(College) Decisions decisions...

[TechnOkami]

Hello Playgrounders! I've just gone on the grand tour for the colleges I've been accepted to. Out of all of them, I've boiled it down to two schools, and they are: Oregon State University and Dominican University. Ive been to both and enjoy both campuses. Major-wise, I'm interested in being an English/writing major. So, please, give me your opinions on which school I should attend.

Thank you.

[rogueboy]

My google-fu says that Dominican University is a Catholic school just outside of Chicago (big city), while growing up in the PNW and having visited OSU (as a potential grad school) tells me that OSU is a public school in Eugene, OR (small town). I don't know anything about the programs, or how to judge english programs, so I won't touch on that (although you may want to find information about the programs if you haven't already).

Aside from the reputation of the program, I would say pick wherever you would be happier. I don't know how the sizes of the schools compare, but that's worth looking at. Both total students and grad/undergrad numbers. A school with a high number of grad students will have a very different infrastructure than a PUI (primarily undergrad institution). The surrounding area will be important to your life outside of classes, make try to figure out if you'd prefer a large city or a smaller town. Also, at least look at typical weather throughout the year. The Mid-West and the Pacific Northwest have very different weather patterns, make sure you are at least prepared for what you'll be dealing with wherever you end up. Aside from that, I can't give you any specific advice on which to go with, since that depends a lot on who you are as much as the schools themselves.

Hopefully that helps.

[TechnOkami]

Just by the way, it's Dominican University in California.

[rogueboy]

Well, then ignore the comments I made about the Illinois one, specifically. The second half of my comment still holds: weather will be different, you're on the outskirts of San Francisco while Eugene isn't next to any major cities. Quick google-fu on Dominican University of CA shows that it's still a private school with (at least) a catholic history, so that decision still holds.

My advice: look at what makes them different, and whether any part of either school (size of the school or surrounding city, grad/undergrad population, weather, public/private, etc) makes you uncomfortable. And no matter what, trust your gut. Don't let other people pressure you into one or the other, make sure it's what YOU want. And once you do decide where to go, take a variety of classes. If you have 2-3 ideas of what you want to do (I started undergrad with chemistry, bio, and math as my general ideas), take a course from each department that you'll need for the major, and try to get a feel for what you like. Once you get that settled, take as many electives as you can, preferably in courses outside your (intended) major that you're interested (for me, that was politics and psychology, although I would have liked to take a course on religion).

You'll be there for 4 (or 5, possibly) years: make sure you set yourself up to be happy. Or at least don't set yourself up for disaster.

[ZombyWoof]

OSU is in the Pac-10, so if you like watching good college football... :smallwink:

Dominican appears to be in San Rafael which is in the bay area. If you're looking for a big LGBT community, well, that would be a very good choice. Or if you want to spend some time in/near a big city: pretty much everything in the bay area gives the "big city" feel.

OSU will be much more of a laid-back environment in terms of the town you're in. So if you don't want distractions about the town, OSU is probably a better option.

The weather will probably be very similar in each place: foggy, wet, and cold :smallbiggrin: Bear in mind the bay area can get QUITE warm during the summer on its rare sunny days. I mean one day in August I went there and it was like 60 out... and then one day I visited my then-gf at Berkeley and it was 103 all day in May.

[DabblerWizard]

Here are some of my college experiences that might help you make your decision.

For undergrad, I went to a fairly big university with more than 20K undergrads, and at least a few hundred grad students. The school had a big name, a moderate price tag, and a huge main campus. And I came from a small town where the graduating class is in the low hundreds. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fit in, be noticed, feel like my education was high quality, with a personal touch.

One of the great things about large universities are the opportunities. Big undergrad populations living on campus means a ton of people to potentially get to know. This can be great if you're willing to put yourself out there and join student clubs / organizations, or otherwise mingle with your peers. A super loner can feel lonely no matter how many people are around.

Large schools (which are often research universities) also tend to have decent funding, meaning they may be able to offer more classes, and more after class options. Of course, you may find differences between programs within the school.

Look into the size of the program you're interested in. How many professors act as advisers and instructors? How many students enroll in that degree? The fewer students a professor advises, the more likely they can give each student individual time.

Even though I went to a big school, I found a program with less than 50 students in it. This meant that I could talk off the ear of many a professor, and really get educated outside, and inside the classroom.

Check out whether your school has any cultural centers. These organizations within the school aren't just student run clubs. They receive school funding, have full time staff, and can be a major way to identify with other like-minded students.

[TechnOkami]

The decision has been made: Oregon State University.

Thank you all.

[Moff Chumley]

Awww... Dominican's one of the most gorgeous campuses I've ever seen. And I'm not just saying that because I live five minutes away. :smalltongue:

But OSU's awesome, as well. Eugene's a very cool town.

Even though San Rafael's cooler.

>.>

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

Just like to make a clarification. Oregon State is in Corvallis, University of Oregon is in Eugene. I know it's not a big deal, but it's one of those types of things that can just bug me.

[rogueboy]

Just like to make a clarification. Oregon State is in Corvallis, University of Oregon is in Eugene. I know it's not a big deal, but it's one of those types of things that can just bug me.

And now I feel like an idiot, because I knew that. What caused my mistaken statement about Eugene is that my brother was at UO for a year, so Eugene came up a lot in my family. Corvallis is a very similar type of town, however.