Summer 2014 was packed with college tours. Our oldest is going to be a junior and because we are planners, we are starting the college hunt now. I don’t know how much fun he is having with the search, but the parents are really into it. Neither mom nor dad had a choice; we went in state and paid our own way. We can’t help but place ourselves at the schools we visit; however, we are going at about it with our son in mind. We learned a lot and are happy to share as so many are asking about the trips, a post for each university.

We visited four schools:

University of Oregon

University of Washington

University of Puget Sound

University of British Columbia

We can say all of them value the high school grades the most, above SAT/ACT or essays. However, Oregon is the only school we visited less interested in extracurricular activities.

At each campus we listened to an info session, usually hosted by admissions and toured the campus with a current student. The information in these posts is based on what we heard, saw and felt. Specifics can be found at the college websites.

Filters

If it were entirely up to my husband, he would pick a four-year school with lots of study options and a football team. He looks at college as a time to grow, change your mind and have a blast at games. Our oldest has a knack for languages, in particular Mandarin. Schools with ties to the Pacific Rim, international business and Asian Studies get our attention. Architecture and Environmental Sciences are a plus. He’s a west coast guy and doesn’t mind the rain—he says now.

Oregon’s logo resembles a running track.

University of Oregon

Draw: The Ducks made a fan out of our son starting in fourth grade. He loved the quirky mascot.  He still loves the Ducks and looks forward to seeing the football uniform of the week. As he’s matured, the school seems to make sense for him offering all kinds of majors including languages, international business, architecture, and environmental sciences.

Likes

Majors: Oregon will let a student change majors as often as a student can change socks. It’s pretty easy and there are lots of options.

Size/Culture: Oregon is a good mid-size university with classes never getting larger than 300. Language courses are never larger than 75. Professors and counselors are available to chat with students, even prospective students. The school seems nurturing, striving to make it a positive and successful experience. There is even a place to get help on how to study for tests.

Campus: It’s beautiful, blanketed in green lawns and trees. The campus is small and an easy walk from one end to the other. The buildings are kept up, some brand new. The rec center is completely remodeled and probably the nicest rec center we saw—from the pictures. It was still under construction during our tour. The campus is close to a small neighborhood with restaurants.

Residence: Most freshmen live on campus and it’s strongly encouraged so students get attached to the school, use the library, rec center and most importantly, bond with other freshmen. The rooms are tiny!

Football: YES!! Uniforms are cool and ever changing. Games are free to students but tickets are distributed through a lottery system. The tour guide suggested parents sign up online for the student, as the campus network is jammed with residents trying for tickets too.

Admissions: GPA is everything as the university views this as the most accurate gauge for success at the college level. Average GPA is 3.6. SAT or ACT is accepted but not as important as the high school grades. Extracurricular activities don’t carry much weight. Essays are not about saying the right thing; they are more about showing HOW to say anything. Can you write?

Dislikes:

Location: Eugene is not convenient to get to at all. It’s an 8-hour drive from San Francisco. It’s definitely a small town, a little lacking in culture. Is it going to be too small?

Jobs: No mention of potential employment or internships.

Parent Take: Oregon is a nice fit. It’s a place where we feel comfortable dropping off our son and know he’s not going to get lost in the crowd or feel overwhelmed. The professors and counselors are approachable. Pot is not legal here. It’s not very ethnically diverse. I look tan here.

Kid Take: Not a WOW but at the time he had nothing to compare to it except high school.  Safe to say, the football is better here. Go DUCKS.