<p>Don't know where to put this post, but very interested in UWashington, but don't know if son will want such a large state school.</p>
<p>Is there a college up near there that offers engineering but is religious/private?</p>
<p>Looking for a school of maybe 12K, not too small, but not too big.</p>
<p>Does enrolling in the honors program give you the small college feeling at UW?</p>
<p>University of Portland comes to mind. It is a lot smaller, though at ca. 3500.
Gonzaga is also a possibility – ca. 7000 total - undergrads and grads.</p>
<p>You will never get the small college feeling at UW, not even with honors.</p>
<p>Maybe Occidental College in CA. I’ve heard a lot of comparisons between Occidental and UW. Their financial aid is also quite good from what I’ve heard.</p>
<p>Agree with broethchen about Gonzaga. Founded by the Jesuits, terrific school, supposed to be very good in engineering, located in downtown Spokane. Spokane is not Seattle but it has its upside, 4 seasons, skiing in the winter, beautiful lakes not far away in the summer.</p>
<p>If there is one word that describes the UW it is big and there is no way around that.</p>
<p>Seattle U would be a good fit. It’s Catholic, has engineering, is near downtown Seattle, and the right size.</p>
<p>I almost mentioned Seattle U but I didn’t know how it was for engineering. It was also founded by the Jesuits and has a terrific reputation.</p>
<p>Our GC had visited Seattle and said it might be too liberal. There were peace signs around the campus. Horrors!</p>
<p>Do you think a conservative southern boy could fit in up there in the Pacific NW?</p>
<p>Also, for job connections, since son may want to settle there permanently, which is better, Seattle or UWashington?</p>
<p>Son is interested in studying biomedical engineering, which UWash seems to have a good program in, but is not offered at Seattle or Gonzaga. </p>
<p>May be worth doing an undergrad in maybe mech eng or comp eng, then getting a masters at UWash.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>I’m partial to smaller schools myself but if your GC wants biomedical engineering he will probably have to go to a bigger school. How is it that he has such a focused area at such a young age? A lot of people like the UW, I just don’t happen to be one of them. I suppose taken as a whole Seattle would be considered a liberal city, but Seattle has distinct neighborhoods and they attract different types of people. If your GC settled here he would be able to find an area with like minded individuals. Is he willing to accept that not everyone thinks like him? If he’s not comfortable with that then he’ll never like it here. At a school as big as the UW there are a lot of different types of students and your GC might be able to find a group that he fits in with. I think the job placement would be good from either Seattle U or the UW.</p>
<p>definitely check out boston college. it has a large, D1 feel, along with a similar campus vibe. boston college is private and jesuit.</p>
<p>escuela, just an fyi: BC has no engineering program, biomedical or otherwise. It’s also wicked tough to get into but that’s another story.</p>
<p>montegut, here I am again, piggybacking on your threads! It’s great because you’ve got me thinking about things I’d never considered! What’s a GC, by the way?</p>
<p>I am inclined to agree with Pea on this business of fit, even though I’ve never been to UWashington. It’s certainly a question that’s applicable anywhere. From my experience, big schools are, as Pea suggests, far more diverse and accepting of a wide array of political/religious/lifestyle views than the smaller schools. So it’s easy to find like-minded friends, you just have to be willing to accept those pesky peace signs and the like. If your son is quite adamant about his beliefs, this may be difficult (cue the Marquette rowser, please…)</p>
<p>At the risk of muddying your waters further, your son could possibly achieve his BME goals by studying ME with a couple tweaks to the program. At a college fair I asked a rep from Northeastern about BME, and he said, no, we don’t have it but we could work with your son on a program which mimics it. A possibly complex solution, but maybe opens you and him up to a Gonzaga or whatever IF such an arrangement is possible.</p>
<p>Univ of Washington gives about 3 dollars merit aid to OOS students, from what I can tell. It’s what, 80% WA residents? For this reason alone it’s a non-starter for us.</p>
<p><“GC” stands for guidance counselor. Montegut is not saying that it’s too liberal for her son. Personally, I wish that I’d never listened to my son’s guidance counselor’s advice about schools. I learned a lot more from reading the information on this board.></p>
<p>I’m so sorry about the confusing abbreviation. Trying to be “internet savvy” here. What a laugh!</p>
<p>GC stands for guidance counselor. Or so I thought. I must have picked it up on another thread, no way I could think of that myself. I’m sorry for the confusion.</p>
<p>My Son wants to study biomedical engineering. Our school Guidance Counselor visited Seattle U and commented on the peace signs.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your comments.</p>
<p>Seattle is a liberal city, and colleges tend to be more liberal than the general population (there are exceptions, I know). However, you do not need to be a card-carrying member of the ACLU to be admitted either to UW or Seattle U, and those horrible peace signs are really not going to be an intrusion on everyday life. As an alum of both schools, I can tell you that I didn’t spend even 1% of my time there engaging in political activity, or even thinking about it. Your son should decide based on program and fit, not political orientation.</p>
<p>Having said that, eastern Washington is far more conservative than the western part of the state. Gonzaga might be a very good choice for him.</p>
<p>I was being sarcastic when talking about the peace signs. Son would not be offended by them at all. </p>
<p>People seem to think that because we’re Southern, we must be conservative.</p>
<p>Most of my family has been educated by the Jesuits, and they are known as a very liberal order, with their emphasis on social justice and service to the community.</p>
<p>I really got a laugh when the GUIDANCE COUNSELOR made a comment about the peace signs and that some may see that as a sign of liberalism.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my neighbor toured Rice, a very well respected college in Texas, and would not send his son there because there were “too many darn Republicans.”</p>
<p>To some people, that kind of thing is important. To us, it is not.</p>
<p>My bad, Montegut. It’s hard to read inflection on discussion boards sometimes.</p>
<p>Politics aside, both schools are wonderful in very different ways. Personally, I’m a big-school kinda gal, so if I had to choose, I’d take UW. On the other hand, my D craves the intimacy of a small campus, and will be going to a college that’s smaller than her high school. To each his/her own!</p>
<p>BTW, if you and/or your son have never been to Seattle, you owe it to yourselves to visit before you make a decision. It’s nothing short of fantastic.</p>
<p>No problem, LasMa. I do hope to go to Seattle one day. My aunt who lives in Olympia is coming in next weekend. Can’t wait to bend her ear about the colleges up there.</p>
<p>She’s 85 years old, and loves the Seattle Mariners. I hope I can come up there during baseball season so I can treat her to a game.</p>