Scott,

There are, of course, no absolutes:cool:

When I was at Cal, a lot of folks I met in my junior and senior year had jumped over from any number of junior colleges in the California system. The story was pretty consistent: Cheaper to stay at home and take Spanish 101 at Ohlone Junior College than the same class at Cal.

Not suggesting you go that route, there are pros and cons, but it is a cost effective way to get the core bravo sierra out of the way.

Don't we all select colleges based on the athletic programs? ;)

absolutely!

Caltech Athletics: The Official Home of the Beavers

That whole stepping on the campus and "you'll know" sounds like a load of bull.... they're all pretty much the same campus every college tries to imitate the east coast ivy leagues. I chose the uni i'm going to now for a couple reasons. Offered the degree I was looking for, close to home and very close to work, and relatively inexpensive at $2700 a semester.

About Salve Regina University

Here is my undergrad school. Best experience of my life!!!

Really? Have you ever been to any west coast colleges?

As far as staying close to home... she (SD) is 17 and hyper ready to get out on her own.

She seems to be leaning toward schools in her home state (one one of the two Uni in Oregon and I think she is looking at Washington).

I love the idea of CC and finishing at the U to get her degree.

But being my SD I have limited input on the decision. (Only been married for two years.)

I have a lot of west coast colleges as clients, so I've visited a lot of them. They are way, way different than those on the east coast and have an especially different vibe from the Ivy's. I think there are a lot of small schools that have a similar vibe to one another. But the big ones, no way. Some of those are the size of small cities.

if she can get in and afford it, then Reed would be one to really look at in the PNW

post more info on her general academic orientation (many or most will change majors)

other important interests, incl. area of the country

what she can probably be admitted to (i.e. good shot at Yale and Stanford? or unlikely to be admitted at LSU Monroe, or what?)

AND finances.

A large state research univ. will offer the best bang for the buck, but a high quality small college will likely provide the best education (some of them are major research universities, too)

Don't forget that the student body (her peers) will shape her educational experience to a large degree...

Attending Csuci, visited UCSB, been to Cal Poly a few times and UCLA numerous times. Maybe that was a bit of a broad generalization/exageration but the environment they try to culmitnate just screams an attempt to be a high class school even though we are not.

Landscaping is one thing here at csuci they've put in massive amounts of grass instead of just rocking it which would make much more sense in an arid climate and then they let a good bit of it just die and get over run with weeds. Also planting non native trees just to make the campus more "green" which I suppose is a california thing but it just seems to me they are trying to make the school look like something it's not.

Not strictly on topic. My step-daughter is nearly done with school. She got her BS in Biology, and then went on to a physician's assistant program. It's a nit hard to get into, but not horrible. She's got about a year left (done in Dec) and has already had a job offer for over $100k. The only reason that I mention it is that it sounds like a good option the is very similar to her other previous choices.

The UW is altering its acceptance this year to enroll more out of state students. They pay more and the UW wants the money to fill in what the state is no longer paying. Gives her a fighting chance to get in.

Don't let her go to Evergreen

I picked the one that offered me a scholarship. My parents were very pleased.

Schools know that the a crazy number of students apply based on campus "vibe" alone and as a result, spend a pile on campus asthetics. Sure, nobody wants to spend 4 years looking at a moonscape campus but your SD needs to understand that nobody hires grads based on how their school's campus looked. Make sure she attends a school that is demanding of her. Writing papers teaches people how to form and communicate ideas. Exams of other than multiple choice ensure students know the material well enough to write about it...no hiding. Good grads from these schools do well. These sorts of schools are the exception and need to be sought out.

BTW, PT grad school admission is historically unreasonably difficult and there are plenty of folks who never get in yet are left with a useless undergrad degree. PT's themselves can find that the job starts a pretty good pay rate but tops out quickly (as an employee) and the future looks sketchy as an independent. I'm not a PT but know several.