I’m interested in this school, but have heard very little about it and am wondering what the general reputation of the school is? How is the education?
I do wish UPS had more of a reputation nationwide. When my daughter declared it her favorite, I leaned towards more famous liberal arts colleges that she was also accepted to. Maybe it’s the cumbersome, somewhat misleading name (It’s more a college than a university, and one of the few named for a body of water). Maybe it’s UPS’s narrow recruiting focus, which targets the West Coast, Colorado and Minnesota and leaves the rest of the country less aware of its charms. Or the lack of big-time sports teams, or the out-of-the-way location. But every visit to the campus showed me more of the merits of the place, and I’m sure now that she made a good choice.
The education here seems like a typical small college- close-up and personal. I’ve audited a few class sessions that were very interactive, the profs continually soliciting discussion. If that’s your style, and you’d rather do that than cut classes and make up with the notes, choose an LAC like this.
One more comment on reputation: you may not have heard, but UPS achieved a national sports ranking last year. The women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, the Clearcuts, tied for Third Place at the national championships in North Carolina. Guess whose daughter was on the team? She hadn’t played the sport in high school, but her athleticism and enthusiasm got her a place on the team… something that may not have been possible at larger schools.
UPS attracts the interest of Oregon high schoolers looking for quality education. It has appealed to those who liked Reed but wanted to get out of state, considered Whitman but found it too isolated, and looked at the Claremonts and Macalester. Its reputation in the Pacific Northwest and NorCal is solid.
Can anyone post how it differs/compares with Willamette, and Lewis and Clark?
Here’s a link I just found about Tacoma:
I would go with Lewis and Clark or Willamette. University of Puget Sound is an okay school but it isn’t really well known around Washington.
@LHSdad: That was such a prime comment on your view of University of Puget Sound’s offerings. It really made me do a double take.
Same, @Oregon2016.
I disagree that UPS isn’t well known in Washington. It is, and is well regarded. All 3, Lewis and Clark, Willamette and UPS are different. Different towns, different campuses, different program strengths, they attract some of the same but also different students. We know kids at all of them and all are good schools.
Of these, UPS is the only one that my S decided to apply to.