OOS for CSU here as well, currently at the 6k mark for merit as well but hoping to bump that up. Have seen a few scholarships that S may qualify for as well.
@SlackerMomMD, I think D17 has too many stressful reach schools on her list, but for now I’m leaving it alone. D11 also considered Reed but crossed it off (and I doubt she would have gotten in anyway). I’ve been watching her grade in AP Chem go from a high B to very low B now, so keeping my fingers crossed. The STEM classes are so important for engineering.
@eandesmom, CSU happens to be offering a special day long program the day D has off school on competitive majors, honors, and undergrad research. Should be interesting. I’d like to hear what you think about Western WA, since I doubt we’ll be able to visit. I’m pretty sure CU-Boulder has energy studies and policy and I’m pretty sure they have an environmental studies themed dorm which sounds pretty cool. My D liked the performing arts dorm when she lived there. If your S doesn’t figure out his environmental field before application time I guess you’ll be looking at schools that offer them all! My D likes the smaller schools better definitely. I do hope she’ll like CSU when we visit on Monday though, as it has what she wants and is close (but not too close) and inexpensive. I’m going to send you the list in a message. It’s EE focused, but lots of schools that have renewable/sustainable concentrations in one department will have that in other departments as well.
@morningside95, My D11 is at CU-Boulder. She started as a micro-biology major with dance minor, then integrative physiology with dance minor, then dance major which is where she stands now. She wants to be a physical therapist so she has to get in a lot of extra coursework for that, which is why she will have been there at least 5.5 years! And now she’s thinking of getting the integrative physiology major after all since she’s only a few classes short. The PT program at University of Denver is her top pick, but I don’t know anything about their undergrad.
I know several parents whose kids went to CSU and really enjoyed it. Fort Collins is supposed to be a really nice little college town too. I’ll give everyone an update after our visit on Monday!
@Agentninetynine, Okay that’s hilarious that your D had all those super-impressive EC’s and goat-farming was the memorable one! I could also see EC’s as a tie-breaker or merit aid factor (this one scares me). What do you mean by gate-keeping mechanism?
@Reckless, glad to hear the good reviews of CSU – especially enjoying classes! I will certainly keep in mind the ascending offers of aid. I wonder if many other schools offer more aid as time goes by. I don’t think that happened with any of D11’s schools.
@eh1234, I’ve never seen so much thought put into a user name – very funny! I guess we’ll all be asking you for a CSU review next year. I think there is also automatic merit for in-state, but not as much of course. Or I might be getting confused with CU-Boulder.
Sorry for the super-long post – I guess I’m behind!
Wow! That is quite a post, @snoozn ! Thanks for the information you provided to everyone. I met with a friend today, whose son is a freshman at University of Denver. She feels the chances for merit aid is pretty good there. She knows my S17 does not have a fabulous GPA. He’s been getting low 30s on his practice ACT tests, so we are hopeful for his results on the State required test scheduled for next week, and his follow up test in June, before there is the testing break for the summer. She also suggested that, like CSU, there might be some financial aid for OOS at both CU- Boulder as well as the good news already shared about CSU.
If anyone has info to share about Univ of Denver, I would appreciate it. S17 appears to be leaning towards studying a combo of English/Communications/Business.
We are also planning our trip to WA and OR this summer, for about 5-6 days of running around for campus tours, etc. and generally just enjoying the PNW area! @eandesmom has previously shared some information about the area (thanks, again!) and any advice or input would be great. We definitely have University of Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark and Willamette on the list. And are considering University of Portland, Seattle University, Pacific Lutheran & and maybe Gonzaga if we are feeling adventurous enough to run across the state. Although he likes small class sizes, S17 wants to see UW too.
RE some of the LACs on the list: I went to LMU in L.A. and know you can comfortably attend a “religious” school, without being particularly religious yourself. My son is more “spiritual” than religious, and several of the schools on the second list are affiliated with the Catholic or Lutheran Church, so I hope that is not going to be an issue. Also, I sort of assume that most of the colleges in the PNW are pretty progressive overall, since WA and OR have that reputation. Any insight on these schools in that area would be appreciated as well. S17 is very gregarious, open-minded, musician, singer, thespian, speech team type guy, who also plays in the Pep Band. Has lots of school spirit (even though you’d never catch him actually competing in a sport). But was also a Boy Scout for a number of years and loves hiking, camping, skiing and even shooting (at BS camp, only at targets, and under supervision). So his interests are both indoor-sy and outdoor-sy, and both are important. A good music program, to have as a minor or just a regular EC activity is very important. If there’s a Jazz Band - huge :-bd
We are just getting S16 settled on his school for next year. Attending Accepted Students event this weekend to meet future possible classmates and check out more info on dorms and classes for next fall. So we are behind in helping S17 be ready for this whole adventure. Any and all help would be great! ’
Thank you!! ^:)^
I am not sure about Jazz bands at the schools on your list. It is something we will be looking at as well. UW marching band is huge and a ton of fun (and a great way for kids to be connected at such a big school). I know Western WA has a strong program but not sure if it’s just on the concert side of things or if it includes Jazz. I do know Whitworth is known for their Jazz Band, as is (oddly enough) Bellevue Community College lol. I will report back on that though as our “free” counselor is looking at that aspect, both Marching and Jazz specifically. I expect to have some info on that in a few weeks so am not bothering to research myself. That said, we will be looking for it at CSU and CU-BO. The marching band at U of Wy has already contacted S directly lol.
Financial aid at CU-BO? Or Merit? I’ve been assuming Boulder is out of our price range though we will tour it and it does have a program fit. I expect it to be too “big” and “rah rah” for S but you never know, Boulder is a great town. I have heard good things about U Denver but no direct experiences.
For 5-6 days that is a LOT of ground to cover. I would not do more than 2 per day so for Portland you’ve got a full day with L&C and Willamette.
Conceivably you could fly into PDX and do L&C, Willamette one day, maybe U of P the next morning and then drive up to Tacoma, hit UPS and PLU the next day. While Seattle is less than an hour away from Tacoma, traffic can be horrid. You could hit Seattle U in the morning and do a late flight back out. Or hit Seattle U and UW in the same day and then fly out the next. Any way you look at it, it’s a lot to pack into 5-6 days and zero downtime depending on how many schools you see and whether you keep it to PDX/Tacoma or add in Seattle or Spokane…
You could also do it in reverse but I’d definitely fly into one (SEA or PDX) and out of the other. Just book one way tickets, they cost the same as booking round trip. The drive between SEA and PDX will run 3-5 hours depending on traffic. Lots of pinch points for rush hour traffic so you’ll want to plan accordingly. Pinch points will be SEA, PDX, Vancouver/Border, Olympia and JBLM (not in that order lol).
Spokane is a totally different ballgame. 5-7 hours to drive it from SEA or Tacoma, 5 hours as the car drives but that doesn’t allow for any stops or traffic or pass issues (which would only be construction or accident related). It’s an hour flight and they run on the hour so that can save “some” time but even so, you’ve still got transportation to factor in, TSA, etc. Gonzaga is a great school but if that’s the only school in Spokane, unless it was really high on the list I’d drop that one if anything. If however, you were able to make it a layover stop on your way home, that might work. Not sure where you are coming from.
As for the religious aspect, in my experience with kids that have gone to U of P, Seattle U and Gonzaga, and the fact my father taught at Seattle U for years, I would not say any of them are terribly catholic but that is subject to interpretation. The curricula does tend to require 1-2 theology related classes.
There are some conservative schools in WA/OR but none on the list you have as far as I know. It’s a very liberal culture. I am not as sure of Spokane but based on the kids I know that go there, I don’t think it’s incredibly conservative. You’ll find lots to do outdoors in any of those areas, some of the schools are far more urban in their settings but it’s a personal preference as much as anything.
So…all that said, if you want to “enjoy” the PNW, I’d cut several schools or do a longer trip. So many wonderful things to see but with travel time, there is very little tourist buffer.
I think the University of Denver has a very good music school. One of my cousins teaches organ there.
Regarding the “rah rah” aspect of CU-Boulder, I don’t think it’s all that bad for a big flagship. My D11 and her BF are totally non-sports non-rah rah people. D found “her people” in the theater/dance department and her BF found “his people” in the physics department. The only time they even notice school athletics is when big games tie up traffic on campus and all around town. From time to time giant hordes of nearly identically dressed sorority girls can be seen stampeding across campus, leaving in their trail a smoking husk of the old world… Oops, those post-apocalyptic horror stories have really gotten into my mind. But no, Greek life doesn’t seem to make much of an impact on those not involved. D walks around campus in her 25 yard dance skirts and giant hair flowers. She sometimes gets an odd look when practicing dance moves while waiting for a class to start but not usually. Her BF looks like a hippy or like Jesus in a tie-dye shirt depending on who you ask. (He is a hippy, but sadly he can’t perform miracles).
And probably not helpful @morningside95, but something about you mentioning Lutheran schools and your son’s characteristics put me in mind of one of D11’s best friends.
. This is her friend to a T except for speech team and pep band, but those weren’t offered in their hs!
He graduated from St. Olaf in Minnesota last year. They wait-listed D and he told her he only got accepted because he’s a male who can sing! That’s what friends are for. He didn’t major in music, but he loved all the musical programs there. Perhaps more importantly, regarding Lutheran colleges, he is not at all religious and never felt there was any kind of judgment made against him for this. He had to take one or two religious classes and enjoyed them very much.
Boulder is a misunderstood place. I think people have the idea that it is a big Woodstock West with pot and hippies and it is really more conservative, more academic than you might thing. The engineering school, especially aerospace, is tops. Greek life is about 10% of the students, but the houses are surrounding the campus on the hill so it appears to be bigger. Fraternities are not recognized student groups but the school and the Intrafraternity Council have a truce. Sororities are recognized as student groups.
It’s expensive, no doubt. It’s expensive for instate and very expensive for OOS. There is some scholarship money, but not a ton. Instate student get a deduction per credit hour, as do those at CSU and other state schools. It has many environmental study subjects, including environmental design and environmental biology,. It also has a fine geology department. It has a big marching band and a music school.
DU is a beautiful school, right on the highway and light rail in Denver. Very Urban, easy to get around the city. It does have a wonderful music school, and may have jazz, but it is more classical than ‘big marching band’ music. It also has a school of theology. There is no football, but DU is the reigning champion in Men’s Lacrosse, and the hockey team went to the Frozen Four this year. There is a pep band at the hockey games that is a blast. Women’s big sports are lacrosse and gymnastics, and all the athletic facilities are wonderful. My kids did a lot of sports at DU when they were growing up. The school is well known for international studies (two Secretaries of State, Condi Rice and Madeleine Albright, have degrees from DU) and an excellent business school. A huge percentage of undergrads do study abroad. It has fraternities and sororities, but not overbearing. I think the NPC on the website lists quite a few scholarships and grants available. A friend’s daughter attends and she got slightly more aid from DU than she did from CU (OOS). I know it included some room and board funds.
@morningside95 We did a similar trip a few weeks ago. We saw Seattle University, University of Washington, U of Portland, Portland State University and Western Washington U in five days. If I were planning it again, I would have flown in a day earlier and left a day later. More $ but less rushing back and forth.
My midwestern D wants 10,000 plus students in the coastal Pacific Northwest with a leafy green campus near a large city. Also a chill college meaning she wouldn’t always be studying and stressed. As far as I can tell, no college meets all these requirements. Major undecided, possibly political science or public policy. Nothing STEM. No significant ECs.
U of W is certainly worth a look but hard to get into, expensive and little merit aid so it’s off the list. Seattle U and U of Portland fell off the list as too small, but they may be back. She would really like Western Washington if it were near a major city. She would really like PSU if it were less urban.
U of W and Western Washington both require a semester of fine arts in high school. D doesn’t have it and doesn’t want to change her senior year schedule. U of W said she could take a fine arts class at a community college during the summer.
If you’re an infrequent flyer like me, the security lines have gotten a lot longer. Consider signing up for TSA Pre. $ but will save a lot of time. So far D is refusing to give the government her fingerprints. :-* Also, look at your boarding pass and see if you randomly got assigned to TSA Pre. We didn’t think to look and stood in the regular line for quite a while.
@eandesmom @morningside95 @brindlegreyhound
I noticed that with all the WA schools on these lists, no one mentioned Washington State (or maybe I just don’t read well!) D17 and I have not looked at it closely, but it does have some smart grid and other renewable/sustainable research and it’s WUE, so it’s on her list. Was anyone previously looking there and took it off their list for some reason?
@twoinanddone, yes I would agree with that characterization. CU-Boulder is liberal-leaning as are most universities, but not as left-leaning as Boulder. (Unofficial city motto: “25 square miles surrounded by reality!”) Many Boulderites, including me, think CU is silly for puffing up its chest now that their efforts to end the 4/20 smoke-out* have “worked”. CU’s ridiculous efforts have included closing the campus, paying for a super-expensive music act that nobody went to see, and spreading the stinkiest fish fertilizer they could find on the quad behind the library. My D11 noted that while a haze of pot smoke on one day certainly is bad, the fish fertilizer stinks to high heaven for weeks. It was obvious to anyone that with the legalization of recreational pot, very few folks are going to risk getting arrested for lighting up on campus (pot use is not legal anywhere in public here) when they could just go to their own or a friends’s place and not chance getting arrested.
*Oops, I should add that “4/20” was the traditional day of April 20 that protesters (probably most of them not CU students) would gather on one of the quads and smoke pot to protest it being illegal. I think they had a feeling of safety in numbers – “they can’t arrest all of us duuuude!”
Mine doesn’t like the Midwest, which has a lot to offer. I particularly liked college of Wooster and Kalamazoo (which we visited). We also saw Kenyon, which is a major, major reach, but she has somewhat of a hook, so I’m willing to let her take a chance. It’s the only Midwestern school she would consider. She wants schools on either coast with mild weather, preferably urban or suburban. It really limits us to NYC and south in the East. I’m really having a hard time with the college list.
@snoozn Pullman and Spokane are too far inland and the Vancouver campus is too small per D’s current requirements
@brindlegreyhound Is Eugene a big enough city?
@snoozn WSU is a great school, it does have a pretty serious party rap but I don’t think it’s worse than any other campus. For my S it’s a couple of things. Pullman is not a draw, at all. And well it’s WSU. Even though he has no interest in UW from an attendance standpoint, being a cougar feels like a traitorous thought. Both myself and the counselor have suggested it, he would get some auto merit and it’s instate so could be great in that aspect but he won’t consider it.
@Ynotgo Eugene has a colder winter than she’d like. But you’re right, we should take a closer look at university of Oregon. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you very much for all the good advice, everyone! We are finalizing our S16 college plans, and all the work and activities surrounding his HS graduation, but will soon make time to get back to this thread to form our plan for our WA/OR trip.
We are going to try to visit CO in the late summer or early fall, so info about all three states, or any schools that are near hiking, biking and possibly skiing are greatly appreciated!! When I searched for campuses, OR/WA/CO just came up the most often, with good schools as options, because, of course S17 is going to college to Learn, not just hike and ski!!
Thanks again!
@morningside95 are you looking for suggestions on specifics hikes or rides to do while visiting or just general info. II can definitely suggest some specific Western WA hikes depending on what you are looking for, as well as biking info (trail or road?).
@brindlegreyhound Bellingham is not that far from Seattle really, local kids come down many weekends. Western would seem to be a very good fit. A lot of the options that could work are definitely smaller than 10K. It seems for PNW she will either have to compromise on the size of the school or proximity to big city (which is really only two as if Bellingham is too small…that likely cuts out Tacoma, Olympia and Salem which all could have LAC options).
@snoozn - Gate keeping, as in preventing students who don’t have the income to participate in a lot of expensive ECs.
I recommend taking an extra day or so @morningside95 if you plan on driving between Portland and Seattle. The traffic is ridiculously bad and summer is construction season. I realize that Spokane is not as appealing a city as Portland or Seattle, but Gonzaga is a good school with strong alumni and city support (think post graduation jobs) and gives merit aid. Not religious in your face way. Same for Seattle U. Can’t speak to UPS or Pacific LU.
Thanks, for the traffic tip, @Agentninetynine. I know that Seattle can be particularly rough. We have two seasons here in MN, too, Winter and “road construction!” I use Google maps all the time, to try to find the best routes. Re: Gonzaga, I went to LMU in L.A. and it is also a Jesuit school, with a more relaxed Catholic atmosphere. I don’t know about Gonzaga, but LMU is where I learned about “social justice,” as the clergy at our school (which was about 1/3 of the teachers and staff, rest were lay people) focused on a Life of Service. Volunteerism was highly emphasized, but not required, and I really liked going to school with college kids who spent time focused on something other than themselves and their studies. Many of my friends became teachers, doctors, social workers, etc.
Any info about the campus culture at schools I know less about, like Gonzaga, Seattle University or Pacific Lutheran, would be great! My S17 is a kind and caring non-believer, but he participates in some youth group activities at his friends’ Methodist church, as he likes helping other people and likes the kids who hang out in that group. So he would definitely be comfortable at a religiously affiliated school, as long as attitudes are generally on the liberal/progressive/tolerant side. A school that is conservative and has a lot of rules and regulations would not be a place for him.
@eandesmom - Thanks for your offer of advice about hiking and biking. Unfortunately, I think we’ll be too busy to do much of that on this trip, as we are focused on setting up campus visits, and trying to decide if it’s worth it to trek all the way out to Spokane - Maybe a loop from Tacoma to Seattle to Spokane to Salem to Portland, and then fly home from Portland, as suggested. I was worried about a “drop fee” many rental car agencies chrg when you leave the car at a diff location than where you picked it up. I am ck’ing into the “fly into Seattle and out of Portland” option. If S ends up in WA for college, I will definitely contact you for more info on hiking and biking. My H had 2 summer internships in Bremerton, w/ the Navy, as an engineering student, and would love for S17 to do go school in WA!!
Neither kid is a believer and they both went/currently attend a Catholic h.s. that has a strong message and mission of social justice. Gonzaga was dd’s second choice mostly because of the great support from faculty and alumni. Sadly it just wasn’t strong enough in her chosen field.
The drive between Spokane and Seattle is at least 5 or 6 hours if you can afford it or have miles I recommend taking a flight. Have you considered Linfield? It’s in the Willamette Valley about 45 minutes or so from Portland.
@“Queen’s Mom” - For southern mild weather, check out Elon, College of Charleston, Furman, and Rollins. If she’d consider Tennessee, how about Rhodes? If she likes Kenyon, and is willing to consider slightly colder climate, look at Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Muhlenberg.