew me to LC (I’m a biochem major)</p>
<p>I can’t speak for the psych or creative writing departments, but I know creative writing often has different instructors come in and out. That is a drawback to LC; you are able to feel the turnover in terms of instructors (I have had two professors leave this year), so that’s something to consider. The English department is very good, however. </p>
<p>Social life here is very weird. Lewis & Clark is located at the center of the wealthiest residential neighborhood in Portland, so we’re surrounded by rich (and old) people who will call the police and the college if a house party gets too loud/out of control. </p>
<p>I’ve only been here a year, but I can feel a palpable difference between the “old” students and “new” students. Arguably, students now are much more athletic and not as interested in traditional LC liberal, hippy/activist activities. I came here believing this would be a hippy/granola school, and there are a few small pockets, but in all it feels very much like a high school. There is a clear delineation between the growing student-athlete part of the school and everyone else. There really isn’t hostility, but even in the Bon (the cafeteria) it is easy to see the room is split in two groups. Most of the student athletes are freshman (rising sophomores this year), so your daughter should be ready to see many athletes in her class is the message I’m trying to get across haha. I just wish someone had communicated this to me when I applied; I may have chosen a different school. </p>
<p>During the fall/winter (when it is cloudy 24/7), the campus is dead. No one goes outside. It is like walking through a ghost town. students have complained about this, but the administration just tells the student government to put on more “ice cream socials.” Which is why drinking is LC’s number one pastime (not to scare you). During the spring, there are probably 70/30 sunny/rainy days, so people go out in the sun, lay on the lawns, study outside, etc.</p>
<p>LC is also VERY cliquey. Some of that stems from the athlete/everybody else divide, but
mostly everyone finds a group and settles in- we have a fair every year (called the PioFair) where all the clubs of LC come out and set up booths and explain their stories. This is where your daughter should sign up for a few clubs and try every single one out. We’re such a small school with small classes, if you don’t find people you connect with immediately in class, there really isn’t another place to go to find people with similar interests. I would say most of the friendships built at LC originate in some club. </p>
<p>LC has a very low retention rate (It hovers around 80% most years.) Some of that comes from very high costs coupled with poor financial aid,
but some students drop out/ transfer to other schools because this place can suck the life out of you sometimes. Fortunately, the LC operates a shuttle every hour that goes to Fred Meyer (a supermarket) and then to the heart of downtown, so there are opportunities to get off campus, and Portland is gorgeous. </p>
<p>The administration is very bizarre. One of the current deans of student life is responsible for the radical change in student body makeup- this person has apparently been a driving force behind bringing in, and emphasizing athletic culture more. I’m sure you saw on the brochures that it talked about how like 47% of the student body is made up of athletes or something ridiculous like that. There is also a new undergrad dean this year. She came under fire earlier this year ( and still is) for denying tenure to a 8 year veteran teacher who won teacher of the year twice in previous years and is one of the most beloved professors at LC. The entire student body and alumni association is really up in arms about it, mostly because it went against the recommendations of everyone involved in the tenure process. </p>
<p>I gave you way more than you asked for, but some of this is very relevant and I wish I would have been caught up on how much the feeling at the school has changed before I arrived. I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Lots of info here…Thank you Wasabi.</p>
<p>So, if I can paraphrase your answer to question 1 it would be:
What sets L&C apart from other LACs is its extremely beautiful and well-maintained campus plus an absolutely awesome biology department.
For #2, you are implying that it does have an effect on daily living but students deal with it in different ways. And I thought weed was the #1 past time at LC?</p>
<p>No offense, but you actually don’t sound much like a New Student Orientation leader; in that there is quite a bit of negativity in your post. Not common for someone responsible for orientation of new students. You mentioned that you might have chosen a different school…what other schools were on your radar at the time? My D will also be visiting Reed, Willamette, and Whitman this summer.</p>
<p>Aloha,</p>
<p>L&C currently has a retention rate of 85% <a href=“http://premium.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/freshmen-least-most-likely-return/page+4[/url]”>http://premium.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/freshmen-least-most-likely-return/page+4</a> which is in the top 100 spots for LACs in the US so I wouldn’t call it bad, and it’s better than Earlham, VMI, Cornell College and other schools comparable to L&C. I agree cost is probably a significant contributor to this what losses they have.</p>
<p>I have heard there is some divide between athletes and others but my DD has not noticed it. I think it is really more related to hanging with people you have common activities with, like clubs and common interests. The Piofair is a great event and really does give everyone a chance to find something they like. </p>
<p>DD actually likes rain so she never gets glum at school. She loves the constant greenery and ability to hike pretty much anywhere.</p>
<p>Definitely visit those other schools. Reed is totally different and struck DD2 at L&C as a non-start while for DD1 it was her #1 choice (waitlisted). We never made it to Willamette but I know people who attended and loved it.</p>
<p>I’m giving you my candid impression of the school. Not necessarily negative, and all schools have drawbacks, but this is life at LC. I’m not offended.</p>
<p>Willamette is in a terrible area. Salem is the meth capital of the US and besides that is just a run down, tired city. It doesn’t compare to Portland. I can’t speak for the academics, though. They also live several hours away, so LC doesn’t interact with them.</p>
<p>Whitman is beautiful, and some of the best academics in the PNW. Also great forensics if your daughter is interested in that. </p>
<p>Reed definitely makes an impression, whether good or bad. It has the best academics in Portland by a stretch (anyone will admit that) and has maintained the hippy/free spirited culture that used to make LC so unique. Lots of drugs, of course, but also a lot of traditions, like Renn Fayre, that LC just doesn’t have. </p>
<p>The retention rate is a serious issue, and it fluctuates depending on the year. I believe the school paper the PioLog did an article about it this year… or it might come out at the beginning of next year. </p>
<p>Erin’s Dad, did your daughter graduate recently? There is definitely a change in social atmosphere that’s been felt by this year’s freshman compared to freshman four or five years ago.</p>
<p>Sorry Erin’s Dad. I was unable to log in using the link you provided. BTW…Do you find the College Compass from USNews helpful and worth the cost? is it a one time cost or an annual fee?</p>
<p>I find retention rates very telling and from the schools my D is interested in; Reed and L&C are always a notch lower than similar schools. I originally thought that was due to the weather, but I am sure there are other reasons as well.</p>
<p>Wasabi, 2 more questions:
- My D’s first reaction of L&C, after reviewing the Stats of the school and the discrepancy of women to men (63% women and 37% men), was ***. That was a real turn off for the D for some reason :). What is your impression of the differences and do you really notice it?
- You mentioned forensics at Whitman. Do you mean debate forensics or criminal science forensics? My D is actually interested in becoming a criminologists.</p>
<p>Mahalo,</p>
<p>Scott, Sorry you couldn’t get into the link. I was able to get the Compass when it was a free signup for a month. It does have some good info that allows searching/sorting/listing. I don’t think I’d pay for it. Most info is available for free via the school’s Common Data Sets. It’s more for fun now anyway since there’s only one more to get into college and that is 6 years from now.</p>
<p>As far as Reed’s retention rate, that’s usually explained by their high work level (even though the school is considered non-competitive). Reed’s retention level is 89% and in the top 75 LACs (from the same link). I have no doubt some people don’t like the weather (maybe those from the southwest/southern cal).</p>
<p>Wasabi, DD2 is a rising senior at L&C. I spoke with her about this last night. She just shook her head. She agreed that students just hang with others with similar interests, thus athletes with athletes and others within clubs. She certainly disagreed that people don’t go out in fall/winter. </p>
<p>I’ll be able to speak a little bit about Willamette in a month after I come back from my OR trip (pure tourist this time).</p>
<p>It really is not noticeable. I think the gender balance gets closer to 50-50 with each incoming class.</p>
<p>I meant forensics as in debate- I don’t believe any Liberal Arts school has a program as specialized as forensic science beyond a single course.</p>
<p>Scott, the numbers I’ve seen from the CDS indicate 58% women and 42% men. It doesn’t sound like much difference but there is some - it goes from 2-1 women to 1.4-1 women.</p>
<p>I’m involved in NSO as well, management team so I won’t be directly leading new students but I’ll still be checking in and answering questions. And I do think that a healthy dose of reality is important as an NSO leader because at this point, the freshman for better or for worse are GOING to LC, so we should be honest about the good and bad sides. Selling something and preparing you for something are two totally different things.</p>
<p>That said, I’ve loved my experience at LC this year. On the gender ratio, I hang out with mostly people I’ve met through the improv team, so a lot of theatre people, and most of my friends are guys. Straight guys. It’s really not an issue unless you make it one.</p>
<p>I’m a chemistry major, but I know a lot of bio majors from my organic chemistry class this year (all the pre meds) and I hear nothing but great things about the department. If your daughter is interested in the research that’s going on, if she’s on campus from 12-1:15pm any tuesday from June 18-July 17 there will be student research groups presenting from the Rogers Summer Research Program. I know a handful of the bio professors (I’ve taken one class, I’m trying to do a bio-focused study abroad because they don’t offer any for chem) and they’re all wonderful. There’s a lot of really interesting research going on, especially if your daughter likes spiders.</p>
<p>Creative writing classes are VERY hard to get into. I’ve heard good things but I always see a waitlist three times the size of the class.</p>
<p>If you don’t like rain, the weather sucks. There’s no way around that. I’ve lived in the northwest all my life and I still can’t stand it. That said, Portland is a really fun city and there’s a shuttle to downtown. The school should not be faulted for the lack of people out and about when it’s gross and rainy, that doesn’t mean people aren’t interacting. The dining halls are great social hubs, as well as the coffee shops. </p>
<p>Cliques are a BS concept. People interact with the people they have things in common with. Most people don’t reach out to other groups because we like the familiar. But just because the improv troupe is slightly cultish doesn’t mean we won’t welcome anyone who chooses to to join us, as long as they don’t mind random outbursts of song in the dining hall ;)</p>
<p>Generally, I see people trying to transfer for the following reasons:
- They got better grades at LC than in high school and think they can go somewhere more prestigious
- Cost
- Science people who wanted small classes for intro levels
- People who really can’t stand the weather</p>
<p>hello!
May I know the minimum requirements for IELTS and SAT scores and also my A Levels grades? I also wanna know the detailed admission costs for spring 2013 for a Semester.
thank you!</p>
<p>As others have said, students do tend to interact with those in their dorm or share multiple classes. My son did so during his first 2-1/2 years there. He did branch out a little through the foreign exchange program he participated in (New Zealand), but that was only about 25 students. BTW, they had a blast this last semester, probably the best experience he had. So it’s up to the individual student as to how much they interact with others on campus.</p>
<p>As to the mix, we noticed the approx. 2/3 to 1/3 F-M ratio. The only caveat I have to that is it’s always had about that ratio since kindergarten for his class. Also, I believe more females attend college than males. </p>
<p>As others have said, there are plenty of opportunities to do things in Portland and the school does provide a shuttle to the downtown area and the city has a good transportation network. My son has a vehicle there (from 2nd year), and further expanded opportunities, taking trips to the coast and mountains.</p>
<p>Thanks for stearing me here, Erin’s Dad. Looking forward to your report on Willamette and will check their thread.</p>
<p>I appreciate the frank discussion of campus culture on this thread and am interested in the possible shift in the type of student the admissions team at L&C will be looking for.</p>
<p>Weather aside:
What kind of student would be most successful and enjoy L&C?
What kind of student would hate it there?</p>
<p>There are a wide range of students on campus, with varied interests, so it is possible that any student would enjoy the social life of L&C.
L&C is a small school, so I know many classes have an expectation of class participation as a portion of the overall grade. If you’re a student that prefers large lecture halls over small classrooms with mandatory discussion, then L&C is most likely not for you.</p>
<p>I just wanted to drop my own 2 cents on the conversation, being a recent spring 2012 graduate from LC. </p>
<p>I think the two LC posters on here are right to provide a little reality to curious parents and incoming students, but at the same time, I do question some of their characterizations of social life at the college. But first…</p>
<p>It’s undeniable that there has been a slight change in institutional direction at LC. The board of trustees have directed more funding towards athletics, as seen by the pretty fresh athletics webpage (fresh relative to other LC webpages…) The school also enacted a voluntary retirement program to offer incentive to older professors to leave the school and make way for new, younger professors. In the process, LC did lose a couple professors who truly were “relics” of the campus (senior lecturer in the humanities Chana Cox comes to mind).</p>
<p>It’s important to think about the economic motivators at work in the so-called changes of LC social scheme. Athletics are getting more funding because, in the grand scheme of things, nothing generates alumni donations like athletics. The economy is tough, so there is a slight influx of on the whole more wealthy kids coming into the school. There have been fiascoes over granting tenure to professors (and asking professors to retire early). </p>
<p>LC is definitely going for a different kind of vibe these days, and it’s hilarious, because LC reputation as a granola, hippie school is really what makes it most marketable. The college recently installed “Designated Smoking Areas” to keep hippies and hipsters at bay and contained. There is talk of re-opening a business program. Athletes seem more visible. But LCs progressive, socially liberal culture that epitomizes Portland as a whole (vegetarianism, farm to the table, biking, pot smoking, etc) IS still very much alive, it just may not be as readily apparent as it once was. Maybe my perspective is less informed because I spent the last 1.5 years of my time at LC off campus so I wasn’t around as much, but it still seems to me that students are going to check out the concerts at the co-op or the new art show before even considering going to the football game. Students really are not that into sports. Yes, there is an increase in the amount of student athletes, but I’ve met a few who wound up dropping their varisty commitments to focus more on, say, their sociology research assistant position or thesis. Students at LC, in my mind, are very academically motivated above all else. </p>
<p>The other LC posters are right to observe changes in LC institutional direction and aims, but the culture is still one in which all students are academically rigorous, passionate, quirky, and eager to save the world. Students are progressive, maybe a little nerdy about something that they are super interested in, work hard, and play hard too. When I entered LC in 2008, the hippie pot smoking atmosphere was probably greater than it might be for visiting students today, but don’t doubt it still exists!</p>
<p>I won’t deny LC has some problems (some of which I’ve briefly alluded to above and could go into greater detail if asked), but I’m on the whole relatively pleased with my experience. It seems like every student I met was serious and rigorous about something (be it the possibility of aliens existing, moral relativism, continental philosophy, irish literature, or east asian languages) and were quite mellow and relaxed. People are smart here, but also are very laid back. I’ve asked fellow graduating students as well as some professors what they think defines and separates the LC experience from those of other small, private liberal arts colleges. Students say “we seem to kill interviews,” and professors seem to think LC students unabashedly question and contemplate an inquiry from every single facet and perspective possible. Those are some neat draws, I feel.</p>
<p>Other random asides: yes, it rains a lot, but that makes you feel okay studying in the library all the time. res life and ASLC does organize some things for students on campus (lectures, talks, movies, dances, etc) but I’d say the college as a whole depends on Portland for entertaining its students. And that’s totally reasonable, as Portland has a lot to offer and is probably the best city a college student could ask for. there is also some great hiking and snowboarding/skiing nearby (mt. hood is about an hour away). social life can be cliquey, if only because our student body is small and all the dorms are kind of isolated from one another. still, people are friendly. just meet people in your dorm, classes, and clubs. the co-op is a great student organization and neat place to hang out and meet people. last but not least, professors at LC are AWESOME. i could try to use other adjectives, but there are so many positive ones, and no single one or all of them combined could do justice to how fantastic the professors are.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ve rambled, and probably gone off topic, but I’d be happy to answer any other questions. And no disrespect to you, my fellow LC community members! Just wanted to expand the conversation a little bit.</p>
<p>very helpful post, thanks!</p>
<p>How would you characterize the differences between L&C and Willamette and the types of students who go there?</p>
<p>Thanks, Zhaidun! My daughter is an incoming freshman, and it’s great to hear a recent graduate’s perspective on L&C.</p>
<p>Hey! I know this is several months late, but I just got accepted with a really good scholarships, so I’m starting to really consider L&C. Does the college help facilitate student internships/ are internships common for students?</p>
<p>For the three summers my D was there she received an internship one year (this past summer between Jr and Sr year). We are not local so I’m not sure she applied there the other summers.</p>