I also liked NAU and Western State University in Colorado when we were looking at Environmental Science with #2. #2 was a B+ unweighted kid with APs and a higher ACT and was accepted at both with good merit. Those were his two safeties. We also looked at many of the colleges mentioned on this thread but these two passed his fit test. Western has a Master’s Program as does NAU if the major clicks with the OP’s kiddo. Both are WUE colleges. Western is around 2500 students and absolutely has the LAC vibe. NAU feels bigger - more mid-size.
@meitheomofthreeboys thanks. We’d briefly looked at Western State but the location is a bit of a deterrent. It’s a bit farther west than he wants to be and not all that close to the Springs or Denver. I also think the Springs is far too conservative for him, as gorgeous as it is. University of Denver could be an option but it’s cost prohibitive and outside his target geography so for now, leaving that one entirely alone. I take it #2 went another direction than ENVS?
@eandesmom You’re welcome! Sedona is also near Flagstaff/NAU as well and worth a stop. College visits can be fun if you combine them with sightseeing and vacation…
Flagstaff is high altitude, about as green as Arizona gets, has seasons and snow, nice mountains. Could do worse. Although if I had to choose between NAU and WWU, I’d go for the latter. It also seems like an unbelievably good value.
My kid gets spammed from NAU on a near daily basis!
@mamaedefamilia I agree. It’d be nice if I could get him to visit/consider NAU but WWU is a rock solid option and a great value. Always has been, and has always been a top contender for him even before he zeroed in on a major/area of interest. Right now WWU and Humboldt State seem to be his leading candidates. He is definitely restricting the list geographically and by school type/culture/environment/size so it narrows it pretty quickly. Pro’s and Con’s to each. Odd to me to have safety schools as top choices but the price tag is great on both and so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. And I’m not, but I do worry he is settling and missing on a better fit reach school if nothing else. Still, it is his search, education and career, not mine.
Next tier is Montana State, Lewis & Clark, Reed, Willamette, Portland State, Colorado State, maybe Whitman and then below that probably Central and Evergreen. Pro’s and cons to each as well. There are some other outliers that could get applied to since they are on the common app (University of Denver, Colorado Western State) but we will see. Unless he will expand his geography to the Bay Area or consider AZ/NV this may well be it.
The spam is insane. My kid misses regular emails as they are lost in the college spam.
My daughter’s first choice turned out to be a safety. Rolling admission, was admitted by October. One and done. Nothing wrong with going where you really want to go if it is affordable too.
My friend’s daughter always knew she was going to FSU. Mother went, father went, brother went. She applied to one school, was admitted by december, started a few weeks after high school graduation. Woman who knew her path early.
@eandesmom WWU just came on our radar because our GC recommended it as a WUE school. We also have a friend whose daughter is a happy junior there. My daughter is a very high achieving student so WWU would be a likely safety, and I think she would have a good shot at getting WUE money and maybe honors. She is utterly uninterested in Greek life and football and loves music, theater, dance, and the outdoors. I never expected that a regional state university might make the short list but I am very impressed by what I have learned so far. Grandma lives in the Idaho panhandle, so a WWU/Whitman visit might be in our future!
@twoinanddone that is so true. I always think it’s s a different world than when I went, but it really doesn’t have to be. I only applied to 2 schools. One I knew I would get into (UW), and one I knew I almost certainly wouldn’t (Stanford). It never, ever occurred to me to apply to more.
@mamaedefamilia I’ve known tons of people that have gone there over the years, both back in my day and now with the kids friends, and not one, unhappy. I’m not sure about dance but they certainly have the rest in spades and Seattle is not that far for more culture when needed. It is very very well regarded here.
@eandesmom WWU has both the BFA and BA in dance, which surprised me. BFA is not that common at regional universities. My kid prefers small town/city for daily life with access to larger city, so this could be really nice.
I am sure that if she applies and ends up going, there will be lots of head scratching and “why didn’t you aim higher?” Smile and nod, smile and nod and show them some pictures of Bellingham.
Also, I only applied to two schools - my state flagship and a reach LAC. Got into both but went to the state flagship and had a great experience.
@eandesmom Nope #2 graduated with his degree in 2014 in ENVS and is gainfully employed back here with a pretty decent salary for a young kid here in the midwest by his choice and he chose his safety in Colorado - Western State University for its size, the strength of the ENVS program and the involvement with watershed. He was a water resource concentration. It is remote and he didn’t make it home a few times in the winter because of the complicated travel he had to do and winter storms, but H and I loved visiting and he absolutely loved his 4 years.
H has a good friend who is the owner of a engineering firm that specializes in civil, water resource and restoration engineering. He speaks highly of the Enviromental Engineering program at Humboldt.
@mamaedefamilia that is wonderful, WWU definitely sounds worth exploring for you! Right now it’s in his #2 spot, Huboldt has the edge with the options and concentrations that seem to suit him best, at least on paper. Won’t know until we tour. Oddly enough, I’ve been racking my brain on that one, feeling like we must know someone there. Turns out we do, and his father went there as well and nothing but good things to say so at the moment, it’s his dream school. But we won’t really know until we tour. I am proud of him though, he’s selected touring “The Portlands” as he calls it instead of ones he knows he wants to apply to. Those he feels can wait on the tour and I’d tend to agree.
@momofthreeboys That is great to hear! We may try to add a visit in to Western State when we visit CSU. I am guessing we may try to time that with Thanksgiving (before or after, need to figure out how that might work from a touring perspective) and just go to the inlaws for the holiday which would make them happy. I do think the location is probably too remote for him but there are some aspects of the program that is a good fit. He is more on the policy and energy side of things versus water and that is what is currently giving Humboldt the edge as they have an energy resources concentration in the environmental engineering program as well as both a energy & climate option or environmental policy option under the ENVS BS. The schools that aren’t calling out concentrations, or the ability to customize are falling down on the list but will still likely get toured.
@mom60 that is great to hear! DS realized today a classmates older sibling (and his dad) is going/went there and can’t say enough good things about it. At the moment it is his top choice, primarily due to the fact that not only do they have Environmental Engineering (which has been hard to find with his size/culture and geographical restrictions) but within the program it has a concentration he really is interested in. The more generic programs are quickly falling down on his list.
@eandesmom My son has a good friend from our town who started at Western then transfered to Humboldt. it’s a great school also but too far away for S2. We looked at schools in the midwest and east with S2 and he did like Colby College very much and St. Lawrence. I liked Hobart William Smith the best for him so was very surprised when he picked Western. S2 also very much liked policy and law related classes in his water resources concentration. Several people have suggested he go to law school in a few years. Right now he’s just happy making real money and having real benefits compared to “college jobs” and we’re happy he’s gainfully employed
@momofthreeboys one of S17’s friends older brothers is at Western Wa for Environmental Policy with the intent of then going into Environmental Law. That isn’t out of the question for S17 either. Western Wa is currently in the #2 spot between the Environmental Policy option and the dual major of Business and the Environment. Right now CSU is actually in 3rd.
I think it will really come down to whether he wants engineering or not. Portland State does as well but I really suspect once we tour, it will fall off. I could be wrong but that’s my gut.
Real money is lovely lovely lovely.
S11, who graduated last spring with a degree in Music Technology is not gainfully employed. Shocker.
@momofthreeboys you should count your blessings. Unfortunately DSS and DSD have their bio mom influencing things. She didn’t feel they should “have” to try for any scholarships, should definitely not work (or if they did it was all spending money on what they wanted) and seems more than happy to have DSS living at her house and not looking for a job. On the positive side, I don’t expect that to last forever, he does have a strong work ethic, he just needs to get over the fact that he can’t have the hip house, neighborhood and job on day 1. He also needs to get out of town for his field (and mom not really wanting him to leave doesn’t help).
To that end I am grateful that S17’s requirements/restrictions have left us with a list, that is affordable and largely achievable, especially on the Environmental Engineering side which is where he is leaning. CSU has moved way way up on the list, it may simply come down to the towns…and the size of the schools. He really only has 3 choices if it’s Env Engineering. CSU really is a bit outside his requirements on the “big school” side but he’s still considering it although he won’t look at any of the other big states that have Env Eng. Go figure.
University of Redlands. Son is class of 2008 and 2010 music performance so it’s been awhile. They were great with merit aid. Very caring school with great faculty and alumni connections.
