Washington State University-Vancouver: any experiences with it?

[StealthRabbit]

We typically only hire WA engineering grads from WSU and UW, as there are few others schools applying. Exception is WWU plastics grads (We have to go to Lowell (MA) , or Penn. to find other plastic specific grads. (WWU grads are quite competent and trainable).

The ‘Diamond’ for excellent Engineering ‘new hires’ is UofWY. And it is one of the least expensive U’s in USA. Their teaching college is superb as well. Very VERY cheap for in-state, and a great state to move to and nab a $80/yr CDL job while earning your residency! Of course, I love WY as a no income tax state... but... comes with risks... energy economy means you might be stuck with an unsold house for 10+ yrs in a downturn. The Laramie / WY people are excellent neighbors, and grads are very responsible /skilled and NEVER ‘cry-babies’ (excellent to hire for your own businesses).

<$5k / yr tuition! + 87% of undergrads get grants (very ez for WY residents, thanks to an endowment)
http://college-tuition.startclass.co...ity-of-Wyoming

If you head to WY for a college tour... don’t miss Vedauwoo and Snowy range ... each less than 30 min from UofWY. 1.5 hrs to Ft Collins, 2.5 to DEN.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Jane917

Have you considered the out of state tuition you will have to pay (or the kids will have to pay) if they go to state schools in WA?

It takes a year to establish residency. So if you moved now the kids would still be out of state for enrolling in fall of 2018 but would be in-state for fall 2019. If the kids are not yet HS seniors this year then it is not a worry. If they are HS seniors then it would only be one year of out-of-state tuition and you'd qualify for in-state tuition starting in 2019 and beyond.

Note: as long as the kids are dependents the key factor is where the parents live. If you stay in CA and send your kids to WA schools they will stay out of state students for the duration of their college careers. But if YOU move your whole family up to WA then they will qualify for in-state tuition after 1 year even if they aren't living in WA.

For example, my wife and I moved back to WA from TX in the summer of 2016. That same summer our oldest daughter went off to college in Arkansas where we are paying a reduced out of state tuition (due to having been TX residents at the time she applied). She has NEVER lived in WA but could come out to WA now and pay in-state tuition at any WA school because she is still our dependent and her permanent address has been WA for over 1 year at this point.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

It takes a year to establish residency. So if you moved now the kids would still be out of state for enrolling in fall of 2018 but would be in-state for fall 2019. If the kids are not yet HS seniors this year then it is not a worry. If they are HS seniors then it would only be one year of out-of-state tuition and you'd qualify for in-state tuition starting in 2019 and beyond.

Note: as long as the kids are dependents the key factor is where the parents live. If you stay in CA and send your kids to WA schools they will stay out of state students for the duration of their college careers. But if YOU move your whole family up to WA then they will qualify for in-state tuition after 1 year even if they aren't living in WA.

For example, my wife and I moved back to WA from TX in the summer of 2016. That same summer our oldest daughter went off to college in Arkansas where we are paying a reduced out of state tuition (due to having been TX residents at the time she applied). She has NEVER lived in WA but could come out to WA now and pay in-state tuition at any WA school because she is still our dependent and her permanent address has been WA for over 1 year at this point.

Yes, we're aware of in-state tuition rules. We're planning to move to WA and will only have one in college at the time. However, we'll be utilizing the local community college initially since our oldest will have just graduated HS. So the difference for the first year won't be too bad.

Derek

[mathlete]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

. . .Tragic what our USA EDU has declined to. (I also participate to hire international grads in Europe and Asia, they are FAR superior trained and much more incentive to WORK / be an asset to the company.) YMMV USA has the 'edge' on innovation, but only because we allow 'freedom' to explore / fail. But it is seriously declined in my field (mechanical) Too few farm kids (who know how to do mechanical things and actually get them to function!)

The core problem is so much manufacturing has left the U.S. that U.S. engineers aren't exposed to much manufacturing know how anymore. Without that exposure, particularly at the hands-on level, it's difficult to design well for manufacturing. I'm currently in Taiwan where I do all my manufacturing, returning to Portland, next month. I'd prefer not to have to travel to Asia to get things made but the hollowed out manufacturing base in the U.S. gives me no choice . . and the decline is only going to get worse.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by mathlete

The core problem is so much manufacturing has left the U.S. that U.S. engineers aren't exposed to much manufacturing know how anymore. Without that exposure, particularly at the hands-on level, it's difficult to design well for manufacturing. I'm currently in Taiwan where I do all my manufacturing, returning to Portland, next month. I'd prefer not to have to travel to Asia to get things made but the hollowed out manufacturing base in the U.S. gives me no choice . . and the decline is only going to get worse.

Yes, with so much manufacturing performed overseas, what young, bright student says I want to grow up and specialize in manufacturing! That's going to be my thing!! I'm sure there are some. But the incentives, exposures you've mentioned and opportunities on a larger scale just are not here like they are in other countries.

The US may invent the technology which is then used worldwide at much lower overall costs. So the emphasis is more on learning that aspect. Of course there will always be 'some' manufacturing performed here such as automotive (though shrinking), farm equipment, military related, etc., just on a smaller scale.

Derek

[mathlete]

It's not about manufacturing. It's about designing for manufacturing. What U.S. universities should do is setup satellite campuses in the heart of manufacturing rich industrial zones in Taiwan or China so young American engineers could be exposed to how things are made. I know when I attended university in the U.S. I was amazed at how little engineering professors knew about the practical side of engineering.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Thanks, StealthRabbit. That's great to know about Clark! I was starting to become concerned that Vancouver was some kind of 'black hole' for higher education after the description of your son's experience at WSU-Vancouver. And yours isn't the only non-glowing review I've read of that school. So I do appreciate your honest feedback from his perspective.

At the same time its good to know there is some hope at the CC level if we were to live in Vancouver as opposed to other areas of WA. We will still consider the Portland area as well since its not far. With two still in middle school, they have a while to think about what they want to major in. Our oldest is definitely going down the STEM track with many related interests in CS, robotics, math and physics. He may even double major.

Derek

Derek, have you looked into the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program?. Even as a California resident, it will give you a significant discount on tuition at places like Portland and WSU-Pullman, and there will be no need to wait to establish residency, as long as your son applies and starts while you're still a California resident.

After your move, you can then apply for the instate change after a year at WSU.

I have a former student whose family moved to Vancouver right after she graduated from high school, and this is what they did and it worked out fine for them. She attended WSU-Pullman.

If your son attends Portland State (good engineering program!) I think you could apply for WUE as a California resident and your WUE rate should automatically carry over when you become a WA resident. But double check on that directly with PSU, as each WUE school has their own ways of doing things.

Just in case you haven't come across the WUE website, here's the link: https://www.wiche.edu/wue/students

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Derek, have you looked into the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program?. Even as a California resident, it will give you a significant discount on tuition at places like Portland and WSU-Pullman, and there will be no need to wait to establish residency, as long as your son applies and starts while you're still a California resident.

After your move, you can then apply for the instate change after a year at WSU.

I have a former student whose family moved to Vancouver right after she graduated from high school, and this is what they did and it worked out fine for them. She attended WSU-Pullman.

If your son attends Portland State (good engineering program!) I think you could apply for WUE as a California resident and your WUE rate should automatically carry over when you become a WA resident. But double check on that directly with PSU, as each WUE school has their own ways of doing things.

Just in case you haven't come across the WUE website, here's the link: https://www.wiche.edu/wue/students

Hi Rosie,

You really got me thinking about out of state options with our earlier discussions. It seems like there are lots of good options in the PNW. Some of the public Us look pretty good especially UW and its two satellites (Bothell & Tacoma) for our son. WWU also looks good for certain majors. The state schools are much less impacted than some of our main CA schools of interest such as San Jose State, Cal Poly SLO, etc...

We've also heard that the privates in the PNW tend to be more generous with scholarships than those here. U of P looks pretty good.

I'll take a look at Portland State. Thanks for the recommendation regarding engineering programs.

Derek

[mathlete]

How about some outside-the-box options? There are engineering programs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan looking for international students and offering scholarships to attract them. What could be better than learning another language, gaining international experience and learning from professors who are probably engaged in outside manufacturing projects, all while earning an undergraduate degree?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by mathlete

How about some outside-the-box options? There are engineering programs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan looking for international students and offering scholarships to attract them. What could be better than learning another language, gaining international experience and learning from professors who are probably engaged in outside manufacturing projects, all while earning an undergraduate degree?

Our middle daughter has already expressed interest in studying abroad. So that is something we'll be exploring more with her. By contrast, the other two aren't interested after asking them similar questions.

Derek