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Hi! Hope you don't mind an old lady giving you info. I have lived in all three towns. They are all great for different reasons.
Corvallis (OSU) is a wonderful town in which to raise a family and retire (although cost of living is higher than in most Oregon areas). It is probably one of the safest towns a person could live in. One of the major downfalls I have noticed is that the city police are very "ticket-happy"! Campus is it's own little world inside the city of Corvallis. But, the town does not offer much in the way of extra-curricular activities for younger people. Average family income and years of education are higher than average.
OSU has a great engineering dept, veterinary, forestry, etc. My son went the first few years, but had difficulty getting the classes he needed as an underclassman (a problem I hear often with students) He finally transferred to UofO in Eugene. He excelled and added a second major upon enrolling. Something his advisor at OSU SHOULD have advised, but had discouraged. He had to go an additional half year (taking as many credit hours as possible), but it was a very wise decision.
Salem is a very affordable town in which to live. A good portion of income is from government offices. Willamette University is well thought of (must have high GPA) across the country . Chemeketa Community College is also located in Salem. The thing that would keep me from moving back to Salem is the fact that the crime has greatly increased from when I lived there. Just my opinion.
Of the three cities, Eugene seems to be the one that is usually most attractive to younger people. It is a VERY "artsy" town. Cost of living is not as high as in Corvallis and the population is VERY diverse. You might want to check into it further. Lane Community College is also in Eugene and a christian college is adjacent to the UofO campus.
Whichever you choose, you will be within 2-3 hours of the mountains (skiing) and an hour to the ocean beaches. Oregon has many beautiful rivers and lakes!
I hate even to make such a suggestion, given the state our foreign policy is in today but have you considered military service? All four of the armed services take females and the Coast Guard is under the Department of Treasury rather than Defense.
While there is a lot not to like about the military, there are opportunities to further your education, learn a trade, provide a service to your nation, and - very importantly for one of your monetary circumstance - an opportunity to have your education paid for. The G.I. Bill is a federal provision that pays your tuition and books to any public (maybe private, too) college or university you attend. It does, however, require a four year commitment.
Nothing I have read so far tells me you are adverse to the idea; and if you have not thought of this avenue before it is, at least for now, on the table.
Oh, and yes, Corvallis, Eugene, Salem, Ashland, Forest Grove, Monmouth, McMinnville and Portland all have highly rated colleges and all would be waiting for you should you go the service route.
thank you so much!!! this is exactly the information that i needed! thank you so so very much! i really needed to know an in depth view of how well i could live in these cities. i've lived in a good retirement city for almost all my life and i hate it. thank you so much for the information on the economy and about the citizens. it does sound like Eugene is the better match for me than Corvallis, especially with the comparison of colleges. i'll look into more information on UofO and Eugene. again thank you so much!
as for the military idea i'm not suited for that from personal beliefs and enjoyment to my basic body type, haha, but thank you, i have considered it before and decided it is not for me. but thank you for the idea
I'm 19 as well, and I was looking into going to Portland State University because I also didn't do so well in high school and it is an easier school to get into as well as cheaper tuition than OSU or UO. Though living in Portland overall isn't very cheap, but I think I will go to Portland CC for a bit, while living with roomies up in Portland, and then transfer to PSU.
You might look into Ashland perhaps. It's like a mini Eugene and is home to Southern Oregon University. You may like it there as the area is cheaper than Portland. It's definitely not the kind of town where people shoot everything that moves. It's close to rivers, lakes, mountains, snowboarding/skiing, and hiking, with a healthy dose of culture in there too. It may be too small of a town for you though and outside of the university it's not as youthful as Portland or Eugene, and is pretty far from both of those. Still have a lot of ponderosa pine around Ashland too. It's a lot more lush up north, though a lot more drizzly.
thank you, i'm afraid i have to fix what i destroyed in high school before OSU will even look at my applications, i'm not sure how though, i'm told colleges wont look at your GPA in high school after you accel in college, i guess getting your gen eds out of the way in a smaller college? we don't have community colleges here so that's a real kick in the butt. since you lived/live in Salem what is that city like? i'm very general in my search for a place to go right now, i don't know if i want to go to Oregon or god knows where else. but i'm afraid i'll just find myself in the same problems just farther out of the way of help. i really have no idea what i want to do with my life or where i'll be happy
Be wary of what you here about colleges. I had to wait until I was 22 before Arizona State quit looking at my High School transcripts. What you can do is repeat the classes that you messed up in at Community College and that will void out those problems. Also, I was under the impression it would take one year of living in AZ to get residancy at ASU and its actually 2 years, but it sure is great to say I am an ASU Alum, with student loans of course.
Salem's okay, but you might want to consider Eugene. Think about attending a community college; there is one near Corvallis, one in Eugene, and one in Salem. It makes sense to get your general stuff out of the way first. A lot of community colleges as well as universities will allow you to take the basic classes online, too.
You're 19, unencumbered, and there is so much you could do. This could possibly be of interest to you; you could work at a ski lodge in CO or something for the winter, save some money, and have some options:
Seasonal jobs aren't such a commitment that you're stuck with them if you don't like them, and they can be a good way to save money. Most of the places provide living quarters etc.
Just don't let your rut get you down.
This is not at all unusual for your age. It's exactly how it's supposed to be, really. This is the time for finding those things out.
CO is too expensive to do that and the people here are just like she described in SD.
I'm 19 as well, and I was looking into going to Portland State University because I also didn't do so well in high school and it is an easier school to get into as well as cheaper tuition than OSU or UO.
Best of luck to you wherever you end up!
Start off at PCC then. Do well, then you have a favorable transfer standing.
PSU is meh... and social life is weak compared to OSU or UO. 61% of students are transfer students and the median age at PSU is 25. I hear it's trying hard to appeal "traditional students" (25& under) though. A lot of students are "working and coming back to school" type.
thank you for the replies! i have thought about community college and i wish we had even one in south dakota. the idea of out of state community college scares me though. that would mean i would have to pay a higher tuition and live on my own without the help of dorms for when i'm adjusting to college life and a new state. i'm failing at living on my own without the help of college to distract me....
i sort of guessed as much, i got excited when i saw they had art programs and fields that dealt with animals, but i don't know how extensive those fields are at OSU. i haven't really got my heart set on anything yet, i'm just trying to get information on possibilities. on a side note, i'm not too enthusiastic about being a vet, i don't really know anything about what fields work with animals and how and i'm always told "oh you'll figure it out once you get into college" i'm getting really sick of that answer. walking blindly into a giant investment without a clue of what you want or how to obtain it seems like a great way to waste money i don't have.... other wise my best idea as to what i might like is something along the lines of conservationist.... if i could join that with art i'd be one happy duck
i've basically come to the realization that that is about the only option i have right now. which still makes this hard since we don't have any community colleges. honestly what college is going to look at a 1.8 GPA? and i haven't even dipped my fingers into taking the ACTs yet, or looked at any grants, scholarships, or loans... basically i never got any help on this in high school and now it's all hitting me in the face and i still don't know where to look for help. i'm a really easily over whelmed person when it comes to college and this is enough to make me continue hiding in my little hole of a world for another few years and i paw around with little whims and ideas of college and a new life....
Poor kid! Although I'm in a large city of late, I was born in Rapid City...I miss the open space. I would't miss some of the small-mindedness, etc. you referred to.
The bit of advice that karlsch gave about attending an in-state (SD) school is sound advice. (Probably accurate about the campus atmosphere as well.) As for art and/or conservationist studies, go for it. But, it wouldn't hurt to have a business background either. Many people with creative degrees still find business studies are needed to get the $.
Hey - I live in Eugene and attend Lane Community College and love it. I'm in my 30's, though, and a mother and housewife...
I did well in high school, even taking a few AP classes and receiving a scholarship, but then got married and my husband and I started our family right out of high school, and I've been a stay at home mom since then. (I worked a little bit, but nothing close to a career sort of job.) My husband has a wonderful job and we've moved around a lot for his job so it has made it hard for me to attend college regularly. I have taken classes at every community college in every city we've lived in - in four different states! I've even taken some online! Now we have decided to stay put, though, and I am going to LCC and am pursuing a 2-year transfer degree and hope to someday - preferably before I'm 50 - receive a 4 year degree. With the kids and all, and financially (my husband makes too much money for us to qualify for any financial assistance, so we pay for everything out of pocket), I am only able to take 2 or 3 classes per quarter. It's VERY slow-going, but I'm doing it.
Like you, though, I don't really know what I want to do - no declared major yet - but I do know how important a college degree is. So currently I'm plugging away at the basics - math, writing, etc. - and hopefully at some point I'll know what it is I want to major in.
Anyway - if I can do it, in my 30's, while raising two kids and dealing with a husband who keeps moving us around from state to state - you can totally do it! You're so young and I'm assuming you don't have kids or a husband to take care of in addition to yourself? You have so much freedom and the world is so wide open. Go for it!
And I highly recommend Eugene. The tuition here is a bit more than other places I've been to (California was actually pretty cheap, but just as we were leaving they were raising the cost...) but Eugene is a wonderful town. I wish I had grown up here and I am happy that my kids are growing up here. You would love it here, I'm sure!
Best wishes and good luck with your adventures!
.:hhe:.
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SD school & business
- receive a 4 year degree. With the kids and all, and financially (my husband makes too much money for us to qualify for any financial assistance, so we pay for everything out of pocket), I am only able to take 2 or 3 classes per quarter. It's VERY slow-going, but I'm doing it. 
