I’m at the stage of my college search where I’m looking for some options that are academically and socially solid but not as expensive as the schools I’m already looking at (Brown, Pitzer, NYU Gallatin, Redlands Johnston, etc). I’m operating under the assumption that I will not qualify for need-based financial aid (which is likely true, but in any case not the intended subject of this thread). In this thread I’m hoping to focus specifically on public colleges.
Because I’m in a WICHE state, WUE (the Western Undergraduate Exchange) is also something I want to look into. For the uninitiated, a student from a WICHE state may be able to attend a participating public college in any other WICHE state and pay a max of 1.5x that school’s in-state tuition. That’s sometimes less than half of regular out-of-state tuition.
I’ve had my eye on The Evergreen State College for its interdisciplinary opportunities and small size, but dropping enrollment and administrative issues have me a bit worried. Are there other public colleges, especially WUE schools (here’s a list) that might be similar – small classes, academic freedom across disciplines, liberal arts-y? In another tab right now I’m looking at the OSU Honors College – programs like that within larger schools are also of interest.
I would steer clear of Evergreen. As you note, it is a troubled institution. Last I read, ALL the final candidates for college president dropped out and there has been a lot of reported unhappiness among faculty and lawsuits related to being targeted by activists. Also, I don’t think the no-grade policy necessarily helps students who want advanced degrees and certain kinds of employment.
Despite being from the area, I don’t know anyone local who has applied.
On the other hand, I have nothing but great things to say about OSU. If you haven’t visited, definitely do so and ask for a separate tour of the Honors College and your academic department(s) of interest.
Also, you might look at Western Washington in Bellingham, which also has an Honors College.
Although I don’t think it’s at all like Evergreen, if you’re looking at WUE schools then I’ll give a shout out for Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. In addition to WUE reduced tuition, OOS students are eligible for merit aid. Although my kid didn’t end up there, we had a very nice visit. Here’s our visit report (from 2018): Parents of the HS Class of 2019 - 3.0 to 3.4 GPA - #882 by Corinthian
Evergreen State is very unusual among all colleges, in having a very open curriculum for the BA degree: 180 quarter hour credit units required, no general education requirements, no major requirements (or majors at all).
I’m hoping that you’ve already applied to your flagship state U, in time for whatever honors/merit programs they may have. I don’t think that you’re a good match for a small state school that has a 98.4% acceptance rate (Evergreen), no matter how they market themselves. A huge part of college is the people whom you meet there. Your writing indicates that you belong at a much more selective institution, with peers who are already well-educated, truly ready for higher education.
In addition to WWU and NAU, you might check out Southern Oregon U. It has only about 4500 undergrads, and it has a bit of an alternative/artsy feel, but it’s more reputable academically than Evergreen. My kid’s friends who have gone there have loved it. Ashland is much nicer than Olympia, too.
Sonoma State, in the CSU system, is a WUE school too and might fit at least some of your criteria.
Since you’re considering East Coast schools anyway, I’d suggest looking at the College of Charleston Honors College. Not just an Honors College in name but their program includes small seminars every semester for Honors College students only. It’s reasonable in out-of-state cost to begin with, but almost all Honors College students receive a merit scholarship in addition, bringing costs closer to the range of what you’re looking for. A nice perc is that it’s also in a beautiful location.
With your interest in highly individualized programs such as Gallatiin, Johnston, etc., two other public colleges come to mind. Unfortunately neither is in WICHE, but out of state tuition at either will be cheaper than tuition at private colleges.
First is New College in Florida which offers the highly individualized approach that you are seeking in a small college of about 750 students but with course options expanded via cross registration at neighboring colleges and universities in the Sarasota area.
Second is the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which might seem to be the antithesis of the small college atmosphere that you’re looking for. But their BDIC (Bachelor’s Degree/Individual Concentration) program is 50 years old, well established, and graduates hundreds of students every year. What makes UMass even more unique is their membership in the 5-college-consortium in the Amherst/Northampton area. The other 4 colleges are all small liberal arts colleges and easily accessible by an inter-college bus system which makes stops every 15 minutes. Starting in 2nd semester of freshman year, students can pre-register for 2 courses per semester on other campuses. What makes this especially attractive is that one of those colleges is Amherst College, an elite, top-5 national liberal arts college with small classes and world class professors. It is literally down the street from UMass, and you can walk or ride a bike to it.
UMass Amherst offers up to 16K/yr OOS merit money, bringing the cost down to about 40K a year. It’s a beautiful campus, Amherst is a cute little college town, the dining hall food is fantastic, and many of the dorms are good, new dorms, including the honors campus. The merit money makes it a good value for OOS students.
I’d take a look at Ft Lewis, a WUE school in Durango CO. It about 3500 students, an LAC and pretty accessible academically. My son just graduated from there and had a great experience.
I’d also echo Sonoma and So Oregon as worth a look.
However, if the OP is looking for something closer to an open curriculum (“academic freedom across disciplines” plus initial interest in Evergreen State), the OP should be aware that CSUs including SSU have extensive general education requirements (40% of the credit units for the degree, although overlap with one’s major is allowed): General Education Program - Sonoma State University - Acalog ACMS™
Definitely - it depends what their priorities are, and whether the broad GE’s map well onto their cross-disciplinary interests. It’s worth a look, but it may or may not be a fit.