<p>Mini- a friend is trying to find some options for her D. One school that has come up several times is Evergreen. D was wanting art school but has been convinced to go a more traditional route. The D's preference is Urban. Seattle, San Francisco, New York. She is a great artist, hard-working student, a strong creative writer weak in science and math due to LD's. I figure Olympia is not Seattle but would someone who thinks they want Urban be happy?
Money is going to be a concern so they are going to look it Evergreen is part of the WUE.
Any description of Olympia would be great. Art scene, music.</p>
<p>Olympia is a happening place, according to Time Magazine, reporting on its arts and music scene, "the most happening place in America". That is because (until now) rents have been relatively low, town extremely liberal (Kucinich got most of the Presidential delegate votes to the state Democratic convention), there are three colleges and universities. There are few rich people, and few poor. Many families have at least one state worker, which means employment is steady, and it isn't necessary for both parents to work full time. We have our own symphony, chamber orchestra, and community orchestra (co-founded by yours truly), four playhouses, our own opera company, and art galleries. Kurt Cobain lived here. Sleator-Kinney is named after the road outside my office. Lots of writers and poets. Matt Groenig is a 'Greener.</p>
<p>It is also beautiful. Bottom of Puget Sound. Views of both Mount Rainier and the Olympics. One hour from the ocean. Rainy.</p>
<p>The school itself is terrific, if it provides what you need. Average student age is around 23-24, though there are plenty who enter at 17-18. Curriculum is organized in unusual ways. Lots of folks go into the arts, and into government.</p>
<p>Let me know if there is more you need to find out.</p>
<p>when my D looked at Evergreen she was also interested in graphic design ( Emily Carr was also looked at)
but the way that the classes are set up- it looked difficult to use the studios if you weren't actually taking an art class</p>
<p>Mini- that is perfect. I will pass it on to her Mom. How is public transportation?
Emeraldkity- they will have to look into the art offerings. Unfortunately the Mom is going through hard times and is not able to help much. Her D is looking for a strong arts program. Her main area of interest is photography. But I know she also draws and paints. And has also done a program in digital arts as well.
She has a strong gpa but she does not test well so SAT scores are going to an issue.
After checking Evergreen is not eligible for the Western University Exchange.</p>
<p>Evergreen's art department is rather limited. Look at the course offerings, and if it's not appealing to your friend's daughter, I don't think it would be a good choice. That said, if it is her kind of art, Evergreen is a unique college that gives you lots of room to stretch your wings. </p>
<p>Both Washington State University (WWU) and University of Washington (UW) have larger art departments with lots more choices. </p>
<p>WSU is smaller, located in Bellingham, a charming college town about 90 minutes morth of Seattle. The campus is beautiful, and looks over Bellingham Bay. When we took the tour, the student guides all raved about how good the food was.</p>
<p>UW is huge, incoming freshman class runs about 5000. The campus is also lovely, and has a view of Mt. Rainier from many locations. The art department has lots of offerings, and the metals department, especially, is highly regarded.</p>
<p>I think both UW and WWU are part of the Western University Exchange.</p>
<p>UW is not part of WUE.</p>
<p>"Mini- that is perfect. I will pass it on to her Mom. How is public transportation?"</p>
<p>In town, bus transportation is excellent. My d. used to take the bus to Evergreen, and to the community college, and to St. Martin's University. They all connect downtown - regular buses from Evergreen to downtown about every 20 minutes.</p>
<p>Lots of art studios downtown. And alternative theater spaces. (Lots of tattoo parlors, too! if that says anything.) Three or four old-fashioned non-chain bookstores. Lots of coffee houses (we have our own coffee-roasting company - Batdorf & Bronson - much better than Starbucks.) Nice farmers market.</p>
<p>
[quote]
WSU is smaller, located in Bellingham, a charming college town about 90 minutes morth of Seattle. The campus is beautiful, and looks over Bellingham Bay. When we took the tour, the student guides all raved about how good the food was.
[/quote]
The campus really is beautiful, the food really is good, but the Bellingham school isn't WSU, it's Western Washington. WSU is located in Pullman. </p>
<p>My (CA resident) son chose WWU over some good Cal State U's with the hope of transferring into a UC junior year. He's a junior at WWU now, loves the school, and has no intention of transferring. We thought at the time that it was definitely a hidden gem.</p>
<p>Sorry about the WSU/WWU mix-up! Typing without thinking, that's the problem!</p>
<p>Mini you paint a great picture of Olympia. Makes me ready to move.
Do you think that to do well at Evergreen it helps to be self disciplined? Both Evergreen and Western Washington are school's that we have also considered for my son. He has LD and ADD but likes hands-on and active learning versus lecture. Is it a help to be self-disciplined at Evergreen?
Has any one used the WUE?</p>
<p>It is very useful to be self-disciplined at Evergreen. There are many LD and ADD students. Lots of active learning - my d's course in botanical medicine had everything from traditional neurobiology to digging up and planting a Native American demonstration garden. Note that it is not uncommon for students to stick around a long time - it is the nature of the place (and the town). Lots of adults learning alongside younger students. Some world-class faculty, especially in environmental studies and sociology.</p>
<p>I would say that it's key to be self-disciplined at Evergreen, and also at Fairhaven College, which is sort of the Evergreen of WWU. A friend of mine was a writer in residence at Evergreen, and said she never saw such hard-working kids, but it's all self-directed. It's very easy to just slide through having a good time at both places.</p>
<p>Evergreen is also world-class in bacteriophage biology: <a href="http://www.evergreen.edu/phage/%5B/url%5D">http://www.evergreen.edu/phage/</a> . I would say they have great depth in the things they do, but they don't do everything.</p>