College Profiles – Portland State University & University of Washington

By Hannah Lickley | Writer

March 5, 2015

It’s my junior year and I can’t wait to start looking for colleges! This weekend, I started my search on the west coast, hitting up Portland State University in Portland, Oregon and the University of Washington in Seattle.

I was very excited to compare the two universities side by side and compare all of their pros and cons.

First stop was Portland Sate University. What I noticed when we arrived was that there wasn’t the usual rain you hear about when people talk about Portland. It was sunny but a little chilly. I was bummed because I felt as if I didn’t get the whole “Portland Experience” which includes inclement weather as a necessity!

The campus was fairly spread out but did have a central area that included most classrooms and the schools public library. There is a train that runs straight through campus and can take you all through the town, free of charge if you are a student. The school doesn’t have many fraternity or sororities therefore they don’t have many large parties. The students usually just hang out with close friends and walk through the town at night. I loved the city of Portland but really couldn’t see myself at the school because it was full of the more “hipster” type of people.

Next we went to the University of Washington. Although we didn’t get a full tour with a guide describing all the buildings, my mom and I walked around and got an understanding of the campus ourselves. It was colder while we were in Seattle but still no rain.

Before visiting the campus we walked downtown to get a feel for the city. There are a few blocks in the center that are nice and fun to walk through, but as you get away from the hub the streets are filled with more homeless people than not and look as though they are under construction.

While walking through the campus I felt as though I was at a university. A feeling I did not get walking through Portland State. The campus was big and filled with students coming and going from classes. The school has a huge football stadium where I could see many Friday nights being spent at and there are fraternities and sororities at the school so they have more parties at night. There is an outdoor mall right next to the campus with great food and tons of shops if you want to do something different with friends.

Both campuses were great but I couldn’t picture myself spending four years at either one. Luckily I still have months before I start applying and can spend my time touring until I find the perfect fit for me!