<p>D fell into this category and attended Willamette. Got her first C ever and worked harder than she ever had to while there. Not a school for slouchers. Graduated this past May.</p>
<p>Re: WWU</p>
<p>My D1 would never have considered WWU as she wanted something top 50, well-ranked, etc. Then we moved to the area and she ended up picking up some courses along the way, which transferred back to her UC. She was very impressed with the ability to connect with the profs, the fact that the profs taught classes, not TAs, and the fact that the profs & TAs were not ESL. She enjoyed very much the dozen or so classes she took there (which included upper div). She was right with her 1400 +/- 50 SAT cohort at the UC, but she enjoyed her actual classes more at WWU.</p>
<p>You get out of it what you put into it, within parameters. DD learned that she really performs better in classes when she knows the professor and he/she knows her and has an expectation level of her. If it was a big class of 500 people, she might skip a class and never be missed, with a smaller class and a prof who knows you, she would not skip a class. Just little personal style things like that make a difference in the experience</p>
<p>One school I have not seen mentioned on the thread is Washington State. They are WUE participants and appear to have a very successful Journalism program. The WSU thread is totally dead so does anyone have any input on the school in general and life in Pullman?</p>
<p>WSU is a tricky one, I think. Large school, very sports/frat oriented in the middle of nowhere with a big on-campus party scene. By and large, the instate kids that don’t get into the UW and find Western too small/don’t have the stats for UW or Western attend. On the other hand, they have some excellent programs and I have heard good things about honors there and research opportunities. And I do know of several kids with strong academic records who chose WSU for a variety of reasons, including scholarships. I think you would have to be the kind of student that doesn’t easily get distracted socially to really excel there.</p>
<p>The reason that WSU is tempting is that the Broadcast production Program in the Journalism school seems to fit my son well. He would certainly qualify for the honors program there as well. Also, I believe that we would get some decent Merit Scholarship help. I am concerned about the isolation and party reputation. Is the campus environment nice? I guess we will wait and see what happens and take a trip up there sometime in the spring if it becomes a real possibility.</p>
<p>I perceive WSU as not getting a lot of respect, kind of an “any one can get in there” attitude, but the people who do go there are pretty fierce fans. I do know a lot of party hardy frat kids who attend, so your kid would need to be focused. I think it would be like attending Chico State, known for partying, but my nephew and his friends got their degrees and subsequent jobs and were not crazy partiers.</p>
<p>WSU is a land grant school & has some really good programs- especially associated with the veterinary & agriculture schools.
It is also attractive to those who like the large university/football aspect but want to get out of Seattle. Very, very few of either of my D’s friends even * applied* to the UW ( or frankly to any schools in WA)- Seattle is beautiful- but when you grow up there, you want to see something else. ( My D is planning to spend next year in New South Wales)</p>
<p>My nephew attended WSU, for the firefighting program ( which I think was cut as soon as he entered)- He stayed to get his business degree- and is working as a firefighter- but if you know any firefighters- you know that they personify work hard/play hard.( he also bought his first house- before he was 25-)</p>
<p>It is a long drive from Seattle & I expect many parents have steered their kids to schools they could fly out of instead. I can’t say I blame them.
( My older D’s BF finished his undergrad at WSU, the rest of his family are Alabama alums, so I guess he is a rebel 
)</p>
<p>WSU just received a gift.
[Education</a> | Paul Allen to give $26M to WSU | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013576057_apwawsugift.html]Education”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013576057_apwawsugift.html)
and local graduation rates are up as well.
[Local</a> News | Graduation rates at state’s colleges, universities on upswing | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013612855_gradrates07m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013612855_gradrates07m.html)</p>
<p>Seattle University</p>
<p>Seattle U is a good school- pretty campus too.
The bassist for Guns & Roses went there- ;)</p>
<p>Finally…the SOU application is submitted. Scores and transcript sent. Now the wait. Whew.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son CHS2011Mom. We received SOU acceptance this week but we are waiting on the financial package to see if it will work for us. I just have a feeling that it would be a good match for my son. I don’t want to go up there and have him “fall in love” unless we can make it work money wise( we are in Northern Ca).</p>
<p>I bought the gummy bacon as a stocking stuffer for my son. Thanks for the tip. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks, digitalmom. I wish he’d finished the application as soon as he got back from his visit two weeks ago–we’d be that much further into the process. But it’s like pushing a rope uphill, that kid!</p>
<p>'rentof2, he was glad to hear that his gummy bacon discovery will brighten another kid’s Christmas!</p>
<p>Son sending aps to Montana and Montana State… up next are CU Boulder (a reach, grades-wise) and Colorado State. This can’t end soon enough for me. Of course, come September, it’ll be on to the can-he-manage-not-to-flunk-out anxiety.</p>
<p>Son is in at Whitworth and Chico; deferred from ED to regular at SLO…fortunately! We didn’t realize it was binding.</p>
<p>Here’s another vote for Washington State University. Isolated? Yes. Party reputation? Yes. But there is education going on in them there hills [the Palouse] notwithstanding the parties. For example, the pre-med program at WSU is fairly strong. The Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism is excellent.</p>
<p>Congrats to ShrinkrapJr</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, does he have a preference? Do you?</p>
<p>I think he THINKS he wants SLO, or maybe Santa Clara or Loyola Marymount. $$$$$ …And at the last minute, dad want’s him to apply to USC!!! He has submitted 15 applications… so far…</p>
<p>I want him to be able to try engineering at a reasonable pace, with kids of similar ability, to be somewhere be can easily try something else if engineering doesn’t work out, and where he can play some soccer with a good group of peers…</p>
<p>Thin envelope from Santa Clara (sad face), thick envelope from Gonzaga…</p>