<p>D hasn't seen either yet but is planning to apply to both. They would be considered "safety" or matches. She is leaning towards a Int'l Studies major and at least on paper both schools appear to have strong programs. They are about the same size and comparable cost for OOS. I assume UO will have something close to the stereotypical Pacific Northwest layed back vibe and UDell more of a east coast "driven" vibe. That said, anyone able to shed more light on these two choices?</p>
<p>I’ve never been there, but I know people regard Eugene as one of the great college towns in the country, and I’ve seen alums’ eyes mist over when they talk about it. </p>
<p>No one’s eyes mist over when they talk about Newark DE. But it’s a lot cheaper to get to from wherever you are, if wherever you are is east of the Rockies. (Getting to Eugene from the East is really expensive and inconvenient, while Newark is not far from Philadelphia International Airport and several Amtrak stations.) And UDel does a fine job of education for lots of kids in this area (SE PA).</p>
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<p>Heh. </p>
<p>My S is one of those PA kids at UD, and I wouldn’t call the place “driven”, although it might seem that way compared to UO (I’ve never been to Oregon). UD is a very pretty campus with a typical college Main St. It’s not very diverse, and most of the kids come from nearby states, although there’s more geographic diversity now than there used to be. It’s a very friendly, happy campus, and while there are 15,000 students, it feels much smaller than that. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the ease of access my S has had to his professors, and the individual attention he’s gotten. </p>
<p>UD has a good honors program, and an excellent reputation in a few areas, among them Art Conservation and Chemical Engineering. It’s the kind of place where you can get a very good education and do original research if you want to (UD had a Rhodes scholar a couple of years ago); as with many large schools, it is what you make of it. </p>
<p>UD had the first study abroad program in the country, and there are multiple opportunities each semester (including the 5-week winter session) to go abroad. I don’t know anything about the International Studies major, though.</p>
<p>There’s a pretty active UD board where you could ask more questions: [University</a> of Delaware - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-delaware/]University”>University of Delaware - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>I am a University of Oregon alumnus and being an Oregon Duck was one of the great experiences of my life. People there are pretty laid back (I grew up in Massachusetts), the campus is wonderful (If you want to see what it actually looks like rent a copy of the movie “Animal House” which was set and shot at and around the UofO, although in the movie it is called the fictional “Farber University”. Eugene is a great small city and there are a fairly large number of OOS students, particularly from California.</p>
<p>The only complaints one hears is about the weather and it is true that it rains a lot there in the winter, sometimes continuously for days or even weeks at a time but there is not much that can be done about the weather and you take it with the good things about Oregon which far outweigh the bad.</p>
<p>It never ceases to amaze me how folks want to campare schools that are completely different from one another.</p>
<p>LakeWashington, thanks for that very helpful reply. Some people do compare and contrast very different schools because they are considering the varied options offered. I guess if your scope is narrow you wouldn’t understand.</p>
<p>I have several friends who are UDel alums or UDel parents, and they have great affection for the place. I have heard no complaints, except decades ago, the school had a track record of people not being able to get into the classes they needed to graduate in 8 semesters. These were education majors, and it’s come to be commonly accepted in this area (NJ) that ed majors need 138 credits and it takes more than 8 semesters. In one case, the student was an education major who did a semester abroad, and that may have compounded matters. So I would certainly never assume that UDel is a more difficult place than others to finish in 8 semesters, but I would ask about it.</p>
<p>FWIW, I’ve never seen anybody’s eyes literally “mist over” about any school. It sounds a little unstable!</p>