<p>My son is a 3.0 student with an interest in business and Spanish. He is also a runner and would like to continue on a college team. I think he would love the Pacific Northwest, so I've put together a list of schools for him to consider. He doesn't like urban schools and I know that three of these schools are labeled as "urban", but sometimes urban doesn't feel urban, if you know what I mean. He likes lots of green spaces. I took him to see a "rural" school, only to be told "too many busy streets". I'd appreciate any comments on the following schools:</p>
<p>Gonzaga
Pacific Lutheran
Seattle Univ.
Univ. of Puget Sound
Whitworth
Linfield
Willamette
Univ of Redlands (not PNW)</p>
<p>Seattle U, while a wonderful Jesuit institution, is right in the heart of urban Seattle. It is across the street from the gigantic Swedish Medical Center, just up the hill from downtown Seattle. All that said, it is a lovely little oasis of green! But surrounded by busy streets.</p>
<p>We visited Willamette and Puget Sound. Willamette, though in the middle of Salem, doesn’t have an urban feel to it. Salem itself isn’t a very big city. The campus is self-contained; green, plenty of trees, and a stream running through it. It is, though, across the street from Oregon’s capitol building, which most likely is a hub of activity.</p>
<p>Puget Sound, in Tacoma, felt more urban to me, but that was probably because you have to drive through quite a bit of city to get to it. The campus itself is in a residential neighborhood and was very nice, though the school felt bigger than Willamette.</p>
<p>You might also look at Lewis & Clark. Although it is in Portland, the campus itself feels very isolated and is adjacent to a state forest. The campus is much different from any other school I’ve visited and has a summer camp feel. I imagine some people love it, but for some it might feel too isolated.</p>
<p>^ Both true. Redlands is in a suburb way east of the LA sprawl. Orange groves, year round warmth, it gets very smoggy in the summer. Redlands has a big farmer’s market on a weeknight every week - very fun to attend. Not too far from some skiing either in the winter.</p>
<p>Hello there,
Pacific Lutheran is my alma mater. Granted, I graduated in the late 70s, but absolutely loved the school. It had a good business program as I recall. Friendly students and very green and beautiful. The dining hall on upper campus has a large window wall that looks towards Mount Rainier. When the “mountain is out” (i.e., clear, vs cloudy) the view is uplifting and stunning. Academics are excellent. I got into my first choice of graduate school. My peers from PLU are all highly successful. It’s in the suburb of Parkland, so not in downtown Tacoma. I thought the feel was more rural than urban. </p>
<p>Redlands… personally I don’t consider the surrounding area that green. If your son likes green, the Pacific Northwest would be a better choice. My personal opinion.</p>
<p>One of my son’s closest friends goes the University of Puget sound and loves it. According to him, it is beautiful and has lots of sports. He is on crew. A 3.0 student should be able to get in, but not exactly sure. Anyway, I’ve heard nothing but great things about the school for years and years.</p>
<p>They offer a wide range of sports and an excellent Business and Leadership program and Spanish classes for every category from beginning through advanced. They also have a clear commitment to international studies and many other languages as well. It could perfect for what your kid wants.</p>