University of Oregon? (Portland, Eugene, Corvallis: fit in, dorm, law school)

[ukiyo-e]

Need some info from current students, alumni. My son is a high school senior and we currently live in northern CA. I am planning to move to Portland when he starts college in the fall of 2008. Based on his grades and test scores, he should be able to get into just about any of the University of California campuses he applies to.

But...he is not the most assertive person. Not nerdy at all, and very sociable in small groups. But I can't quite see him at a giganto school like Berkeley in a freshman survey class with 400 other kids, and I'd rather he enjoy college than go to a school with a fancy-pants reputation that's a poor fit for him. A small liberal arts school is out because he has several strong but diverse interests and hasn't narrowed down his major yet, so he wants to go to a school with many fields to choose from. I guess what we're looking for is a school that has the best attributes of a large state university and a smaller, academically-oriented college.

We have two friends here in our town whose kids go to UO and LOVE it. I read it only has 16,000 students, so it's smaller than most of the UC campuses. And it seems to have dozens of majors, so he'd be exposed to lots of choices. Would it be a good fit for a slightly introverted but otherwise socially-skilled kid?

I'd like some input from people who know the school, because when you look at the schools' websites they all market themselves like they're the perfect school for most people and clearly that's impossible!

[FoxyKnox]

Eugene embraces people who are even the least bit different, your son would probably do well at U of O. He would have many career options and UO alumni can become great resources upon graduation. My best advice is send him to the campus for 3 days or so...he can maybe stay with your friends kids...sometimes when the college sets up overnight visits they are very structured and the kid doesn't get to see the real campus culture, only what the administration wants them to see. Make sure he visits some classes, but also experiences a weekend day or two to see what occurs when not in class, as that is a big influence on the decision. Be aware that Duck fans are intense about their sports and drinking can be an issue, but you'll find that to be true anywhere he decides to go to school.

I hope this will help you two out.

[DavePautsch]

As a dedicated Beaver fan and an alumni I can't let this post go without making at least one pitch for Oregon State versus U of O. They are both good schools with a lot to offer...but Orange and Black is so much more fashionable than the hideous yellow and green!

Seriously, which school would be a better choice really depends on what areas of interest he has. I know you mentioned that he hasn't settled on a major yet, but if there are broad brush strokes of what he might want to study there are differences between the two schools and the programs offered.

Oregon State has a really excellent Oceanography program, well-known and respected engineering (especially nuclear engineering) programs, as well as very strong pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and forestry, fisheries, wildlife departments.

Corvallis is a great town (as is Albany where I live...just 15 minutes away).

If you are locked on to U of O, forgive the post...but it's almost time for the Civil War (1 December) and I'm just supporting my school!

Have a great day.
Dave

[lifes2short]

Dave--I agree! And Corvallis has Woodstocks We were at the game last night and always love coming back to visit.

[chrisruns2far]

I would highly recommend Oregon. I did not go there for my undergrad, I went to the U of O Law School and feel very fortunate that I did and I very much liked my time in Eugene. The only reason that I did not stay is that I'm a smaller town kind of guy. Also, my wife went to the U of O for her undergrad and master and shares my opinion of the school and of Eugene. Eugene is a live and let live kind of place, It is always shocking to me to here of anyone having a hard time 'fitting in'. I know many, many folks who went to Oregon and I really can not recall any negative comments, only positive.

[suncat]

I'm a U of O class of '86 alum, and I loved going to school there. I grew up in Los Angeles, and none of the schools there seemed to offer what I'd always envisioned as the quintessential college experience.

When I visited U of O, I knew right away I'd found the perfect college for me. The campus is full of trees and older brick buildings. I was undecided between business, journalism and psychology as a major, and the school was strong in all those areas. There's not a lot of pressure to join the Greek system. I went through rush, just out of curiosity, and decided not to join. I made lots of great friends anyway, through the dorm and in my classes.

I think U of O has gotten more gung ho about football since the 80's, which to me would be a downside, but some really like that.

The only thing I hated was sitting through classes with rain-soaked shoes. Springs are gorgeous there, though. And there's nothing like walking to class on a foggy morning, smelling fresh bread baking at the Franz Bakery.

[tiffela74]

Im from a Beaver family (my 6yr old is already a fierce little Beaver much to our pride! She wanted to paint her bedroom orange and black, and for her bday, asked for a Beavers gymnastics leotard. hehe) so I'll throw in a vote for you to check out Oregon State as well.
Both of our schools have a lot to offer though, and of course, when it comes to rootin for the Ducks when they're up against anyone besides the Beavs, well, its a given that we'll be hollering for their WIN WIN WIN!!!
Both have beautiful campuses and many wonderful classes to chose from. Highly respected, both of them are!
best of luck to you and your son!
Tiffany

[esya]

I have three kids, 22,21 and 17. Two of them went to school and my third goes in 2008, they were all different and they made different choices than what I would have made for them. It worked out.

Maybe I am wrong, but it sounds to me like you are trying to justify why he should go to school closer to where you happen to be moving.

I'd recommend letting him make the decision. If he does not like being away from you, in California or wherever, he'll make that clear and come home.

By the way, sometimes a socially introverted kid needs a larger school to find the right fit. Smaller schools can be socially suffocating if you don't fit in. And I am speaking from experience as a parent here; as I had a geeky daughter that suffered in Illinois at a great (small town) school and has totally thrived in challenging large urban schools.

[Ethirtysex]

I'm a current student and my feelings right now are pretty much STAY AWAY. This school is 100% sports oriented at the moment. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, but right now it is completely out of control. The norm is to skip classes on monday just to wait in line for 4 hours to get tickets for the next game. Meanwhile there are only a handfull of majors that actually have any career propects, and they aren't really being funded all that well. I've been toying with the idea of leaving for another school at the end of this year. If I had the high school grades to make it down to a place like Berkeley, I'd be down there right now. Basically, this place sucks.

[gizmo980]

I went to UofO for 3 semesters, and dropped out (finished at Univ. of the Pacific & grad school at San Jose)... did so much partying and socializing, I honestly can't tell you much about the academics - hence the reason I dropped out, LOL. Like the others said, it's a VERY sports-oriented & party-hearty kind of school, so keep that in mind. It also has a lot to offer, like the variety of majors and activities, diverse students, and a pretty cool town (Eugene). I would consider it a big school though, probably since I went private/small for most of my life. But I did love Oregon, and sometimes wish I'd stuck it out there!