Gonzaga vs U of Oregon

College Search & Selection
1

Hey everyone,
I was accepted to both Gonzaga and Oregon as an EA applicant! Both of these schools were lower on my list when I applied and I never visited either campus. I am visiting in March and I am super excited!
Some things to know about me:

  1. I am an introvert-I am not mute but I need my alone time
  2. I want a school with spirit and many activities
  3. It is kind of hard for me to make friends so having the option to have greek life would be nice
  4. I never really went to parties in high school so I want that experience in college

Even though I am an introvert, I am a self-advocate and I am not huge on group work or discussions. What are the classes like at each school? What school do you think is better for an introvert? What are the pros and cons of each school? Do both schools have big hook up culture?

*FYI I applied to around 11 colleges and I am still waiting to hear back from them as I applied regular decision.

2

To the best of my knowledge, these schools are opposites–one conservative & the other is liberal.

3

I have heard that Spokane is a conservative city but the college is liberal. Is that true?

4

I only know what I have read about Gonzaga. I have read differently recently. My only contact with Gonzaga was with their basketball team as we stayed in the same hotel & ate together while in New York City a decade ago. The basketball players were very quiet & respectful. All gentlemen. They certainly created a positive impression of Gonzaga.

I have been to the University of Oregon. Very nice campus. Has lots of options. I think that Eugene is much nicer than Corvallis (Oregon State University). Also, if you enjoy watching elite track & field athletes, then Eugene is the place to be.

5

I can’t comment on Gonzaga, but my daughter visited both Oregon and Oregon State twice. She did a basic tour at UO and also a Duck Preview day, and did a basic tour at OSU and did a day “scouting out” Corvallis and going to the OSU vs. Cal game this fall to get a read on the culture. She is quiet and introverted as well. At the football game, a big Pac12 setting, we tailgated with some old friends and in that culture she felt out of place - we went to the library (it was a blowout anyway) about mid-way through the 3rd quarter and she was happy to see that OSU had plenty of people like her studying. UO too has a big “school spirit” culture, but since both these schools are large state universities, we believe she will be able to find her “people” within such a large community. Trust me, many schools will have their fair share of “red cup” people.

We have the same conflict going in our home right now. Smaller school like Willamette or Cal Lutheran or bigger school like UO/OSU/Boise State. In some ways I think an introvert (I am one too, so is my wife) can hide in plain sight at a larger university…I know I did.

Also, Eugene is a pretty big city, about 150,000 and is rather eclectic…almost Berkeley-lite…Corvallis is the epitome of a college town. Both are perfectly acceptable options.

I hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck.

6

True. Spokane as a city is a mixed bag, probably 50/50. The farming communities around it are typical rural conservative. Campus is very pretty and walking distance to the Spokane River and many downtown amenities. Like most Jesuit colleges, there are no social fraternities or sororities. People interested in public service also gravitate in large numbers to Jesuit colleges.

Oregon, as a large state college, will have a much broader cross-section of students and experiences. Some classes will be in huge lecture halls and you will be anonymous, more so than at a mid-sized private. Some students prefer that. Sororities are there but in limited numbers. Like any large college, you will have to get involved and find the people you would like to be around.

Hook-up culture is available at pretty much any college. It would be more obvious at a large state college with greek life than a Catholic one.

7

I would think a smaller school is better for someone more introverted. At a large school you’re going to be in huge lectures with a bunch of strangers. In a smaller school, you’re going to keep running into the same people, so it’s easier to get to know them. I started out at a school with 50K students, and transferred to one with 3000 students after my freshman year. That was my experience.

8

If you don’t mind, where did your daughter end up going? Did she go to a small/big school?

9

I assume this was directed to me because I didn’t see anyone else mention their daughter.

My daughter hasn’t chosen yet, and she definitely feels some pressure to decide. You seem to be in the same/similar boat as her; that’s why I initially responded; if you hadn’t mentioned Gonzaga I may have said, “Xxxxx? Is that you?” She too loathes group work, never went to parties, and likes her alone time.

We (her mother and I) think she will choose Oregon or Boise State. We all (including daughter) fear that at a smaller school, if she doesn’t fit in, she could find herself on the outside socially. That happened to her at her first high school, and it was enough of a problem that even though her grades were good, she transferred. We think a bigger school has a bigger “map to unlock” and more people to meet, and if you do have a falling out with people, you can find more people.

However, like you, she is torn because personality wise, we think a smaller school would be better in many ways. For example, she can get to know the teachers - she has always gotten along well with teachers, but we all want her to grow. Frankly, my daughter could use some social growth, and if that means moving outside her comfort zone, so be it. Maybe she could learn a few things from some “red cup” girls.

My daughter was accepted into the Honors College at Boise State which may allow her to split the difference - she will be in a smaller, more academically minded cohort within a larger institution. She didn’t apply to the Honors College elsewhere. At Boise State the Honors College dorm, Sawtooth Hall, has individual rooms within a suite - that allows for the “alone time” she (and you) prefers. BSU has a lot of spirit and a Greek culture should she desire that. Boise is a small, safe, city right across a footbridge from campus; an introvert can go explore, and they have lots of trails and outdoors related activities nearby. The Honors College compensates for what many might consider the “less demanding/rigorous admission standards” of the school. BSU offers WUE/Gem scholarships for good students.

To complicate matters for my daughter, the University of California schools don’t notify until March. Even though she really wants to “go away for college” the allure of the UCs is strong. She also has a long-shot “reach school” on the east coast she applied to regular decision. That too could change the equation.

I teach high school; many of the seniors I know who appied early admission are feeling anxious right now. They feel overwhelmed, they want people to stop asking if they’ve made a decision, yet they want to make a decision so they can get housing and money sorted out. Some are spoiled for choice, and this is a big decision and they are waiting to hear from other schools. Some may even be thinking, “Screw it, I’ll just go to (insert local community college/state school), live at home, and keep it simple.” I sure as hell hope they don’t do that; I didn’t write letters of recommendation just so they could bail out and go to “State U” with everyone else.

Look, I know this is the last thing you want to hear after reading this freaking novel, but with Oregon or Gonzaga, you’re gonna be good to go no matter what. Seriously. Unless you don’t like rain…or cold and grey. Gonzaga is a basketball school, so expect that to drive the social scene. Oregon is a football school, and that drives a lot of the social scene there. The Greeks at Oregon are significant too. Either way you’re going to meet people and learn a lot and have fun and become independent.

Out of state tuition is rough though; I hope you qualified for some merit scholarship money- without that, UO would be a no-go for us. Your mileage may vary.