NW Oregon Visit Report

<p>BengalMom the Rockies eh? Do you know anything about Rocky Mountain College or Carroll College in Montana?</p>

<p>Walla</a> Walla - Winter Sports</p>

<p>This looked helpful.</p>

<p>Dear Bengal Mom: I don't know the distance and hope riverrunners link may help. I do know Whitman has Division I skiing (in both nordic and alpine I think--if those are the right terms to distinguish cross-country and down-hillll...can you tell I am snow-averse after living 10 years in Chicago...I'm a California native) Anyway, my son's buddy from Alaska is a serious skiier and very happy at Whitman. And the weather there is definitely very different from Seattle-Portland. I've heard "300 days of sun" a year quoted. They got a fair amount of snow on campus this winter (son had to stop wearing flip flops for awhile I guess...) but I have never heard a complaint about it from the students I know..and it was gone by mid February. Skiing happens in the adjacent Blue Mountain range I think...</p>

<p>S does not like small schools, will not look at Whitman and does not even like Willamette--got sick at Willamette. Pepperdine is too expensive for not a great value. Down to UW or PLU. Wait listed at Northwestern which we would probably help him reach for due to value of education there. Help. Will going to PLU effect graduate school later due to lesser vigor?<br>
SAT 2070, GPA UW 3.94, 7-8 AP's (2/3 english/history, 1/3 science/math), all 5's and one 4 on a class he did not take.</p>

<p>There is a small ski area just under an hour from campus called Bluewood. It only has a handful of lifts but tickets are in the $30 range instead of the $80 common in Colorado. Their forest service permit seems to limit them to the last of March - we were there a few weeks ago and the ski area was closed but there was still a huge base and more coming down. It gets lovely powder. Much nicer skiing than westen Washington or Oregon where rain isn't uncommon during a ski day.<br>
The ski area is way up the mountian from campus. Walla Walla has long been considered the "banana belt" of easten washington. While Pullman and Spokane are shovelling huge drifts, they don't get more than an inch down along the river. It will be cold and damp but less damp than Portland and less cold than anywhere else in eastern Washington.</p>

<p>JaneyPT, if he doesn't like small school, why is PLU even on the radar?</p>

<p>Has anyone mentioned the wine country around Whitman (Walla Walla area?) This could make for some really fun Parents Weekends! Maybe there should be another column on the decision spreadsheet about "nearby fun for parents."</p>

<p>Walla</a> Walla Valley Wine Alliance</p>

<p>Yeah, the winerey visits are fun except you feel guilty just swilling down more than one sample (these are small places - you aren't part of some group tour) so you end up buying a $30 bottle of wine and then having to pack it for home.
That said - I love the winerys and the grapefields around campus.... plus the fun high end restaurants that depend on the wines.</p>

<p>dragonmom, the ability to not feel guilty about tasting wines and not buying any comes with experience. A town just south of us is known for its wineries. Every time I drive to the shopping center on a weekend, I pass by many signs pointing to wine tastings at local "microwineries". If I felt guilty and bought a $30 bottle of wine every time I stopped by one, I'd be broke! ;)</p>

<p>Dragon Mom, he likes the 3000 size, just not the little tiny size like whitman or willamette. Willamette is especially small physically.</p>

<p>Bunsen, please come wine tasting with me. I am evidently too easy a mark!</p>

<p>How important is academic rigor for graduate school?</p>

<p>Janey, does he have any mid-sized schools on his radar? Western? Evergreen?</p>

<p>no plu or uw</p>

<p>Janey, Did your s look at Linfield? It is about the same population as Willamette but a much larger campus. They were still accepting applications last week. It has had favorable reviews here.
However, to comment on what you have said -if NW is a possibility and you think a fit for your S then UW is similar in that it is a large University.
Personally, if he has not visited Whitman and it is affordable you might want to drag him there -not necessarily have him stay in a dorm but to see the school/town/etc. Does he know that the students are considered to be the happiest students around?
What a tough decision. And sometimes students just don't know-my D thought she wanted big and after one sememster transferred to a small LAC. (the one that I thought was a perfect fit all along)(of course!)</p>

<p>A bit of a stretch for the northwest (but then it is so far from everywhere anyway) is Humboldt State. Written off by many because of the reputation of the area, I would just like to add my 2 cents worth concerning the really great education S received there (he's graduating next month). He calls frequently to tell us about plays he's seen, concerts he's attended, books he's read in class, restoration activities he's been involved in, etc. The community has engaged him politically, socially and environmentally. He's gotten a LAC type of experience at a public college.</p>

<p>I am reading this discussion from a hotel room in Tacoma as DS is spending the night at Puget Sound! We visited Willamette and Univ. of Oregon this trip as well. DS wanted to love Willamette, and I wanted him to as well as it is a small LAC and they gave him a good amount of merit money!!, but he couldn't warm up to the school. This was his second overnight there (and we live in So Cal) and he just didn't feel happy there. He liked UPS right away, but I will report back tomorrow about how he felt after the overnight.</p>

<p>yes, oxyalum, be sure to post back with his post-overnight impressions!</p>

<p>historymom, sorry, I don't know anything about either of those schools.
riverrunner, thanks for the link!
mmaah and dragonmom, thanks for the info too! 300 days of sunshine sounds just about right. :)
Gosh...... what did we do before we found CC.....<br>
The wineries sound like an awesome idea while visiting in that area. I haven't done a winery tour in years.</p>

<p>csleslie
my daughter applied and was admitted to Humboldt state but we haven't visited because she actually wants more urban- but I think it sounds lovely- I am going to be sure and take her this summer
( she is taking a year off & wants to do marine bio)</p>