PSU College (Portland: how much, school, university)

[artdealerchic]

Hello,

I'm a 19 year old Male from Ohio and I'm thinking about applying to PSU for Psychology.

Why? because I want to be in a better environment and it seems like a pretty cool place to be, i checked out the school's site and i liked what i saw and also because i love the show Portlandia

i'm very introverted and creative and i want to open up a little more and just live, this school seems like it's for me and psychology is something i find to be very intriguing.

would it be crazy to make the move? leave my family and the few close friends i have?

And the tuition cost for out of state...

I really want to do this but i'm not sure.


Advice please?

Thank you.

[jjpop]

Why not? But do your research on the school and the department and don't expect daily life to be like an episode of Portlandia.

[urbanlife78]

Do your research with the school, I went to PSU and I know there are good programs there, mediocre ones, and bad ones. I don't know how psychology is there, but make sure it is a good program. If it isn't, there are a number of colleges in the Northwest that are worth looking into.

With that said, since getting a new president PSU has been becoming more like a real university so you will probably be very pleased with what the college provides as an urban campus.

Also, Portlandia is not a good measure on what Portland is like except for the line that Portland is where young people go to retire. I retired there for my 20s and had a blast living just off campus next to downtown. I walked and biked everywhere, I had a car so I could take random road trips in the state, and just enjoyed the life Portland had to offer.

Another thing is you are young and the best thing you can do is to move out of your comfort zones and the places you know to really learn what you want in life.

• How much is this going to cost? (A lot)
• How much are you likely to get paid upon graduation? (Not much - around 30k)
• Will you be comfortable paying that debt back on your likely salary?
• Portland is not Portlandia.

Don't do it. You're going to get yourself into a huge amount of debt that will be difficult to repay, all so you can move to a place that will sorely disappoint you if you're expecting daily life to be like a TV show.

That said, if you're dead set on settling down in the NW (or anywhere really), college can be a good time to pull it off. You just have to make sure doing so isn't going to bury you in debt.

[Nell Plotts]

We are full-up with psychology, social worker, urban planning graduates. I suggest you find a major that prepares you for a job with a career path.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

We are full-up with psychology, social worker, urban planning graduates. I suggest you find a major that prepares you for a job with a career path.

Ain't that the truth, I would go back to college to get my Masters in Urban Planning, but I want to stay in Portland when I move back which means there are a very limited number of jobs in that field.

Although if the OP is just looking to go to college in Portland and live there for a few years, then getting a degree in psychology might not be a bad thing if the OP is cool with potentially moving to somewhere else once the education process is over.

But that is where it is important to make sure one is going to a school that has a good program in the field the OP is looking into so they aren't just wasting their money on a mediocre degree.

[oldtintype]

Getting a degree in psychology or social work is fine--but you have to have at least a masters degree to go on with afterwards and appropriate licensure (LCSW, etc).

[Nell Plotts]

I really think HS seniors should be shown specific information about the 'return on investment' of academic majors. Usually claims of return on a college education include fields such as engineering and medicine which are higher income career paths. Oldtintype mentioned that to practice in psychology or social work you need a masters degree . . . true, so be sure to add that expense and compare it to the average income in those fields after about 5 years of practice. Keep in mind that the undergrad must earn grades high enough to be accepted into a masters degree program.

That does not include the additional cost of out of state tuition the OP may be saddled with.

[bler144]

The OP posted this thread in the main Oregon forum as well, but I'll repeat my point that out-of-state public is amongst your most expensive, lowest ROI options. I generally recommend against it pretty strongly with few exceptions. The OP's case is not one of them, unless he's independently wealthy or parents will write a check for wherever he wants to go.

Personally I think Pittsburgh has as much or more to offer as Pdx does right now (and is eminently more affordable a city to live in), though moving to the steel city doesn't have the romance that running off to the woods does.

[pdwpdx]

Originally Posted by artdealerchic

Hello,

I'm a 19 year old Male from Ohio and I'm thinking about applying to PSU for Psychology.

Why? because I want to be in a better environment and it seems like a pretty cool place to be, i checked out the school's site and i liked what i saw and also because i love the show Portlandia

i'm very introverted and creative and i want to open up a little more and just live, this school seems like it's for me and psychology is something i find to be very intriguing.

would it be crazy to make the move? leave my family and the few close friends i have?

And the tuition cost for out of state...

I really want to do this but i'm not sure.


Advice please?

Thank you.

If it weren't for the out-of-state tuition thing, I'd say go for it. Speaking from experience though, out-of-state tuition debt is not something you want to be saddled with. My advice would be to find the best-fitting school in your state, get whatever scholarships/grants you can, get some work experience, and then make a go for it in Portland. Portland will still be here. I didn't move here until my 30s after I finished my education and had some work experience. I still had plenty of amazing life experiences before moving to Portland. Just my two cents. Also, like other posters said, Portlandia really is not an accurate portrayal of average, workaday life here. Portland is not where young people go to retire (unless they have a trust fund or some other money source). Portland is where young people go to struggle and be underemployed.