<p>Younger D is tentatively interested in looking at schools.
Next week is mid winter break- so we are planning on driving down to see her sister & since * all her friends are traveling to exotic lands<a href="one%20is%20in%20NOLA%20to%20help,%20one%20is%20in%20Guatamala%20to%20help%20install%20computers%20and%20one%20is%20going%20to%20Hawaii%20with%20a%20student%20program">/i</a>, she wants to get out of Seattle.</p>
<p>So I thought I would take advantage and possibly try and look at Lewis and Clark, University of Portland and Portland State.</p>
<p>Not that I think she will fall in love with any of them- as she is hoping for Occidental ( which will be another thread)
But, like I mentioned to her, I think ( even though she is now a junior) the first thing is to get an idea of different kinds of schools- previously her main experience was @ Reed, which is a little more intense than she wants.</p>
<p>If I get real ambitious, I might drive down( over?) to U of O, as I think that could be a good choice- especially re cost and programs- but as her sister was turned off when she visited when it was pretty quiet I would want to plan the visit around something that would give us a better idea of what the school year was like. </p>
<p>So just looking for feedback on those schools for those who have already visited/are attending. She falls into the "not get out of the car" mood, in my experience, although that hasn't really happened since she was about 7.
But I do want to present the more attractive side to at least get her to consider more choices.</p>
<p>Reed was the only school we had previously looked at in Portland, so while I know where the others are, I haven't been on campus.
( and those of you in Portland, if you can arrange for some sunny weather that would be a plus!)</p>
<p>My son is a junior at Lewis and Clark. Since we live in the midwest, I have only been on campus once. L & C is definitely a school where you need to take the tour to get the feel for the campus. You can't really drive through it or by it. The campus is very lovely. On the day we visited it was spring break and rained on and off during the whole tour. </p>
<p>My son really likes the school, he is a bio major.</p>
<p>thanks shennie- I guess I should at least find out if there are tours when we are going to be there.</p>
<p>It looks like there are-
D is interested in bio as well- marine bio actually, although I am encouraging her to go with a bio program rather than majoring in marine bio as an undergrad.
Ive heard lots about the campus- it sounds very nice , did he look at any other schools in Portland?
The rain wouldn't be unusual, although we have been in Portland during midwinter break, when it was as warm and sunny as spring break.
Portland either seems to be warmer or colder than Seattle- but I guess the extremes wouldn't faze someone from the Midwest!</p>
<p>EK, what does your daughter want to study? U Portland is on WashDad Jr's list because it is one of the few smallish colleges in the NW with an engineering school (and they offered him a very nice scholarship). </p>
<p>Our visit there was very positive, but we spent most of our time in the Engineering building. The students we met were friendly and ready to talk, and the staff was helpful. One professor left a lab session to show Jr and a couple of other high school students around a materials testing lab. We liked the campus. It was neat and well-kept, and even the Engineering building (which looked to be at least 50 years old) was squeeky clean, while obviously well-used. One thing I cynically enjoy about UP is that most of their building pics in their literature and on their Website are of the same particularly handsome building, taken from different camera angles. </p>
<p>UP is NOT a little LAC, either. At least half the student body majors in the three professional schools: engineering, business, and nursing. I know little of the humanities and science programs because Jr is such a nerd, and we didn't look into it. They DO have a good sports program, especially for women, and are (they claim) the smallest NCAA Division I university. They are apparently in the process of building a replacement for their antique gymnasium, and they have a nice theater with what looks like about 200-250 seats. </p>
<p>Enjoy the visit! When we were there, it dumped about an inch of rain. I let Jr. drive back in the rain at night. It was a good learning experience for him, although it took a year off my life.</p>
<p>Winter Break: Jr and I are flying to New Mexico to visit NM Tech. It's that scholarship thing again... and Jr finding out about their research institutes in explosives (I am not making this up) and their being part of the management team for the Very Large Array radio telescope. Big bangs and big hardware -- what's not to like?</p>
<p>She wants urban- or at least not rural- and wants to have the availability to take marine bio classes.
We havent really started looking yet- as she is planning to take a year off- and that will give her a little more flexibility.
She will need aid- but I don't know how much merit aid she will be eligible for-, I think she also would like a school that has some teams she can play on.
Ill get some info about the teams at U of P</p>
<p>That is probably good to give kids more experience in driving, I am afraid I can't stand to have H drive, let alone my daughters- it isn't coincidence that D didn't get her liscense until she went to college.
( which also was a plus for Portland- you really don't need a car)</p>
<p>Sons and I visited the University of Portland. Very nice place but my boys felt it was too small for them. They are also planning to study engineering. We liked the school and I was impressed by the campus, a lot of open grassy areas and people were friendly.</p>
<p>Portland state was crossed off the visit list due to its reputation as a commuter campus. Being from out of state the boys wanted more of a residential campus to attend.</p>
<p>UO has a good Marine Biology program for students who get accepted into the program as Juniors. There is also an honors college for strong students. Campus should be pretty alive through the end of March. Have you thought about University of Puget Sound? Both my D's liked the feel and closeness to Seattle.</p>
<p>Hi EK--
My D (whom you know is at Reed) used L&C as her safety (nonbinding EA). She really liked the campus--it's very pretty--and found the international studies program very appealing. Half the school ends up studying abroad, which is nifty, IMHO. However, she also found it pretty preppy.</p>
<p>Can't wait to hear your reports back EK - We are going to 3 of those schools the first week in April ( my d's spring break). She is a junior as well.
We'll also be in Seattle that week so I am wishing for clear skies LOL</p>
<p>However, she also found it pretty preppy.
well this D loves JCrew:)
so that could be a plus-</p>
<p>Since she really prefers at this point Calif or Hawaii ( even though we haven't visited), I am going to wait to take her to Wa school till she has an idea of what a bigger school is like.
I do want her to look at Western and I think the proximity to the winter olympics will be a plus, and I know she was casually looking at Seattle Pacific, just because they did a presentation at her school, but other than that, she is set on going out of state.</p>
<p>THe campus will probably be an issue at Portland State, I think she wants to have a clear sense of campus, she will also have to get a sense of what things she can live with and without.
One of her friends is also planning on being in Portland at the same time, not sure of if we are going to travel together, but that could be a plus, since she is likely to have a more open mind, rather than just traveling with her * mother*</p>
<p>I don't know why older D didn't want to look at Lewis and Clark, I thought that while we were down in Portland, we might as well, but she was firm, once she had seen Reed it was "OK- this or Evergreen, thats all I want"</p>
<p>* My kids are so stubborn, I can't imagine where they get that from*</p>
<p>Given the interest of your D in Marine Bio...and the fact that there is a program with a consortium of west coast schools that allows you to pay 1.5 the rate of an in-state student---you may also wish to consider Univ.of California in San Diego, and Cal State in Monterray.</p>
<p>emeraldkity - the only other school we visited in Portland was Reed. We also visited UPS and Willamette while we were out there. My son, too, is interested in marine and we, too, pretty much insisted that he do regular bio for undergrad and do marine if still interested for grad. He will take a marine class next year as a senior and is also hoping to take scuba as well. And, no, as a midwesterner the weather doesn't faze him much. When it got cold in January and everyone was freaking out, he said he just laughed. </p>
<p>As far as being preppy, my son is about as unpreppy as they come and doesn't see that as much of a factor. He says it has a bit of a hippie feel if anything.</p>
<p>Also consider Pacific at forest grove (26 miles west of portland) Linfield (36 miles or so southwest) George fox on the way to Linfield and Willamette in Salem. While GF isn't my cup of tea, we visited all these others. All are pretty nice places to get an education and all are pretty generous with merit aid. S is graduating with honors with a bio degree at Linfield, he found it great, small class sizes, face time with profs. He's doing med school interviews this semester. He also does tours down there. So if your going down take a look. </p>
<p>D is at Willamette as a bio major too (prevet). She is happy there for the same reasons S is at Linfield. A little frustrated about her last chem exam, she knows she can meet with her profs.</p>
<p>L&C struck us as the hippie school (said in kindness, I like hippies) not so much preppy. It is a nice place. The killer for us was how they considered merit. The other schools rewarded merits much better.</p>
<p>EK, I'd forgotten about your D's fondness for marine bio. I am a hobbyist marine biologist--I read about it almost as much as I read about dogs--and SCUBA diver. A friend of my son's went to the University of Queensland in Australia to major in marine bio--but you declare your major when you enroll, so must be sure. The University of Hawaii is excellent in marine bio but weak in some other areas, so again... be sure. And the University of Washington has good marine bio and also the Fisheries programs. </p>
<p>Have you looked at UC Santa Cruz? Gorgeous campus--really gorgeous!--and good marine bio and ecology too.</p>
<p>We loved Lewis & Clark. My son is in with a big merit scholarship. Incredible campus, but it was the International programs that really intersted my son.</p>
<p>unfortunately Oregon state charges you an extra 12k a year for being out of state. It it is a wonderful place to be sure, but they charge out of state students about what it would cost to go to some the really good Lac in the area.</p>
<p>Oregon state is part of the WUE so it would only cost a WA student 150% of instate tuition if the student receives the WUE scholarship (automatically applied for with regular application - just check the box)</p>