I’m narrowing down my safety schools and don’t want to apply to both. They seem to be pretty similar, but it’s hard because I will not have visited when I apply. Which one has a better campus? Education? Etc?
I know them both pretty well, as we visited both twice last year when my daughter was considering them. They are really apples and oranges as far as campus feel.
SU is very urban. Like Boston U urban. Right there in the city. Some people like this setting, other not so much. The campus is almost in the shadows of the buildings of the Seattle financial district.
UPS has a traditional campus feel to it. It’s in a residential neighborhood in Tacoma, with two restaurant/bar/shopping/entertainment areas ~ half a mile or so from campus.
SU is a Jesuit school. Very open and welcoming of all faiths, and not religious per se. The message seems to be one of “be a good person and help others.” If you are not familiar with Jesuits schools, I would try to visit one in your area to get a feel (not be confused with Catholic or Christian schools).
SU is bigger. It has more students and more grad students. It has a full business program and an engineering program. It has excellent nursing as well, with a big hospital (or two?) right near to campus.
UPS has a small greek system. It seemed like lots of people were greek that otherwise would not go greek at a bigger school. One tour guide described it as “the liberal arts school” version of the greek system.
UPS is on semesters. SU is on quarters.
My $.02 - these two schools are not all the similar (other than being 45 minutes apart). Willamette and Lewis & Clark are the two that are often compared to UPS.
Citywise, Puget Sound is not Seattle.
They are not remotely the same or even similar, nor do they really attract the same student, at least locally. Both are excellent but as stated, apples and oranges.