Hello, I’m an incoming senior and I’m really starting to look at colleges. I live in SoCal but I grew up mainly in Portland, OR. I really miss the pine trees and the rivers and having 4 distinct seasons. My sister already goes to college, and I’m looking to major in aero/mech engineering, so this really limits my choices. I’m looking at NAU and Montana State as of now since I’m eligible for WUE and they seem to have somewhat of a Portland feel. What other schools should I look at that have a foresty feel to them with distinct seasons? I have a 3.97 UW/ 4.55 W gpa and a SAT of 1420 if that helps at all. I’d prefer a school that has WUE or good merit scholarships for incoming freshman. OSU would be awesome, but my family can’t afford it, same goes for Univ. of Washington. Thank you.
Congrats on your academic success! I don’t know much about WUE schools or aero/mech engineering but have one thought. What if you moved to a state that had some good possibilities college-wise and worked for a year so that you could apply as an in-state student. Of course, you would need to check the residency requirements for the state/schools.
I know someone who worked for a year in a national park. In many parks, concessionaires that staff hotel, dining, and retail operations in the parks, like Xanterra, offer subsidized food and housing. This can help ease the transition to living and working away from home for a graduating high school student. That year can also be one of great personal growth, making one better prepared for college. You could do that in Oregon or Washington. Some of the NC schools, mostly those in the western part of the state, remind me of the PNW schools, though I don’t know if they have your major. Good luck!
Western Washignton in Bellingham would be a great option if they have engineering (not sure if they do); also Colorado State is WUE with engineering
If you want a Portland feel, isn’t Portland State an obvious option? It’s WUE and has mechanical engineering.
As you know, many of the best-known state schools in the PNW (e.g. Oregon, Oregon State, Washington) aren’t WUE. However, both campuses of University of Alaska (Fairbanks and Anchorage) are WUE and have ME.
University of Nevada - Reno?
List of colleges with mechanical engineering and WUE discounts:
Alaska University of Alaska Anchorage<br>
Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks<br>
Arizona Arizona State University / Polytechnic Campus<br>
Arizona Northern Arizona University<br>
California California State University, Chico<br>
California California State University, Maritime Academy<br>
California California State University, Sacramento<br>
California University of California-Merced<br>
Colorado Colorado Mesa University<br>
Colorado Colorado State University<br>
Colorado University of Colorado at Colorado Springs<br>
Colorado University of Colorado Denver<br>
Hawaii University of Hawaii at Manoa<br>
Idaho Boise State University<br>
Idaho Idaho State University<br>
Idaho University of Idaho<br>
Montana Montana State University, Bozeman<br>
Montana Montana Tech of the University of Montana<br>
Nevada University of Nevada, Las Vegas<br>
Nevada University of Nevada, Reno<br>
New Mexico New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology<br>
New Mexico New Mexico State University<br>
New Mexico Northern New Mexico College<br>
New Mexico University of New Mexico<br>
North Dakota North Dakota State University<br>
North Dakota University of North Dakota<br>
Oregon Oregon Institute of Technology<br>
Oregon Portland State University<br>
South Dakota South Dakota School of Mines and Technology<br>
South Dakota South Dakota State University<br>
Utah University of Utah<br>
Utah Utah State University<br>
Washington Central Washington University<br>
Washington Eastern Washington University<br>
Washington Washington State University<br>
Washington Washington State University Tri-Cities<br>
Wyoming University of Wyoming<br>
Would CSU Chico and UC Merced as in-state options be suitable?
I was also going to suggest Northern CA schools - Humboldt State is the farthest north and is in Arcata, which has lots of forests and parks and a cooler climate. CSU-Chico is also a good suggestion; there’s also Sacramento State. UC-Davis is also further north than UC-Merced, but it’s still more central California.
Colorado State is a great suggestion for the WUE; CU-Colorado Springs and CU-Denver are also more forested, cooler places. Washington State is obviously in the PNW too, and Portland State will give you the vibe you’re going after. All of the Idaho schools will have a similar climate (Boise State; Idaho State; and University of Idaho, which is very close to WSU) as will Montana’s (Montana State) and maybe Utah’s (Utah State and University of Utah).
The University of Puget Sound is a small liberal arts college in Tacoma, but they don’t have native engineering (there’s a 3/2 program).
This is very unlikely to work. For undergraduate students, most states consider you to be a resident of the state your parents live in.
Humboldt State is only school in CA that has something close to a PNW vibe. What Humboldt State doesn’t have, though, is mechanical engineering. So it probably won’t work for the OP.
Other northern CA schools, like Chico, Davis, Sac State, or Merced, do have ME. But they are all located in the Central Valley, which is probably not going to remind the OP of the PNW, in terms of either geography or culture.
Can You give us an update please?
I agree with the person that suggested Portland State.