Helpful descriptions, thanks! We added Reed to our OR colleges tours next month. We visited days before Covid shut everything down with D21, it was not a fit for her. D24 went on that trip as an 8th grader and wants to see it again. My suspicion is it’s too academically intense for her, but she wants to judge for herself.
3 Likes
If she likes Lewis and Clark, check out Lake Oswego. It is a suburban town, but the L&C kids go there for groceries, coffee shops, clothing shops. A lot of the kids at L&C will have cars to get her wherever she needs to go.
If it is still there (not right downtown, but not far) go to the Dairy Maid. BEST hamburgers in the world. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g52124-d5105797-Reviews-Dairy_Maid-Warrenton_Oregon.html
1 Like
I was just in Lake Oswego earlier today, back home. Had never heard of Dairy Maid, will have to check it out. Had lunch at Oswego Grill which is a nice place for lunch or dinner. Ava is nearby and had good coffee.
There is an In N Out in Salem area btw!
1 Like
I assumed you meant Portland, Maine. 
Yeah, I should have realized the confusion after the number of times Maine comes up in an autocomplete.
1 Like
Portland, Maine is lovely though!
If your daughter is looking for a smaller school in a fun urban environment, you should definitely make a visit to University of Portland. My daughter is a first-year and absolutely loves it. She wanted to go farther away (we’re from Portland) but we couldn’t beat the merit aid UP offered (it made the tuition cheaper than UO!). She’s very happy with the decision. Her professors have been very supportive and engaging. She was mildly dreading her Theology and Philosophy core classes last semester and they turned out to be her favorite thanks to the teachers. She wouldn’t stop talking about them at Thanksgiving. Safe and beautiful campus (even the dorm rooms; her friends at OSU are very jealous of her dorm room) and it’s very accessible to fun stuff off campus. The #44 bus stops right at the edge of campus and takes her to all the best neighborhoods in 15-20 mins (Mississippi, Williams, Alberta, Downtown. She’s constantly going out for ramen, bubble tea, Korean food, sushi, tacos. She’s a 10-minute flat bike ride (or 5 min bus) to the St. Johns neighborhood which has vintage stores, coffee shops (Cathedral Coffee is a student fave), Sparrow Bakery (amazing Ocean rolls), and grocery stores (New Seasons is the best). She’s often sharing ubers with friends on the weekend to go to Hawthorne Ave and the food carts too. In fall she went on a weekend hike in Forest Park with the Outdoor Pursuits program, which has tons of outings, including climbing, skiing, kayaking. The student culture is very kind and hard-working. She’s in the honors program and made friends right away. She took up jogging and weight training (!) thanks to the beautiful gym they have. I’m hoping she’ll try the climbing wall.
Your daughter would probably love poking around the shops on N. Mississippi, N. Williams, and NE Alberta and SE Hawthorne, so don’t miss those areas. Hawthorne Asylum food carts are really fun. Live music + great food at The 1905 or Alberta St Pub (both open to minors). Cool vintage and indie films at the Hollywood Theater (has pizza and beer too). On the west side, Powell’s downtown and the shops on NW 23rd are musts. Forest park has tons of hiking trails that start at the edge of the neighborhood, and Washington Park (with the Japanese Garden, Arboretum, etc) is the south edge of the neighborhood. If you don’t mind the cold, you can do guided kayak trips on the Willamette and rent bikes to bike along the waterfront. If you have a car, you can drive into the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge (45 mins to 1 hour) to see waterfalls, hike, or bop around Hood River.
7 Likes
I agree to check out UP. It didn’t make my son’s list but I liked it quite a bit. If you’re visiting OSU, consider a visit to UO as well. They aren’t far from each other. Two large state schools with very different vibes. Good to get a feel for all the options you can while in the area.
2 Likes
Good idea regarding UO, just not for us. Might make sense for others. UO has two strikes against it for us. It’s another hour away from Portland, so makes it difficult to fit into a weekend. Second, no WUE. Only the Stamps Scholarship would bring it inline with other area options.
2 Likes
I have a friend whose kid is a first year at UP. He loves it and they gave him a tuition discount that made it the same price as our in-state univ cost.
2 Likes
We toured Lewis and Clark this week and were really impressed, we all liked it quite a bit. Felt it would be a fine choice for D24, and is now second in line behind Whitman. So interesting to hear different and sometimes opposite impressions for almost every college.
It is definitely a beautiful campus! If everyone had the same opinion about everything than life would be pretty boring!
2 Likes