<p>Now that daughter 1 is off to college we are beginning the process for daughter 2. WWU and in particular Fairhaven look really interesting. I am looking for info from anybody who has toured, applied,attended?
She had shown some interest in UW but we are OOS and it's just a tad too expensive.
If we decide to take trip to Washington to tour, any other ideas? I'd like tuition to stay below $20,000 oos , school must be at least 8000 students and not too preppy. LOL
Not sure what SAT score will be yet, gpa is around 3.8.</p>
<p>We have plenty of great schools in state, and even in the region. Why the heck does she want to go to Washington State?</p>
<p>I applied to WWU last fall. It's a good school--not like UW of course, but solid nonetheless. Tuition for OOS is pretty typical (about $25k for tuition, room/board, books, trans, & expenses) (<a href="http://admissions.wwu.edu/tuition/t_tuition.html)%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.wwu.edu/tuition/t_tuition.html)</a>. I don't know much about Fairhaven since I wasn't really interested in it, but you can check out their website at <a href="http://www.wwu.edu/depts/fairhaven/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wwu.edu/depts/fairhaven/</a>. Also, be forewarned that Bellingham is green and gorgeous for a reason--it rains a LOT here in WA, but the climate is pretty mild. I would definitely recommend it.</p>
<p>The main reason I'm not attending WWU is thaat they were a bit stingy with scholarship $ compared to what other schools were throwing at me. However, that may or may not be an issue for your daughter--if she is interested in Fairhaven, certainly apply and then weigh your options in the spring.</p>
<p>Thanks luckycharms. We will probably go on a visit and see what she thinks. </p>
<p>Jpod - My daughter feels like she has lived in PA her whole life ( all 16 years LOL ) and would like to live somewhere else for college. She is attracted to Washington because of the climate mostly, as well as the proximity to some great cities ( Seattle and Vancouver). She is the kind of person that kind of likes rainy or cloudy days - not a sun worshiper at all - and wants a pretty mild climate temperature wise.
She may look at some California schools as well, but Pacific Northwest seems more like the climate she likes. I can see her wanting to establish herself there after graduation.</p>
<p>Yeah, so have I, for almost 18 years. I can relate, but I know I have some really good choices in PA. I'm still hopefully going to college out of state, but across the country I couldnt do. What about schools in the midwest like UIUC, UWisc, Indiana, UMich, etc.?</p>
<p>Midwest won't do....I think she determined the climate would not suit her after visiting friends in Illinois. She also requires a decent city close by so a lot of rural schools are out - and the minimum student body she'll consider is 8000. Picky, picky, picky....Good thing we have another year to look! ( Junior this year)
Where are you looking?</p>
<p>I'm applying early to BU.</p>
<p>For a suburban/rural Pennsylvanian, I woujld emphatically recommend a visit to WWU prior to accepting admission. The Pacific Northwest is a bit different culturally from the rest of the "lower 48." And Bellingham is no Vancouver B.C. or Seattle.</p>
<p>Also, scrutinize the descriptions of the core requirements and the academic departments at WWU/Fairhaven because academically, WWU is not as "traditional" as the older state schools, Washington State University and U of Washington. Of course, that appeals to a lot of folks. Incidentally, the Biololgy program at WWU is pretty good.</p>
<p>You may want to add WSU and Eastern Washington University to your list. That part of the state is much drier and these two campuses are surrounded by fields and farms. WSU is really a fine university. Its admissions rate is high only because most of the high school population lives on the west side of the state (the Puget Sound/Seattle region) and perfer that type of urban environment for college.</p>
<p>LakeWashington - thanks for the great info.
Can you describe some of the "cultural differences" that you see to me? I know that can open up a huge debate about steroetypes, etc.for some, so if you would rather PM me that would be great.
My daughter may think that she would prefer the culture there , but who knows if she has a realistic idea of what that may mean. She is not really your typical "main-line" ( Philadelphia) kind of girl.
I read recently that Bellingham was considered one of the best places to live for people in their 20's , so I assumed that although it is not a huge city, that there were probably some great activities for young people. I know my daughter would be interested in the arts and music scene. Is that not the case?</p>
<p>You guys live on the Main Line?</p>
<p>Actually..No, but not far from you. Just using it as an expression - I was more trying to say that my daughter is more into the grunge kind of thing than the preppy thing. LOL Probably wasn't very clear and should have just said that to avoid sounding like I am stereotyping. Sorry if it sounded rude.</p>
<p>Good luck with BU !</p>
<p>Nah it's kool. I'd probably like her alot, i'm not a typical main-line kinda guy either. Thanks for the well wishes!</p>
<p>I graduated from Western some time ago. Bellingham is a nice college town. Western is a good school. Both my kids would have probably ended up there if not for better offers from private colleges. The school has grown some since I was there. I was up this spring for a Lacrosse match and marveled at the new workout center and playfields. Alot of kids from my community (around 45 miles away) go there. Of the smaller Washington state colleges it is probably the most popular. </p>
<p>I have found the people in that community (I do some business up there) to be exceptionally nice overall. It can be cold and wet, but it also can be really nice. Bellingham is on the puget sound, Mt. Baker is great for skiing and is around an hour away. Vancouver and Seattle are roughly an hour drive away north or south. </p>
<p>The problem for you might be the pacific nw tends to capture people. People stay. Can you handle a daughter moving arcoss country, loving the location and not returning to the eastcoast? </p>
<p>You also might want to look at Oregon as well. Beautiful place, nice schools and Portland also has alot to offer. </p>
<p>We would have given the ivies more consideration had they been located in the pacific northwest. You have to live here to understand.</p>
<p>Have to jump in here...when I went to WSU during the Nixon/Carter years, 60% of my class was from King County & dozens from Walla2. WWU was WWSC, Evergreen was a building or 2 for ecology. Eastern WA climate is more like Phila than Seattle. UW offered my D lots of $$ for tuition & eventually offered to drop the OOS. (she chose Northwestern--smaller, but not too small and about the same deal). don't assume that OOS cast in stone. State schools really want the diversity of American cultures, too. (Columbia made a big deal out of having students from all 50 states.) I grew up near the WA/ID border, moved to SEA after WSU, moved to Houston, Kentucky then upstate NY. One D (NYU 06) still lives in NYC. that's another culture. Visits to Chicago area & Northwestern have shown me a nice balance between the PNW & the east. Friend's daughter is at Vanderbilt. She's smart, kind of funky, free-spirit. That's south but the weather is not extreme during the school year and the population is mixed, I heard. Seattle University could be an option. Capital Hill is definitely more grunge than prep. Privates will be easier on $$.</p>
<p>Thank you both. Originally my daughter was interested in UW, but some of the articles that I read sounded like they were really anti -"oos". I understand that they have raised the oos tuition substantially in the last few years and it did not sound like they were interested in geographical diversity. I may have gotten a wrong impression.
We will definitely look at WWU, UW and SU when we come out to see what she thinks. If she likes UW we will tell her to apply and see what happens. If there is some possibility of merit money or decreased oos tuition we would consider that. We are considering a trip to Oregon as well, and maybe California.
As far as maybe losing her to Washington for good....she's already stated emphatically that she will not be living in PA when she graduates so she may as well be somewhere I'd like to visit!</p>
<p>The nice thing if you come is you can fairly easily visit two campus in a day in the greater Seattle Area. Personally I feel there is a big difference between Eastern and Western Washington. The west side is very green, the east side is our farm belt so if it's not apples, wheat or wine it is sagebrush and rock. Beautiful in it's own right of course, we bake every summer in eastern wash on one of the many lakes. :) </p>
<p>If your D is an exceptional student the local private colleges in both washington and oregon are worth looking into to. They are pretty generous to good students to the point of making the state schools more expensive while providing much smaller class sizes. </p>
<p>The nice thing with both western side schools of oregon and washington is that you are easily within an hour of just about any outdoor activity you might like.. the pacific ocean, the cascade mountains and many lakes and hikes inbetween. Then the east side of both states offers wide open spaces and sunshine pretty much 300+ days a year. </p>
<p>Good luck and ask any questions you might have. We've visited just about all the nw schools over the last 4 years for my kids. They both ended up in oregon with excellent f aid at a couple of good colleges.</p>
<p>OpiefromMayberry, what is your opinion about Univ of Oregon?</p>
<p>Ok well here is the rundown on Western Washington. I live north of Seattle and the climate here is without a doubt the best in the country. Winters are mild high 30/low 40s is usually the worst it gets. The summers are great 70/80s and no humidity unlike the south/midwest. Contrary to popular belief Seattle gets less rain then some other cities in the U.S. Cultural differences? Umm.... maybe the Seattle area is a little more liberal then other parts of the country, but that is about it. W. Washington life is centered around outdoor activities like watersports, hiking and camping. Eastern Washington is a lot hotter/drier with highs in the summer hovering low 90s. E. Washington is a lot more rural and open with less trees and is pretty much opposite to the western part of Washington. People in the eastern part of the state are a lot more conservative then their western counterparts. As for collges I know people that have gone to UW,WSU, and WWU. They all seem to like the enviroment and the acadenmics.</p>
<p>Opie and D.Ranger, please DO NOT SPILL THE BEANS; there are too many people moving to Washington already!!! LOL.</p>
<p>By cultural difference, I mostly meant the little things, which probably shouldn't change the course of one's life. A newcomer should keep these things in mind;</p>
<ol>
<li>you must love salmon</li>
<li>stay off Interstate 5 at evening rush hour</li>
<li>The, ah, er 'homeless' men on Seattle's Skid Row are not dangerous, just broke</li>
<li>Do not leave assorted notes and letters at Jimi Hendrix's tombstone</li>
<li>Do not ask, 'why are there so many Asians here?'</li>
<li>Do not ask, why are there so many Alaskans here?'</li>
<li>Duwamish, Sammamish, Mukelteo are local Indian nations, not varieties of apples.</li>
<li>The Cascade Range, Mt. Rainier in particular, are active volcanos, so keep your suitcases packed and ready to go.</li>
</ol>
<p>I'd certainly look at U Of Oregon too. Similar in many ways to WWU but a little better known and just an hour to Portland which is a very nice city. Weather is better than WWU too which gets cold and snowy in winter. Eugene has more going on than Bellingham.</p>
<p>I do not find the Seattle climate favorable at all but that's me. The old saw about fewer inches of rain is just sugercoating the truth. It is cool, wet and damp about half of the year at least and warm (over 70) only 2-3 months at best.</p>