PNW Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In what way is Corvallis superior to Eugene? I’m willing to be educated.

I haven't been to Eugene in many years and have never been to Corvallis, but I Googled and got this:

Corvallis is more quiet and in a sense ‘tame’ compared with Eugene.

The people are also what you could call more ‘folksy’ and are really friendly, but the two cities are pretty similar in culture these days.

If you want more quiet and toned down than Eugene—Corvallis is probably for you.

I love it here. I’m a lifelong native, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else on earth.

Eugene is also nice, but it is bigger and rowdier in a sense. It carries some of the things you could expect in a bigger city that aren’t for everyone.

It should be said though that Corvallis is growing in the last decade by quite a lot.

The bulk of Corvallis’s social hub used to be centered mostly in the about 15x15 square blocks that make up downtown Corvallis.

That has changed. Now you’re seeing chains like Planet Fitness pop up here.

This area used to be largely small locally owned businesses, except for Winco and Safeway.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about us letting more corporate chains in.

NP - I’m originally from Oregon and 5-10 years ago I would have agreed with PP, but more recently, I would say that Eugene is nicer than Corvallis. It has had some nice development - good restaurants, nice areas. Corvallis has gotten tired and it seems like more small stores have closed. Also, consider Eugene is definitely more liberal: Corvallis is a small liberal city in the middle of MAGA land. The Qanon woman who had the republican nomination for both state and national senate is from the next town over (15 min). The farmland in the valley is Trump country and Corvallis is much smaller than Eugene metro area. Additionally, practically, it takes at least 2 hrs to get to PDX from Corvallis; Eugene has a regional airport that can be easier to fly out of.

[Anonymous]

As someone from the East Coast who researched the PNW options—there aren't many options relative to the East Coast, but there are a few good ones:

Public flagship unis:
UW
UO

Catholic mid-sized, both in great locations:
Seattle University
University of Portland

LACs:
Reed
Whitman
Lewis and Clark

Reed and Whitman are, perhaps, the PNW equivalents of the SLACs of New England

Honestly, I'm not sure "___ State University" has name recognition elsewhere the way the state flagships in WA and OR do. Personally, I wouldn't want my DC to go all the way to the west coast for one of those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what the kid is looking for in a school and what their academic stats look like.

Small engineering class sizes at Gonzaga.

I work with a couple of CS grads from Gonzaga who are very good.

Good to know, thank you

[Anonymous]

I echo the suggestion of Gonzaga and understand they are generous with the merit aid. The basketball team has brought in a lot of money over the years and the school facilities are very nice (its mentioned as one of the most beautiful campuses in the US) and its got a decent reputation for CS and Engineering. I also echo that you can basically forget University of Washington for CS, Data Science or Engineering as it has an extremely low OOS admissions rate for those majors. Its not the PNW exactly but for CS and Engineering I would look at CU Boulder and University of British Columbia at Vancouver. Finally, I have heard that Seattle Pacific University is extremely conservative and religious. The trustees were sued last year for banning employees from being same-sex relationships.

[Anonymous]

How about University of Puget Sound?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone from the East Coast who researched the PNW options—there aren't many options relative to the East Coast, but there are a few good ones:

Public flagship unis:
UW
UO

Catholic mid-sized, both in great locations:
Seattle University
University of Portland

LACs:
Reed
Whitman
Lewis and Clark

Reed and Whitman are, perhaps, the PNW equivalents of the SLACs of New England

Honestly, I'm not sure "___ State University" has name recognition elsewhere the way the state flagships in WA and OR do. Personally, I wouldn't want my DC to go all the way to the west coast for one of those.

I don’t think Reed is good for either computer science (new department) or engineering (one of those SLAC dual degree programs that should be avoided

[Anonymous]

The founder/CEO of NVIDIA went to Oregon State, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

I would note that there's a large cultural difference between Seattle (UW), Portland (UoP), and then the smaller places (Eugene, Corvallis, Pullman). They are at opposite ends of the political and SES spectrums and are not shy about it (in contrast with midwest or NE schools). For PNW schools moreso than other parts of the nation (except fo rmaybe Texas schools), DC should consider how he aligns politically/socially with the area.

[Anonymous]

My DS was accepted from FCPS to
University of Washington - Seattle on a direct admit to BioChem. DS received an OOS scholarship. Class of 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about University of Puget Sound?

A nice little campus but it's crime filled Tacoma . Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about University of Puget Sound?

A nice little campus but it's crime filled Tacoma . Yuck.

Tacoma has changed a lot and I often feel safer down there than in Seattle. It has the energy Seattle had a decade ago and more civic pride.

However, UPS isn’t a school I would want my local child to attend, let alone a kid from the east coast. It’s not bad, just not special enough in any way to warrant moving across the country.

UW OOS for any major is a crapshoot unless you have a strong “why UW” story to sell. SeattleU is a great option if you want a foothold on the west coast for a tech related career. WSU isn’t going to get the career traction in the field that you need if you don’t have local connections. I don’t think Reed, Whitman or Lewis & Clark are the right fit for an engineering major.

Have you considered Western Washington? It’s a vibrant campus, a beautiful part of the state, and a strong alumni network for a state school. I know a lot of people who went there from OOS that have had very interesting careers all around the world…and are now settled in Seattle.

-Seattle resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about University of Puget Sound?

A nice little campus but it's crime filled Tacoma . Yuck.

I thought the campus was in a fine neighborhood, actually -- lots of historic single-family homes, plenty of trees, quiet, but with a handful of decent restaurants and coffee shops. Definitely looked nicer than some neighborhoods I've lived in before! The campus has clearly defined boundaries (it doesn't feel like a sprawling urban campus where lots of randos would be moving through), and FWIW, campus safety will escort students back to campus within a certain radius -- I want to say it's 3 miles but don't quote me on that.

Mind you, we didn't spend a ton of time exploring, and I'm no expert on Tacoma neighborhoods. But based on what I saw, I wouldn't reject it wholesale because of "Tacoma."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about University of Puget Sound?

A nice little campus but it's crime filled Tacoma . Yuck.

UW OOS for any major is a crapshoot unless you have a strong “why UW” story to sell. SeattleU is a great option if you want a foothold on the west coast for a tech related career. WSU isn’t going to get the career traction in the field that you need if you don’t have local connections. I udon’t think Reed, Whitman or Lewis & Clark are the right fit for an engineering major.

If I recall, Whitman has a 3+2 engineering program with UW. Might be worth looking into if an LAC appeals.

[Anonymous]

Western Washington? Beautiful campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about University of Puget Sound?

A nice little campus but it's crime filled Tacoma . Yuck.

Tacoma has changed a lot and I often feel safer down there than in Seattle. It has the energy Seattle had a decade ago and more civic pride.

However, UPS isn’t a school I would want my local child to attend, let alone a kid from the east coast. It’s not bad, just not special enough in any way to warrant moving across the country.

UW OOS for any major is a crapshoot unless you have a strong “why UW” story to sell. SeattleU is a great option if you want a foothold on the west coast for a tech related career. WSU isn’t going to get the career traction in the field that you need if you don’t have local connections. I don’t think Reed, Whitman or Lewis & Clark are the right fit for an engineering major.

Have you considered Western Washington? It’s a vibrant campus, a beautiful part of the state, and a strong alumni network for a state school. I know a lot of people who went there from OOS that have had very interesting careers all around the world…and are now settled in Seattle.

-Seattle resident

Hi, Seattle resident. I’m very interested in why you consider WWU worth traveling across the country for, but not UPS. Is that distinction mostly about cost of attendance? Or is there some other factor at play? DC loves PNW and has been eyeing both, so any insights welcome.