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atlantamom
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| Joined: | Tue Mar 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | Illinois USA |
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Posted: Thu Mar 9th, 2006 01:06 am |
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| My son did an overnight at Lewis and Clark in mid November, 2005. We were in Portland for 4 days and the weather was incredible -- that may have colored our visit. My kids fell in love with Portland. I kept reminding them that usually it rained or was overcast. Lewis and Clark itself is in the suburbs, but we took the bus from downtown and found that it took us only 15 minutes. You do have to transfer from one bus to another, however. Lewis and Clark has a beautiful location -- you can see Mt. Hood FRAMED by a window in the Admissions office! This was no accident, as the house where Admissions is located was once a private home. The school is small, but very attractive. There are several new buildings, which are lovely. My son enjoyed his overnight. The next day was the last day of class before Thanksgiving break, so no one was studying. In fact, they were partying -- drinking. My son doesn't drink, but he said he felt very comfortable with the guys -- no pressure -- no judgment. A cool live and let live attitude. He also went to a history class, which he said was quite interesting. Lots of discussion going on.
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UPS dad
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Posted: Thu Mar 9th, 2006 03:55 am |
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| L & C was high on my son's list until he found out that there is no GEO major. It has a reputation locally for good merit money, Biology, International students, Pot, Liberals and the States best law school. The view is indeed fantastic but a father told me that he thought it was great until his son went to Simon Frazer in BC for a sports event and then he realized it was a long way back in 2nd place
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beltrami
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| Joined: | Tue Mar 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | Minnesota USA |
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Posted: Thu Mar 9th, 2006 03:10 pm |
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My older daughter graduated from LC last May as a Psych major. When we visited during admitted students day 5 years ago we, too, fell in love with the Frank mansion and the stunningly beautiful campus. I can't imagine their groundskeeping budget! They schedule graduation for Mother's Day, when the azaleas are in full bloom and the photo ops are mindboggling.
The student body is full of high energy engaging young people from across the country. My daughter (from a small town high school) sometimes felt out of step with the very bright, well prepared students in her first year classes, but managed to find kids who have become close friends.She spent a semester in the college's Ecuador program. Very worthwhile, both for the learning experience and the friendships.
As for Portland - she didn't return to MN after graduation. She continues to share a house near the campus, with a couple of seniors. Portland is a terrifc city for young people, lots of youth oriented culture and excellent transportation and job options. I expect that one of these days she'll decide to declare Oregon residency.
The college is trying to increase its national recognition and the quality of the student body. During parents weekend I was amused to see the middle aged gray haired former hippies, who have traded their VW Bugs for a Lexus, Highlander, Navigator. I suspect lots of professionals are sending their kids to LC. The school has a local reputation for colorful kids, even more so than Reed, which is just across the Willamette River.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 11:11 pm |
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My son, my husband, and I visited Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon last Monday. This was my second visit to L&C as I'd also visited two years ago with my daughter.
Location: Lewis & Clark is about five miles or so from downtown Portland. The surrounding area is a beautiful, upscale residential neighborhood, and feels very suburban. There is a small shopping center about a mile from campus, but otherwise not much in the immediate area for college students. Portland itself is a neat city, with some great areas for college students, and L&C does run a regular free bus into downtown Portland throughout the day, so even though L&C is fairly suburban, it is easy to get to a more urban area and its amenities relatively quickly.
Campus: The L&C campus is quite unique. The grounds originally belonged to a large wealthy estate, and the mansion that was the heart of the estate now lies at the center of the L&C campus. It is used as an administration building and is also where the admissions office is located. Although it is a beautiful building, it doesn't appear that students go into it very often, if at all. The campus retains some of the landscape features of the original estate, such as formal gardens and reflecting pools, and the estate's original stables have been converted into classrooms. The campus is surrounded by thick woods, and a deep ravine runs through its center. This gives the campus a sort of "summer camp" feel - it is very green, very private, and very quiet and peaceful. However, someone who is prone to claustrophia might not like the deep, woodsy feel.
All of L&C's academic buildings sit on one side of the old mansion, while the student center/dining hall and dorms lie on the other side. The academic side has a wide walkway down the middle of the buildings, which are situated along a sloping hill. There is no real center "quad." The dorms are spread out on the other side, surrounded by trees. There's a bridge over the ravine to get to the lower half of the dorm section.
With the exception of the original estate buildings, all of the buildings are modern sort of 70's style buildings. Many of the academic buildings are made out of red brick, while the campus center is that kind of "70's white" stucco. Many of the dorms have a kind of mountain cabin sort of look about them, with heavy use of wood trim.
On clear days (few in Portland I guess) there is an absolutely stunning view of snow capped Mt. Helens from certain points on campus.
The campus itself is kept very clean, and the academic buildings are in good repair. I've now been inside three of L&C's dorms and they are fairly standard - mainly doubles on long hallways with a common bathroom. Some of the rooms are larger than others but none of the ones I saw are amazingly spacious. The dorms I visited all seemed kind of dark for some reason, but that could just be the ever-present trees outside. There are newer apartment style dorms for upperclassman but many students move off campus after sophomore year as well apparently.
The students. When my daughter, her friend, and I visited two years ago, our impression was that the student body had a fair share of quirky types. We saw kids with piercings, dyed hair, hippie-type dress, etc. But we also felt that there were just a lot of pretty normal, down to earth types as well. After we visited, another friend of my daughter's also visited and she came home and told us that she thought the students were "very preppy" which we hadn't thought at all (we didn't see any popped collars or designer handbags, my daughter's definition of preppy).
So, I was curious to visit again and see if perhaps my daughter and I had missed something. I would have to say no. While L&C clearly attracts a fair percentage of wealthy students, the prevailing "type," if there is one, is more hippie than preppie. I also felt, however, that our initial impression of lots of just normal looking kids was correct as well.
There appears to be a fair amount of students involved in athletic activities (cross country is particularly popular), and the school has a very active outdoor program with lots of camping, skiing, etc. trips planned. So, I'd say that a student who is a kind of down to earth, fairly liberal type who enjoys being outdoors would fit right in.
On the last visit and this one I had the chance to talk to several students. The sense I got from these conversations is that on campus social life is fairly low key, with a lot of kids heading off campus to Portland destinations. L&C does have a bit of rep for being a pot-smoker's paradise, but when I've asked pointedly about drug use, the students I talked to didn't seem to feel it was a huge issue. There is a substance free dorm on campus, but both times when I asked about it, the tour guides told me that "only nerds live there"
I think if L&C ended up on my kids' list, I'd delve a little deeper into on-campus social life.
Academics. Lewis & Clark has particularly strong programs in international relations, political science, biology, English, and the fine arts. Since my last visit, they have eliminated their freshman year required seminar covering American thought through history in favor of freshman seminars on different topics that each student chooses according to personal interest. In terms of academic intensity, I'd probably compare L&C to the University of Puget Sound or Dickinson College in PA. Good solid academics, but not overwhelmingly intense.
My son sat in on a philosophy class on ethics. Since philosophy is his thing, he was excited about the course. He said, however, that it was mostly a lecture class so he couldn't get a sense of whether there was much classroom discussion. Another young man we met on the tour had sat in on a studio art class, and he reported he was very pleased with the quality of instruction.
Pro's: Beautiful campus, nice location close to Portland, relaxed atmosphere, excellent study abroad opportunities, fairly wide range of majors for an LAC.
Con's: May be too suburban for students who want a more urban feel, on campus social life may be so-so, a few students mentioned difficulty getting into entry level classes.
Other comments: Lewis & Clark's administration is clearly trying to move the school up in the world. They worked a little harder than most at marketing to visiting prospies and parents, and they also kept repeating that their applications are up and their admissions numbers have been falling over the past few years. (When I visited with my daughter, the acceptance rate mentioned was 68% at that time. On this trip, they indicated last year it was 65%)
When asked about financial aid, the admissions officer giving the marketing presentation kept saying "we're need blind" When I pressed and asked for the percentage of students with need who get their need 100% met, she reluctantly admitted that they meet full need for only 50%. She did stress that they have merit scholarships for "top" students to fill the gap.
L&C offers an optional portfolio path to admission for students who don't want to submit test scores. Students who take the test-optional route have to submit extra teacher recommendations, and graded samples of academic work from several academic subjects.
I think L&C is a very nice, solid school. It didn't click with my son and ultimately didn't make my daughter's final list either, but would be great for many mid-range students looking for a laid back atmosphere close to a city.
Last edited on Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 11:13 pm by CarolynLawrence
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leftcoast
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 06:53 am |
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L&C offered my son an exceptionally strong financial aid package in 2001 -- it would have cost us less out of pocket to send him to L&C than to a UC campus. The package he had was a little heavy on loans, but that was how they got to such good numbers -- I mean, we could have opted to turn down the Perkins loan and probably still come out very well. There was a small ($5000) merit award included in the mix, the rest need based.
Colleges that don't guarantee full need typically leverage aid, so it can be a good deal for a strong student. We have seen many kids from the local Calif. high schools who we know to have limited financial means go to L&C.... so I think that they do give generous aid when they want to.
My son didn't want L&C at the time-- he only visited because it made sense when he flew to Portland to visit Reed to also check out L&C. L&C wasn't up to his academic expectation at the time.
Since then, to the extent that he has regrets, then his biggest regret probably is that he didn't opt for L&C. He re-applied last year as a transfer -- but I believe he was waitlisted -- and it definitely was his top choice for a transfer -- in fact it was the first place he thought about. So I wouldn't sell L&C short.
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mackinaw
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 02:16 pm |
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Carolyn, is that Mt. Hood rather than Mt. St. Helens in the distance?
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 05:33 pm |
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mackinaw wrote: Carolyn, is that Mt. Hood rather than Mt. St. Helens in the distance?
No, I believe they said Mt. Helens. Mt. Hood is to the east - the mountain you can see from L&C's campus is to the north. But, I could be confused! Wouldn't be the first time.
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entomom
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 06:18 pm |
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Yes, Mt. St. Helen's is to the N and Mt. Hood is to the E of Ptld.
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GladHi
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 06:52 pm |
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| Yes, but the stunning view of a snow-capped mountain from the L&C campus is of Mt. Hood, not Mt. St. Helens. We visited in July 2003 on a very hot, sunny, clear day and the view from the administration building was breathtaking. The rest of Carolyn's visit report I think provides a very accurate portrait of the college, especially that woodsy, camp-like atmosphere. Very different from the flat, open spaces at Willamette and U. Puget Sound. They are all beautiful campuses, with their own special features. At UPS, on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier. And Willamette has a picturesque stream running through its campus.
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mackinaw
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 07:13 pm |
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This is all stirring up my memories of Oregon. May end up there some day in retirement. Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Ranier are all part of that spectacular chain of volcanoes (there are several more) that form the Cascade Range:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Mountains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Volcanoes
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Descartes
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 08:30 pm |
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Given their proximity, I suspected you can see both at times. Apparently that is the case:
http://www.lclark.edu/~piolog/05-01-28/current_issue.html
Howard Hall unveiled to LC critics
With the opening of Howard Hall, the Social Science departments have finally found a home to call their own. Instead of being crammed and sequestered into Albany, BoDine, and Miller, professors now have their very own offices on the second and third floors of the new building. Although some offices and public areas still have the appearance of not being entirely unpacked, the new inhabitants of Howard Hall are enjoying their new quarters- and their new view...
“I like it,” said Professor Robert Eisinger. “I’m not complaining. Many of my colleagues who see this view can see why I’m not complaining.” The view from his office is truly breathtaking: a sweeping 180-degree view of Portland, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens.
I'm not sure which one Carolyn was seeing. Mt. Hood has a very distinct peak:
http://www.lclark.edu/~aes/
Due to well-known, geologically recent events, Mt. St. Helens does not.
Last edited on Sat Feb 24th, 2007 08:33 pm by Descartes
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 08:36 pm |
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LOL! Thanks Descartes for looking that up. Maybe the L&C admissions office needs to do some training so their tour guides can more effectively point out the geological views from campus.  Last edited on Sat Feb 24th, 2007 08:37 pm by CarolynLawrence
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Overseas mom
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Posted: Sun Feb 25th, 2007 09:37 am |
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We visited L&C last summer. It does have that summer camp feel, especially around the dorm area. It's very lush and a beautiful campus.
The student publications that were displayed in the admissions building left a strong impression on me. Several struck me as in-your-face liberal (gay/bisexual/sexual). I personally don't have a problem with the content, but wondered if the school offers enough diversity in points of view. In my opinion, it's more interesting and educational to be exposed to different political ideas. It creates more of a dialogue and not just a reinforcment of already held views.
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Shennie
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Posted: Mon Feb 26th, 2007 11:27 pm |
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| My son is an junior biology major there and loves the school. I am happy to answer questions if I can.
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outwest
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 05:29 am |
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This was another beautiful campus.
No, that's not right. This was a stunning campus.
There were views from areas on campus and you could see the mountain(s) framed in trees and things like that. A bridge over a ravine reminded me of the one at UC Santa Cruz.
There were loads of tours and visitiors. They were very accomodating and my daughter had lunch with some students, attended a class, took a long tour and attended an information session. It was such a hoot to see the same faces we had seen at several of the other colleges we toured! I had fun talking to the other parents as we were dragged around to these colleges.
My DD liked Lewis and Clark and they have a terrific outdoor program, too. Portland was great. Their biggest major is International Studies. They also had a lot of language programs.
The dorms are just so-so, (kind of dark cider block things), the food decent, but she loved the fact that the dorms had kitchens for student use. There are also brand new apartments for upper classmen.
Our tour guide was a French and English double major (was that it?) and very well spoken. She answered questions intelligently.
Her favorite of all the schools was Lewis and Clark. Although I certainly would not call it diverse, it did have the most diversity of any of them (at least by looking-haven't checked stats). The students looked nice, some a little preppy, but most not.
They had strong departments in what she is interested in and an awesome outdoor program to boot. They have regular backpacking weekend trips and longer Spring Break things with professors doing forest research, etc. etc. Plus they have day trips in every outdoor thing you can think of. They are also located on a hill just outside of downtown Portland with views of Mt. Hood (is that it?) from different locations with a shuttle that goes into the city for free every hour until 1am.
She sat in on a class on Philosophy and the Environment and said it was really good, but that the girls were kind of quiet and the guys were the ones interacting. That did concern her, but she thought she could handle that.
There is no greek system.
The location is ideal.
I liked it a lot, to my surprise. I thought the admissions people did a great job. The study abroad opportunities are the best we've seen. Their curriculum is 1/3 ge's, 1/3 major and 1/3 what ever you want.
It's a contender.
Last edited on Sun Mar 30th, 2008 04:18 am by outwest
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scoop
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 12:21 pm |
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| outwest, I can't share any info about these schools. I wanted to thank you for your reports and for sharing your pictures. They added so much.
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Asdad
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 01:24 pm |
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Thanks from here also. We visited Willamette and L&C several years ago. Of the two, we preferred Willamette. Both are nice schools.
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atlantamom
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 06:23 pm |
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We visited Lewis and Clark in the fall of 2006. My son did an overnight there. He liked it quite a bit. He attended a class, which he said was interesting, with many students involved in discussion. I thought the campus was very pretty. The administration was pleasant and competent. My son received a nice letter from them after the visit.
If my son had not been accepted ED to Swarthmore very soon after his visit to L&C, he would have applied. My daughter, who is now a HS junior, is interested.
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Canadian
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Posted: Thu May 17th, 2007 06:28 am |
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My S and I visited L & C in March. The campus is lovely, but it felt very low energy. Several kids we saw looked like stoners. I'd really love to hear more from people whose kids go there about this.
Thanks!
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu May 17th, 2007 10:32 pm |
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Canadian,
I think the "low energy" description for L&C is right on target. I've visited twice now, and have always been looking for a way to put into words what the campus feels like -- thanks for summing it up well. "Low energy" isn't necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion, but it is a good description.
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