<p>Does anyone have any opinions about Lewis & Clark College? It seems like a good school, and I went to Portland specifically for college visits and I loved the city. I was on my way to visit Reed College, but then I was turned off by rumors of drugs and a suicide tree.
Does Lewis & Clark have a lot of drug action? Is it a good school?
I would really enjoy living in Portland...</p>
<p>BrianaGrace:</p>
<p>You might want to check out this thread:</p>
<p>My daughter and I made a trip up the the Portland area earlier this year and had a great time. Lots of good info in that thread from people advising us as we made plans for the trip.</p>
<p>One of my best friends is a junior at L&C (currently spending the year abroad). It was her first choice, but I can't say she's particularly liked the school--she said the student body isn't all that cohesive, so it's not very easy to get involved in a group or groups and that most of students (at least freshman year) only want to talk about how smashed they are/were/will get (she doesn't drink). Classes have been okay, with a few losy professors but a few good ones as well, and the study abroad program has been good for the most part, except for a "crazy" program director and hidden fees. She doesn't think the food is that great but says there's good food in Portland, if you go into town (L&C has free shuttles into Portland). Hope that helps!</p>
<p>DD2 visited and loved it and has applied. I don't know any particulars since she does not attend (yet...).</p>
<p>Have a good friend who graduated this year. Fit her well. D looked at school, had a great interviewer, but didn't like the school at all. (The rest of the family did). Think it is important that you visit.</p>
<p>Reed students are from a very select group. Independent thinkers.
Do not believe everything you read or hear. Very high number go on to graduate studies. High number become Fulbright Scholars.</p>
<p>My daughter and I also made a trip to Portland this year, but only had one day, and had to pick just two schools to visit. </p>
<p>Lewis and Clark was our first stop. It has a beautiful campus and we were pleased with the tour. However, a little to our surprise, we both prefered our second stop, which was University of Portland. Obviously there are other excellent schools also worth checking out there as well. </p>
<p>Portland strikes me as an excellent location to attend college. Also if you are at all into bicycling, it is consistently rated as one of the best bicycle cities in the U.S.</p>
<p>well I was gonna ask " the one in Portland or Idaho?"
but I guess that got answered.
Younger daughter liked L & C.
Never got that far with older daughter because she fell in love w Reed. ( '06)
Didn't see drugs ( well, my husband once saw a bong go under the blue bridge & I saw an unoccupied hookah on a porch)- but compared to junior high life in the 1970's?
pah.
no suicide tree - the weather isn't * that * bad, actually it is often sunnier ( if colder) than Seattle.</p>
<p>I've posted this before, but it was so strange, I'll do it again. When we were visiting Reed we called L & C admissions office and asked for directions. The woman at the other asked where we were coming from, we said Reed College, she said, "Oh, that's a much better school." It made us wonder what the school really thinks of itself.</p>
<p>I visited Lewis and Clark with both my son and daughter on two separate trips and, while both liked the school, neither fell in love with it. No particular reason, just a gut feel. </p>
<p>If I had to guess, I would say it is a very nice campus but lacks a central quad that both liked - and the student population was not as outgoing/welcoming as at other schools.</p>
<p>Oh, that's a much better school." It made us wonder what the school really thinks of itself.</p>
<p>I would take it to mean that L& C while a nice school in a great town, with a pretty campus, isn't a big standout among other small private schools in Oregon, that are nice schools, in interesting places, with attractive campuses.</p>
<p>Reed however- is a place that makes an impression, whether negative or positive, but if you are interested in it, I think it makes a difference to see the campus.</p>
<p>D and I got horrible "vibes" at Lewis & Clark when we visited a few years ago. The energy was just terrible. We felt like running, but stayed through the info session and tour thinking it had to improve. It didn't. Everyone we met seemed miserable. The people we spoke with in Admissions acted like they'd rather be getting a root canal than working there. The info session was the same, and the tour no better. D had an interview and she said it was the most uncomfortable, depressing meeting ever.
The strange thing was that we had gone to the visit expecting to love it!!</p>
<p>Also.... check out Princeton Reviews "reefer madness" rating.</p>
<p>JMHO!!!</p>
<p>I think the problem with Lewis and Clark is that it pulls a lot of local kids, so the campus life isn't as cohesive as at Reed, where the students come from all over. And the campus isn't as traditional either. </p>
<p>If you are interested in Oregon check out Linfield (it gets high marks for academic quality and value) and Willamette. UP is nice too if you don't mind Catholicism.</p>
<p>Culturally the Pacific NW attracts people who for whatever reason want to put a lot of distance between themselves and their roots. There's a certain reserve which is offputting if you are not used to it--L&C is a very old-school northwest institution and that may be part of the vibe as well. </p>
<p>Oh, and rumor has it that the food is skewed to vegans (this from a friend of DD who is a student athlete there) and the drug scene is heavily focused on marijuana.</p>
<p>One simple issue worked against L & C with our D: L & C did not permit high school juniors to spend the night in a dorm, whereas Reed and Willamette did, and she came away with much better impressions of the latter two (and we all thought there was a correlation).</p>
<p>My son, who is from Wisconsin, graduated from L & C in June 2006. He liked the school quite a bit. He had quite a few friends and is currently living with several of them in Portland. He preferred to stay out there over spring break rather than come home. He loves Portland. There is a quite a bit of marjiana there, but I don't know if it is more prevelant than at other schools. He did not get involved in much on campus, but he was never a joiner so that is not suprising. A lot of CA kids go there.</p>
<p>Lewis & Clark is good school. Maybe very good but it isn't Reed. That's a good thing. Reed can be ahrd place to fit into. Someone from Northern California would not have a hard time adjusting. PM me if want information about drug use in the area.</p>
<p>Oh, and if anyone has any questions about L&C, I'd be happy to ask my friend for you.</p>