PNW Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

BioChem is very different than CS. CS is damn near impossible for even WA kids to gain admission, OOS is even harder.
And Engineering is the next hardest programs to get into along with Business

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Cost is one. Location and sense of place is bigger- campus feels very much like it is in the heart of the Pacific Northwest and if your child is drawn to the area, UPS doesn’t feel the same sense of geography and place. Campus is stunning especially if you’re not used to hills and firs and water. Western is very outdoorsy and it is easy to ski, hike, or do things on the water in a casual or organized way. I’m fairly sure it’s a larger school than UPS but more importantly, it draws students from both Washington and OOS. Because it is not the state flagship, it isn’t impossible to get into as an OOS student. But because a lot of in-state students self-select for the location and vibe, the student body feels more intelligent and worldly than they should for the school’s ranking.

Downside: it’s a drive from Seattle or a long shuttle ride, or a really inconvenient connecting flight. Downtown Bellingham can be seedy at the same time that it’s quaint and fun, and like all PNW cities, there are drugs and transient people.

UPS feels less connected to the mountains and forests than WWU- the campus is in a more urban setting and what’s closer is more the Sound and islands. It’s also closer to JBLM and the surrounding areas have a different culture than the more liberal vibe of the areas surrounding Seattle. If you can swing a visit, fly into Sea Tac, spend the night in Tacoma (look up the Silver Cloud Point Ruston- it is new and in a beautiful setting that’s safe and convenient) and spend a day at UPS and another night in Tacoma. Drive to Bellingham early in the morning (6 am) and spend the day and another night up there. Traffic between Tacoma and Bellingham is far worse than Google maps says it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Western Washington? Beautiful campus

We visited WWU and Seattle U a few years ago. At Seattle U, I asked a student walking by where a certain building was, and he gestured across the street and explained where it was. At WWU, I asked a student where a certain building was, and he said, “Follow me!” FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is interested in heading west - Cal schools are in consideration but also those in PNW. STEM interests ( CS, Engineering)

U Washington is obviously a good school ( CS especially)

What about U Oregon or Oregon State (for STEM)?

Consider Santa Clara. I think this school is under the radar and they are beefing up their engineering school. We did an unofficial tour last year and they have a new building for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Western Washington? Beautiful campus

We visited WWU and Seattle U a few years ago. At Seattle U, I asked a student walking by where a certain building was, and he gestured across the street and explained where it was. At WWU, I asked a student where a certain building was, and he said, “Follow me!” FWIW.

Sounds about right. The local kids I know who go to Seattle U are decent but spoiled and not super smart Catholic school kids. The kids I know who go to Western are down-to-earth and mature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is interested in heading west - Cal schools are in consideration but also those in PNW. STEM interests ( CS, Engineering)

U Washington is obviously a good school ( CS especially)

What about U Oregon or Oregon State (for STEM)?

Consider Santa Clara. I think this school is under the radar and they are beefing up their engineering school. We did an unofficial tour last year and they have a new building for the school.

Put it in your radar for academics but know that a lot of the undergrads that go there are rich kids coming out of west coast Catholic schools or athletes. It’s very rah rah and social in a way that you wouldn’t expect for a school not exactly known for sports. Not the most welcoming social scene for a kid from out of state that doesn’t fit that profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is interested in heading west - Cal schools are in consideration but also those in PNW. STEM interests ( CS, Engineering)

U Washington is obviously a good school ( CS especially)

What about U Oregon or Oregon State (for STEM)?

Consider Santa Clara. I think this school is under the radar and they are beefing up their engineering school. We did an unofficial tour last year and they have a new building for the school.

Put it in your radar for academics but know that a lot of the undergrads that go there are rich kids coming out of west coast Catholic schools or athletes. It’s very rah rah and social in a way that you wouldn’t expect for a school not exactly known for sports. Not the most welcoming social scene for a kid from out of state that doesn’t fit that profile.

a lot of kids want a rah rah social scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Western Washington? Beautiful campus

+1 for WWU. The campus is very nice, and the surrounding scenery (Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Cascade Mountains) is simply gorgeous! Easy trips to Cascades National Park, Seattle and Vancouver. A few hours will get you to Olympia National Park, and a beautiful 3-hour boat ride takes you to Victoria. So much to love about that entire region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OSU is solid for STEM & CS, stronger than UO, and Corvallis is a better town than Eugene.

This is a true statement. Thankfully, OSU sports are much better now than they were when I graduated from high school in Oregon. Back then, you only went to OSU as a CS/STEM major or if your stats weren't going to get you into UO liberal arts. Now, you can choose between two powerhouse, nationally recognized schools for any major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Western Washington? Beautiful campus

+1 for WWU. The campus is very nice, and the surrounding scenery (Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Cascade Mountains) is simply gorgeous! Easy trips to Cascades National Park, Seattle and Vancouver. A few hours will get you to Olympia National Park, and a beautiful 3-hour boat ride takes you to Victoria. So much to love about that entire region.

You don't go to Western Washington, Western Oregon, Eastern Washington, or Eastern Oregon from the East Coast. As much as those schools have matured, they are still very much commuter-esque and do not have the social or academic cache to please a high achieving out of state kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Cost is one. Location and sense of place is bigger- campus feels very much like it is in the heart of the Pacific Northwest and if your child is drawn to the area, UPS doesn’t feel the same sense of geography and place. Campus is stunning especially if you’re not used to hills and firs and water. Western is very outdoorsy and it is easy to ski, hike, or do things on the water in a casual or organized way. I’m fairly sure it’s a larger school than UPS but more importantly, it draws students from both Washington and OOS. Because it is not the state flagship, it isn’t impossible to get into as an OOS student. But because a lot of in-state students self-select for the location and vibe, the student body feels more intelligent and worldly than they should for the school’s ranking.

Downside: it’s a drive from Seattle or a long shuttle ride, or a really inconvenient connecting flight. Downtown Bellingham can be seedy at the same time that it’s quaint and fun, and like all PNW cities, there are drugs and transient people.

UPS feels less connected to the mountains and forests than WWU- the campus is in a more urban setting and what’s closer is more the Sound and islands. It’s also closer to JBLM and the surrounding areas have a different culture than the more liberal vibe of the areas surrounding Seattle. If you can swing a visit, fly into Sea Tac, spend the night in Tacoma (look up the Silver Cloud Point Ruston- it is new and in a beautiful setting that’s safe and convenient) and spend a day at UPS and another night in Tacoma. Drive to Bellingham early in the morning (6 am) and spend the day and another night up there. Traffic between Tacoma and Bellingham is far worse than Google maps says it is.

UPS is simply a better school. Much more in line with an East Coaster's vision of a liberal arts university. See also, PLU, Willamette, and of course, Whitman. WWU is a local directional school that offers a wonderful education but whose population is definitely more local.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Cost is one. Location and sense of place is bigger- campus feels very much like it is in the heart of the Pacific Northwest and if your child is drawn to the area, UPS doesn’t feel the same sense of geography and place. Campus is stunning especially if you’re not used to hills and firs and water. Western is very outdoorsy and it is easy to ski, hike, or do things on the water in a casual or organized way. I’m fairly sure it’s a larger school than UPS but more importantly, it draws students from both Washington and OOS. Because it is not the state flagship, it isn’t impossible to get into as an OOS student. But because a lot of in-state students self-select for the location and vibe, the student body feels more intelligent and worldly than they should for the school’s ranking.

Downside: it’s a drive from Seattle or a long shuttle ride, or a really inconvenient connecting flight. Downtown Bellingham can be seedy at the same time that it’s quaint and fun, and like all PNW cities, there are drugs and transient people.

UPS feels less connected to the mountains and forests than WWU- the campus is in a more urban setting and what’s closer is more the Sound and islands. It’s also closer to JBLM and the surrounding areas have a different culture than the more liberal vibe of the areas surrounding Seattle. If you can swing a visit, fly into Sea Tac, spend the night in Tacoma (look up the Silver Cloud Point Ruston- it is new and in a beautiful setting that’s safe and convenient) and spend a day at UPS and another night in Tacoma. Drive to Bellingham early in the morning (6 am) and spend the day and another night up there. Traffic between Tacoma and Bellingham is far worse than Google maps says it is.

UPS is simply a better school. Much more in line with an East Coaster's vision of a liberal arts university. See also, PLU, Willamette, and of course, Whitman. WWU is a local directional school that offers a wonderful education but whose population is definitely more local.

If I wanted to stay in the west coast after graduation, I would choose WWU. If I wanted to live elsewhere, PLU, Willamette, UPS or Whitman would be an option. But if you are hung up on an East Coast vision of a liberal arts university, it would be a better fit to stay on the east coast or in the Midwest.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to hear more about Whitman – I've seen it compared to some East Coast LACs like Bates, Colby, Skidmore, maybe Kenyon in Ohio. Not sure it has the name recognition of those, but I've heard it's decent in biology and other STEM in addition to the typical LAC humanities.

From my last visit (years ago) Walla Walla is a cute town – maybe with more appeal for wine-loving parents – but probably a bit of a haul from other parts of the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Cost is one. Location and sense of place is bigger- campus feels very much like it is in the heart of the Pacific Northwest and if your child is drawn to the area, UPS doesn’t feel the same sense of geography and place. Campus is stunning especially if you’re not used to hills and firs and water. Western is very outdoorsy and it is easy to ski, hike, or do things on the water in a casual or organized way. I’m fairly sure it’s a larger school than UPS but more importantly, it draws students from both Washington and OOS. Because it is not the state flagship, it isn’t impossible to get into as an OOS student. But because a lot of in-state students self-select for the location and vibe, the student body feels more intelligent and worldly than they should for the school’s ranking.

Downside: it’s a drive from Seattle or a long shuttle ride, or a really inconvenient connecting flight. Downtown Bellingham can be seedy at the same time that it’s quaint and fun, and like all PNW cities, there are drugs and transient people.

UPS feels less connected to the mountains and forests than WWU- the campus is in a more urban setting and what’s closer is more the Sound and islands. It’s also closer to JBLM and the surrounding areas have a different culture than the more liberal vibe of the areas surrounding Seattle. If you can swing a visit, fly into Sea Tac, spend the night in Tacoma (look up the Silver Cloud Point Ruston- it is new and in a beautiful setting that’s safe and convenient) and spend a day at UPS and another night in Tacoma. Drive to Bellingham early in the morning (6 am) and spend the day and another night up there. Traffic between Tacoma and Bellingham is far worse than Google maps says it is.

UPS is simply a better school. Much more in line with an East Coaster's vision of a liberal arts university. See also, PLU, Willamette, and of course, Whitman. WWU is a local directional school that offers a wonderful education but whose population is definitely more local.

If I wanted to stay in the west coast after graduation, I would choose WWU. If I wanted to live elsewhere, PLU, Willamette, UPS or Whitman would be an option. But if you are hung up on an East Coast vision of a liberal arts university, it would be a better fit to stay on the east coast or in the Midwest.

Bellingham is a huge suburb. What makes it more "west coast" than the southern suburbs that host PLU and UPS? Willamette is Salem and very engaged with the community and being involved in the capital of Oregon. Whitman is a unique school in a fun location that makes you understand even more about PNW history and the people who settled it.

Please tell me what WWU gives a student that is more "west coast" than any of those other west coast, PNW schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to hear more about Whitman – I've seen it compared to some East Coast LACs like Bates, Colby, Skidmore, maybe Kenyon in Ohio. Not sure it has the name recognition of those, but I've heard it's decent in biology and other STEM in addition to the typical LAC humanities.

From my last visit (years ago) Walla Walla is a cute town – maybe with more appeal for wine-loving parents – but probably a bit of a haul from other parts of the country.

It is certainly in the same vein as the LACs you listed, a little less affluent in some respects -- or maybe a little less showy affluent. The environment is much different as Walla Walla is located in the high desert region of the state. Definitely a bit of a haul, although Spokane isn't too far as far as an airport goes. Maybe Pendleton too? I'm not sure what that airport is doing these days. That said, Whitman is quirky and quite liberal for the region. I can't speak for STEM but I do know several who went there for pre-professional programs, including med school. It's a warm and inviting community and, like many remote LACs, once you're in, you're in for life.