<p>Any comments/insights about Evergreen in Olympia, WA?</p>
<p>It's been awhile since I was there, but words that come to mind...very liberal, strong lesbian/gay culture, laid back and casual atmosphere, quirky.</p>
<p>Well respected in the Pacific Northwest, challenging cross discipline programs where evaluation is not based letter grades. One of the "Colleges that Change Lives." And, they offer merit scholarships as well as FA.</p>
<p>From a discussion of the National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006</p>
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[quote]
The study, founded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, says Evergreen students develop top abilities in analyzing theories and ideas and spend more time preparing for classes and reading textbooks.</p>
<p>Evergreen students also spend more time making class presentations and working with other students on projects than most of the nation's college students. Evergreen freshman and seniors cite the remarkable quality of interaction with faculty members and other students and the campus physical environment as keys to success.</p>
<p>"This national study again confirms what we have known for some time. Evergreen's students receive an extraordinary education that prepares them to engage with real-world issues in a changing world," said Thomas L. Purce, Evergreen's president.</p>
<p>260,000 college students at 523 U.S. universities participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement. "For years, researchers have pointed to involvement in educationally purposeful activities as the gateway to desired outcomes of college. Students who engage more frequently in educationally effective get better grades, are more satisfied and are more likely to persist," says George Kuh, the director of the survey.
[/quote]
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<p>(OaksMom basically describes most of the urban west coast.)</p>
<p>Evergreen was our older daughters first choice for several years. We had known several graduates who had nothing but good things to say about it & who are very successful in their respective ( & fairly prominent) careers.</p>
<p>We are instate- they have support programs for first gen/minority/ld students as well as a committment to community service.</p>
<p>Olympia is a cool little town & I love the campus- organic garden- conifers, shoreline & the longhouse are notable features.</p>
<p>I also think several depts are quite strong- especially public policy & environmental studies.
However- I also feel that you have to have a strong idea of what you want & be willing to work for it. If you aren't centered- you run the risk of ending up with a few courses from column A, some from B and so on.</p>
<p>I wouldn't quite say Evergreen is well respected in Pacific Northwest. Not by Joe Blow on the street anyway. I mean * Reed* in Portland Oregon isn't respected in the northwest, they were ranked third after Whitman and University of Portland & the UW was ranked 8th? )</p>
<p>I also would mention that while I think it is an excellent school for the right person- & think highly of staff & profs, don't discount the contingent that attend Evergreen *because * of a reputation for hippieish- free love/drugs.</p>
<p>They do offer merit aid- but not huge- and as a state school- is dependent on the health of the economy- still, the most popular Washington governor ever, founded Evergreen & Washington is in better shape budget wise than some.</p>
<p>Eons ago, <em>I</em> applied to Evergreen. I lived in the NE at the time and decided against it because it was such a hike and went to Goddard instead. If you know Goddard then you might have a clue about what Evergreen is like. VERY liberal/free (or was - basic hippy culture -oops dating myself)
I looked at it fir my son. No go for him, not enough math and too much writing - guess I can't live vicariously - sigh
But it is a good school and if you are a state resident NOT a bank breaker.
<em>I</em> would go there. LOL</p>
<p>Hi,
I am a late bloomer who is currently attending Evergreen as an undergrad. I am 38 with three kids of my own and I am a senior.
Evergreen is actually much more respected outside of Washington. I would say that the student who does well here is self directed and motivated, willing to question the status quo and doesn't require a super exciting sports or nightlife. Students have no requirements, no grades, and no majors. It is a huge responsibility. You can do one independent contract after another.
The campus is gorgeous. There are acres of forest with trails down to the beach and there is a nice organic farm. Some of the buildings are quite bland, but some are nice.
Classes are really small. Most have 25 or less students. Big ones have 75, but those are usually taught by three teachers. Also, students really get to know their teachers. Students typically have one 16 credit class per quarter, and sometimes the class will last for two or three quarters. At least one class per week is seminar, where the whole class participates in discussion, and the professor is seen as just one more participant. This allows people to really explore their own knowledge of the subject, as well as get others' perspective on it. The teachers often learn as much as the students. And there is always a potluck at the end of the quarter.</p>
<p>There is a lot of political activism here. Google Olympia Port Protests and Valentine's Riot and you will learn more about it. For most of the student body though, the school is a peaceful one. And the reputation isn't completely sullied. Every year the state legislature hires college juniors and seniors to intern during session. This year, Evergreen has a huge presence, with 18 or 19 of the 80 spots.</p>
<p>".... Students have no requirements, no grades, and no majors." </p>
<p>So what kind of degree do you end up with?<br>
Someone mentioned environmental studies??</p>
<p>They offer a BS or a BA, or a combined BS/BA, but there is no major. However, if a student takes classes in a certain concentration, than that will be listed on their diploma. On the website, they do have an option of searching for classes by area of interest, and if the student takes those classes, they can get a degree with that concentration. However, students can also take classes all over the map and still get a degree. The frustrating thing about it (for me anyway) is that I could never just take a theater class for fun. It would have to be incorporated into a program, and then it would be a specific type of theater, not just intro to acting methods. I am studying social sciences, so I didn't feel like I could afford to take an entire semester's worth of classes that strayed that far from my major. Also, if students find a program they enjoy and it is two or three quarters, it doesn't leave room for any other classes. The other downside is that if a student wants to take a language, they have to study it in the evening. So, the student would either have to take all evening classes or add 4 credits of language to their fulltime day schedule. All daytime programs are fulltime.<br>
That being said, there is a really strong environmental studies program and they even offer a master's in environmental studies.</p>
<p>I'm with EK... Evergreen is not particularly respected in Washington (State), where people think of it as a hippie school. For many years now they have still had slots available as each quarter opens. </p>
<p>But... if you have something you really want to do, and there's a professor there that's doing that, Evergreen is a great place for letting you create a program.</p>
<p>Unlike UW, the majority of Evergreen students can actually finish in four years (though many choose not to.) The other distinction (which is alluded to by captiv8ed) is that the student body looks more like the median student body in the U.S. than many colleges, where the average age of an undergraduate student is 24.5. There are many older students working on their degrees part- or full-time.</p>
<p>That is true, and because of the way it is set up, some students easily get their degree in less than 4 years. Each program is 16 credits, but you only need 180 to graduate. Throw in a couple of night classes, and it is reachable. Some four credit classes are completed over one intense weekend.
Oh, a couple of other things. Evergreen really promotes international travel and several programs per year have a travel component. it is also pretty easy to write a contract that involves travel.
And many Evergreen graduates go on to work in Americorps or Peace Corps. It also is a bit of a breeding ground for teachers.</p>
<p>The frustrating thing about it (for me anyway) is that I could never just take a theater class for fun.</p>
<p>Aside from the tour guide steered us away from the science facilities saying they were " closed", this was another reason why D decided to attend "Evergreen South" as a couple put it instead.
She had been * this close* to attending an art school & she wanted a chance to take art by itself or even as she found at Reed, to be able to use the facilities without having to take a class at all.
She did take @ art class I think @ Reed, but that actually takes a lot of time- what she ended up doing though was participating in the Reed choir throughout.</p>
<p>She also knew as a science major- she needed much math & needed to have math in her schedule each term for it to stay in her brain.</p>
<p>Evergreen has an excellent, excellent math department, and one of the few really good departments among LACs in computational linguistics.</p>
<p>I have a friend who "dabbled" in math at Evergreen who has just completed a masters in environmental engineering at Ohio State, where she had a full-ride fellowship, and has been kept on to teach math to budding engineers.</p>