Washington State University (WSU) is in a rural area on the other side of the state. It is a very large school, a bit of a party reputation that they are trying hard to address. Very strong in many areas academically (engineering, agriculture and hospitality especially), strong sports and school spirit. Strong Greek System but I think it’s on probation at the moment. We know many happy kids there. Will she be able to visit schools at all either before applying or after admission before acceptance? It is a reasonable state school price wise, they offer some nice “extra” scholarship monies for attending some of the preview events. But it is rural and in the middle of wheat fields, I’d recommend visiting.
Western Washington University (WWU) offers both majors, I would look at that as well. Bellingham is a great little city, wonderful college town and everything is walkable. Seattle U will definitely be more than either and on merit alone will not come in close to the state school prices though she would likely get merit. I would run their net price calculator and see as it will show you if you qualify for any additional financial aid. Of those 3, for Urban and that major, given how strong the law school is, I would think that Seattle U would be an excellent choice, if it was affordable.
One thing with Seattle U that could benefit you financially (you are on the Eastside, correct?) is that in theory she could live on campus for 2 years and then commute for 2. On campus is only required for 1st and 2nd year. They do have some nice common spaces, lockers, etc, for commuters. A close friends son is a sophomore there and goes home to the east side every weekends and some nights for work (soccer ref). Very close to the bridge so a relatively quick trip.
Check out Northern Arizona as well. I think she’d get full Western Undergrad Exchange there. Which would be a bit more than WSU but less than Seattle U. Flagstaff is not urban but it’s a great (college) town and very pretty! We’ve not visited but I hear only good things and it’s a great value.
@eandesmom , thanks for your promptly advice. Being a new family in US, we are really not settle yet. It definitely has more job option in west side of WA. However, but the ranking of criminology major and budget wise, WSU seems to be better. We will definitely visit WSU and WWU in coming summer. My D is not really interest in study in AZ. Actually, she still hope to study in east coast, like NY. Two of her top choice are U of Maryland College Park and SUNY Albany, but her profile seems a bit unmatched now!
Welcome @golden3 – my D19 is also applying to BFA (and some BA) programs, but in theatre tech. Due to many of her colleges requiring portfolio reviews, the application process is accelerated, with a sizeable group of applications due in early September. This summer will be filled with portfolio refinements (and of course each school has different requirements for the portfolio), essay writing, and artist statement drafting. We hope she’ll have everything pretty much done by mid-August. (A person can dream.)
Thanks @OrangeFish, @eandesmom, @Undercovermom1, and @Acersaccharum for the welcome! It’s great to hear there are a few other kids considering BFA programs. It does seem very different from the regular application process. D19 and I noticed that while there is some overlap between what different schools require for their portfolios, there are a lot of variations as well. It’s going to be complicated keeping track of who wants what. D will be doing a summer program in the field she is interested in at an art school and it will be fun to see how she likes being immersed in the work and surrounded by other artists and creative types. Her high school is pretty academic so she’s one of a handful of students who have an interest in art. I’m hoping it will either cement her focus, or make her realize she needs to consider other options for a major. We will see!
Anyone have any experience or knowledge of Indiana University of PA? Thinking it may be a good safety for D19. Trying to decide if it is worth the 4 hour trip to visit. Although we could combine with a visit to Pitt.
Have fun at JMU @DCNatFan! I wish we had managed to make a Saturday visit (tomorrow seems to be the last one until at least September), so I guess we’ll have to do an empty-campus summer visit or wait until fall.
I mentioned on the other thread that S19 was not too thrilled with Harrisonburg, but he didn’t really get to see the campus when he was there for an all-state audition and he was generally grumpy. If he continues getting the number of Bs he did in the last two quarters, it will probably be his best in-state option. His school usually has 125-140 apply, 90-110 accepted and 20-30 enroll, so it’s a nice known quantity.
@ashmomhk has she been to Albany? It’s not exactly a large city. I’d agree that UMCP is probably a reach. Also not in the city but is easy transport to Baltimore and DC. Her stats might be more in line with UMass Amherst (might be a reach), UNH, UVM, not sure which SUNY’s. I am sure there are others but from a cost standpoint it could be tricky too.
We toured JMU and we all came away very impressed with the facilities and the campus. The general info was the usual and then were lead out on our tour. Our group was very small (maybe 10 people) total. Our tour guide was a freshman and she was ok but not great. She did not spend a lot of time talking in between spots but was able to answer everyone’s questions. We were able to tour a dorm room (suite with 3 br and 2 ba) which was very nice. They mentioned they have one of the top ranked food programs. They are building a new dining hall which looks very impressive. The campus is hilly. Witnessed a lot of school spirit while walking and everyone seemed happy (maybe just finished finals?).
Asked D19 her thoughts about school on the way home and we got “I loved it”, a rare reaction. Asked if it was at the top of her list (assuming it would be) and she said no, still Delaware. When asked why, she said JMU was a little more spread out than Delaware and that she preferred the size of Delaware. JMU will still get an application in the fall.
Knowing now that even JMU may be too large I think we can eliminate many other schools on her list.
Current ranking of schools visited: Delaware, JMU, Salisbury, West Chester, UMD-CP, UMBC.
Next up is Towson on 5/4. She has an off day from school on 6/8 (Fri) so we have preliminary plans to skip school on 6/7. The plan is to make a loop from DC and visit Virginia Tech, Roanoke, Wake Forest, High Point, Elon and NC State over the course of 3 days.
@carolinamom2boys Thanks. We are trying to get to C of C. We used to spend a week in Hilton Head every summer and we would always stop in Charleston for a night or two. We all love it there and I think she will really like C of C, if she can get past the no football team.
We can usually find inexpensive flights from DC to CHS so we may even fly down for a quick visit.
No football @DCNatFan , but The Citadel is right up the street, and they do have football. They definitely support their basketball team( Conference Champs who went to the the Big Dance), baseball and soccer teams. I’m a little biased A little side note, if your daughter ever watched Gilmore Girls or The Resident, the star Matt Czuchry is an alum.
@carolinamom2boys I have some questions about College of Charleston for you. As you may remember, my D16 was admitted to CofC and into the Honors College there, but decided to go elsewhere. We’ve now realized that CofC could be a match for what my S19 wants now that he is starting to look farther from home.
When my D was looking at the school, it seemed the honors college was really important and we even said to ourselves that if she didn’t get into the honors she wouldn’t go there. I’ve further gotten the impression that honors there is very important because often when you mention the school you say your son is in there in the honors college almost making it seem like a separate school. So, now to my question. S19 is nowhere near being accepted into honors. Would you still recommend CofC for a non-honors student? Do you know how hard it is for them to schedule the classes they need? How is housing for the regular kids? Do you have any insight on thie experience for the average kids, or is your experience limited to just the honors college?
@me29034 My son has friends who are not in the Honors College. They have not experienced difficulty getting classes . Honors housing is a floor within another dorm, so it’s really not exclusive . He will not be in Honors housing next year. He has friends who stay in his current dorm who are not in Honors on the upper floors, and their rooms are similar to his. I mention the Honors program because there are perks like additional advising, additional scholarship opportunities,but mainly in case anyone has questions about the program that I may be able to answer. My DS19 is not competitive for Honors due to test scores and CofC is number one on his list. We toured the Historic Preservation program and the professor was very engaged and interested in Harrison. He had no idea that he had a brother who attended there. I just think the size is a great match for DS19. It’s a very supportive environment all around IMO. What does your son want to major in?
@carolinamom2boys thanks for the info. That is very helpful. My son will probably major in either history or political science. He wants to have a career in politics someday but doing exactly what, I’m not sure. The size of CofC is good for him, and he likes that it is right in the city. I also like the LAC feel, for him. We’re still not sure about the distance. It may be too far, but it is under consideration.
They do have an excellent History and Poi Sci program. He may want to look at Historic Preservation and Urban Development. That married both . Just a thought. He sounds a lot like my son. I do understand distance being a factor. DS19 is looking at Flagler College in St Augustine, which is about a 6 HR drive from here, but we have family in Orlando. It still gives me pause though.
@carolinamom2boys (and anyone else with any knowledge of C of C). I saw on Niche that the college was listed as a party school. How true do you think that is? It’s one of the reasons we took it off our list.
A little side note, if your daughter ever watched Gilmore Girls or The Resident, the star Matt Czuchry is an alum.