Southern Oregon U??? How to weigh factors?

MariaDeLaLuz
Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:25:34 +0000

Does anyone have any experience with this college?

It is a small (5,000), public liberal arts college in Ashland, OR.

These are the things that make it sound attractive to us:
-small class size and small overall size
-within D’s comfort zone of distance from home
-cost ($22,000/yr with CA out of state scholarship)
-73% acceptance rate of Chemistry majors to Medical School
-research opportunities for pre-med students
-they accept transfer students who are not juniors (which no California state school does) - D will be a sophomore with a GED, almost 18 (due to past medical problems)
-good reputation for sciences according to other Oregon college professors

These are things that concern us:
-68% retention rate
-D’s SAT scores are over their average high (hers are CR: 660; Math: 620 - their high is 580/560) - however her SATs may qualify her for a Presidential Scholarship
-89% acceptance rate - we are wondering if the student body will be as intellectually stimulating as she would like.

Are there other considerations we should be looking at?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated! Thanks!