Sounds like you’ll fit right in in Portland.
I agree that Canadian universities are more hands off than American universities. And more people live off campus, from what I understand, so I actually think the social scene might be poorer-there might not be as much of a sense of community. Lots of commuters, older students, non-traditional students, etc. I haven’t researched U of BC specifically, but my son wants to go to college in Canada, so I’ve been researching U of Toronto and some others, and that’s what I’m finding. I also second that Canadian schools are easier to be admitted to but harder to succeed at.
My D was accepted to Lewis and Clark and we toured it. I agree that their career placement may be lagging, but they seem to be addressing this. They made a point of showing us their new career center and telling us about improvements they are making.
The one thing about Lewis and Clark if you haven’t toured it is that the campus, while stunningly beautiful, is isolated. There’s no restaurants or shops you can walj to. This could be good, as it might create a heightened sense of community, but it could be isolating. They do have a free shuttle that makes the 20 min trip to downtown Portland regularly.