<p>If I have to choose between the two, what are the pros & cons of each? I am planning to study anthro. and botany. I will probably choose a small school, but may end up deciding between these two larger schools and don't know how to go about it. I am out of state, 3.3 gpa in mostly AP/honors, 2000 sat, and many ec's. Looking for laid back, close community, nice town, friendly environment with lots of teacher involvement and good research/field work opportunities. Thanks!!</p>
<p>with those scores, why not uwash? are you in-state for oregon? i don't really know much about either school except that oregon is reportedly a good school with a really attractive landscape</p>
<p>I'v heard that Portland State has a lot of non-traditional students (aka: adults). That bothers some people, I guess.</p>
<p>Definitely University of Oregon! (And I say this as a Portland State alum.) PSU is a commuter school, and as world changer said, has a lot of non-traditional students. You'll have a more integrated college experience at U of O. Eugene is a nice college town, liberal, and pretty laid-back. U of O also has a very good honors program.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. We were heading to Portland to visit Lewis & Clark and thought about visiting Portland State on the same trip. But based on the feedback, it may make sense to skip Portland State and head down to Eugene instead to U of Or. From there, we are heading to the midwest to visit Knox and Earlham (but the air connections are more difficult from Eugene). We live in Phila. so the whole trip is quite a distance. Please comment on any of this plan. Thanks!!</p>
<p>UO > PSU for virtually everything. I have many, many friends at both. I'm technically dual enrolled at PSU and my high school. Most people go to PSU because it's convenient and they want to stay in Portland.</p>
<p>I would check out U of P.</p>
<p>I will look into U of P. Is that comparable to UO, or is UO a better choice for academics and environment? Frats, sports don't matter but music scene, academics and a decent town do matter. I'm looking at Oregon area since it is so different from where I'm from, and since it offers so much outdoor field work and recreational options.</p>
<p>You should visit both U of O and U of P. They're quite different, and you might prefer the feel of one over the other. UO is public, a lot bigger, and has a larger presence within the city of Eugene than UP does within Portland. Both have good reputations; UO is better known and might offer more opportunities. It all depends on what you are looking for.</p>
<p>I did an internship with a professor of anthropology at PSU. It was a decidedly lack-luster and small program. The kids taking anth classes were uninterested, possibly because of the large class size. The kids present during the summer, however, handled themselves much better, but then again it was a language course with perhaps 30 less people. I've never been to UO, so I guess that I can't really compare them.</p>
<p>Of those two, U of Oregon is probably a better option. Thought about Reed as a reach? What about Lewis & Clark, or U of Wash?</p>
<p>"Looking for laid back, close community, nice town, friendly environment with lots of teacher involvement and good research/field work opportunities."</p>
<p>Reed is all of these except for laid back; it's one of the hardest schools. Reed is doable with your stats, but is a bit of a reach. Lewis & Clark is indeed another excellent possibility. Portland is a great indie music town.</p>
<p>University of Oregon. I'm also applying to both in-state as safeties but UofO is by far the superior school. It is a lot better in terms of athletics, college experience, parties, and academics. Portland State is full of old people who want to return to college and finish their degrees. It's a complete commuter school and you have no sense of a college.</p>
<p>The honors program at Portland State intrigues me. [Link here Home</a>] It seems to be a program with some substance. That said, my impressions are generally the same as other posters-- substantial non-traditional student population affects the college (social) experience. It also means greater diversity. More adults means more students committed to getting their work done, but less interested in philosophizing about it. More interested in their future than in their college experience. (These generalizations are based on limited exposure to PSU students and somewhat speculative on my part.)
I encourage my daughter to check Portland State (in-state for us), but I doubt she will pursue it. UOregon will usually be the better choice for a student fresh out of high school. Ptld State might be the better choice for someone with even a little bit more of life behind them (or someone interested in an honors program with a core???).</p>
<p>I just read Sheed's post and the order of UOregon dominance interesting. I wonder if is in order of areas with the biggest difference (athletics) to least (academics). Or does it just reflect what a typical college student might be interested in?</p>
<p>Thank you all for such great feedback. A commuter school wouldn't be good, but a big "rah-rah" athletic, frat school would be just as poor a fit. I need to look specifically at which schools offer solid coursework in botany or plant science even if it is included in Env. Science or in Biology. Lewis & Clark is on our list, as well as Earlham and Knox and a few other quirkier schools (Prescott, College of the Atlantic). But the plant science part is key. Please keep giving any opinions; they are all appreciated and have helped.</p>
<p>I wish I could help you on the plant science part, but I can say that U of O is not known as a predominantly rah-rah frat type place. Many wannabe hippies and a very liberal, granola-ish town (and I mean this in a good way). I'd say it's very diverse in terms of lifestyle offerings. If you're from the west, keep in mind that it's part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange, so good financial situation. </p>
<p>U of Portland gives very good merit aid, and my son has friends there who like it a lot. Portland is a delightful place to live. I know kids at Willamette too, which also gives merit aid and is well regarded. They love it there.</p>