PNW Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

I'm the PP who asked the question. Thank you so much for answering, and so thoroughly, too. And thanks to everyone who weighed in with their own perspectives. DC (outdoorsy, crunchy, would love the farm but also loves cities, more capable than confident in the classroom) is remarkably unconcerned with "better/best," just really trying to feel out which environment would bring out her best. So all these perspectives are actually very helpful. A visit definitely seems in order based on the descriptions, so I'm grateful for the travel tips. Have a great weekend, all.

[Anonymous]

Hi I was led to this thread by searching the forum for more info on Lewis & Clark. Any info the PNWers can share on this one?

Different from OP- kid is undecided major. Not really stem. Loves history, english, might entertain business. Will prob end up needing a masters at some point do trying to keep undergrad costs low. We are in MD and UMD is first choice due to cost but he is really interested in Oregon and Washington.

See L&C offers aid which could work. Also now intrigued by Western Washington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi I was led to this thread by searching the forum for more info on Lewis & Clark. Any info the PNWers can share on this one?

Different from OP- kid is undecided major. Not really stem. Loves history, english, might entertain business. Will prob end up needing a masters at some point do trying to keep undergrad costs low. We are in MD and UMD is first choice due to cost but he is really interested in Oregon and Washington.

See L&C offers aid which could work. Also now intrigued by Western Washington.

Yes, Lewis & Clark is a great school, comparable to Whitman, Willamette, and Puget Sound. If your kid likes L&C, they should check out all four of those. (WWU is a very different school, introduced into this conversation by a booster who had gotten lost on her way to the co-op.)

[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.

I graduated from Whitman (many years ago) -- biology was strong at the time, with very strong med school admissions, and the college has expanded its STEM majors since I left. On name recognition, I think it is more recognized on the West Coast, just as the LACs you mentioned above are more known on the East Coast. If your child is looking for a PNW LAC, my biased opinion is that Whitman is the top of the group (and FWIW, I visited Reed and L&C earlier this year with my teenager).

Walla Walla is a lovely small town and students certainly have local hang outs off campus. I think the charms of wine tasting rooms on Main Street may be limited for students, but access to hiking, skiing, kayaking/rafting, and other outdoor activities is a big draw. Students typically live on campus their first two years and off campus the last two, although I have heard the college is building an additional dorm for upper-classmen so perhaps that is changing.

For the PP above who was musing about flying into Spokane, there is a small airport in Walla Walla and a larger airport in the Tri-Cities (Richland/Pasco/Kennewick) -- no need to drive to/from Spokane. That said, it is a bit of an odyssey from DC.

[Anonymous]

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

Lmao for what, affordability since no one wants to live there?

[Anonymous]

My DS got in at UW Seattle OOS as a direct admit from lower ranked FCPS school. Was given an OOS scholarship which I’ve been told is rare. My DS wanted to go there really bad but weighed the options of other schools and ultimately picked a smaller school.

Would have loved going to UW. The campus is so gorgeous in the Spring with the cherry blossoms. Highly recommend a visit in the summer or during the blossoms!

[Anonymous]

PP - thats impressive! congrats. Which school did your kids get into? Engineering?

[Anonymous]

At least when I applied to UW, you weren't gaurenteed to get into a major and most people I know had to transfer schools because of that. That made me very uncomfortable so I didn't go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Lmao for what, affordability since no one wants to live there?

Yeah don't know what that person is smoking. Eugene is awesome

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi I was led to this thread by searching the forum for more info on Lewis & Clark. Any info the PNWers can share on this one?

Different from OP- kid is undecided major. Not really stem. Loves history, english, might entertain business. Will prob end up needing a masters at some point do trying to keep undergrad costs low. We are in MD and UMD is first choice due to cost but he is really interested in Oregon and Washington.

See L&C offers aid which could work. Also now intrigued by Western Washington.

A bunch of my friends transfered from UW to WW and loved it. I visited a few times seemed like a nice town and campus.

[Anonymous]

re UW - thats my concern too. 1st year is super stressful as you need to work your butt off to get the specific major you are interested it.

As a OOS student, it doesnt seem to be be worth the uncertainity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At least when I applied to UW, you weren't gaurenteed to get into a major and most people I know had to transfer schools because of that. That made me very uncomfortable so I didn't go.

It is still that way for many popular majors. Even if you are Direct admit to engineering, you still have to compete for a spot in your desired major within engineering---you are only guaranteed "the opportunity to major in something in the engineering field". The UW website even states something to the effect (or did)--"if you want a specific Engineering major, then we may not be the right school for you"

There is no path to CS/CompEng if not directly admitted.

Business and biology/biochem are impacted majors as well that are challenging to get into if not direct admit.

I know many local kids who attend, hoping to get into their desired major, then don't and have to struggle to find a major they are "allowed" to do. Great school if you get into the major you want, but personally cannot imagine attending a school like that---what if you want to change majors? It's impossible to change to a major most would want (STEM/Business) and we all know most students change their desired major at least once in college.