<p>We’re down to the wire and trying to decide. Paying full boat at Oregon and DePaul has offered $5K/year (I guess we make too much??). What I’m really concerned about is - how long till graduation? U of Oregon facts page talks about 5 year and 6 year graduation rates. DePaul says committed students average 4.25 years.
It is likely my D will get her lib arts degree in 4 years at Oregon? At $43K per year, I can’t afford any additional years…</p>
<p>thx for help!</p>
<p>Larger state schools are seeing 5 year graduation rates more and more OR kids are taking a lot of summer courses to get done in 4 years, which amounts to the same thing financially. I would have your D contact the department chair at both schools and see what they say about graduation rates. I would also see if she can contact some juniors and seniors in that major to get the real scoop. Is there a Facebook page she could join and ask on there too?</p>
<p>DePaul is very urban, as I’m sure you know. My D loves that but don’t send your D there unless the idea of riding the El to classes, etc. is exciting to her.</p>
<p>are you in state for one of these, or out of state for both?</p>
<p>As a native Oregonian that went to UofO and had many friends that went there, it wasn’t an issue with graduating in 4 years if you wanted to. Granted that was a long time ago, but I don’t think liberal arts are impacted.</p>
<p>I would think you could focus on where there is going to be the best opportunities for international relations. As much as I love UofO, I’m not sure that is their strong suit. </p>
<p>I actually got a Sociology degree from UofO, then went on to grad school somewhere else for my IR Masters degree. With a background in history, political science, etc, I was well prepared for pursuing IR in grad school.</p>
<p>Great campus in Eugene, wonderful collegiate atmosphere.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your quick replies!<br>
We are out of state for both schools - in CA.
Excellent idea about contacting dept chairs, and Facebooking.
As far as the city life and DePaul, she thinks she’s ready to experience the big city (we live in Bakersfield, actually, less than 1 million and central CA valley).<br>
We’re scheduled for a quick trip to OR, which I think we’ll still take, but will definitely schedule one for DePaul.<br>
I’m also thinking, tho it is late in the game, that she should Facebook for San Fran State and UofSF too, as she’s been accepted at both and seems like they’d also rate high for IR.<br>
I truly appreciate your comments and suggestions - this is a huge decision and heaven knows it needs to be the right one!
Thankyou - have a GREAT day!</p>
<p>Many students at U of O have no problem graduating in four years. In fact, I think that is the norm, unless the student has a reduced course load because of the need to work or is an athlete or has complicated double majors. We allowed both our D1 and D2 to go a fifth year but this is because both had double majors and a minor and were involved in athletics and/or student government, which took approximately 20 hours a week. Most of their peers had no problem finishing in four years. And, they could have, but we made a conscious decision to allow them to stay a fifth year to pursue the additional major and the extra-curricular activities. If your D knows her major from the get-go, she should have no problem finishing in four years.</p>
<p>My DD is a freshman at UO and we live in Fresno. We/she loves Eugene, it has been a great fit for her. She originally wanted an urban/large city experience, however, once she toured the Eugene campus, she decided to apply Early Admission, was accepted, and never looked back. She may have to go to at least one summer session to make sure she’s out in 4 years, but the trade-off of being in a true college town is invaluable. Portland is just a 2 hour train/bus ride away, big enough to get the “urban” feel for the weekend! I let her make the decision, but personally didn’t think she was really ready for a truly urban large city school. She’s had some adjustments to make, still is homesick now and then, we go up to every Parent’s weekend just to say “hi” and hangout. Lucky that the Fresno airport has a daily direct flight to Portland, it was important that we were able to reach her quickly, wherever she matriculated, in case of an emergency. </p>
<p>My DS went to school in Baltimore, very urban, “gritty” experience; he loved it! In some ways, he was more “street savvy” than my daughter and had a much easier time adjusting to being that far away from home. He is now married and they will probably make a permanent home on the east coast.</p>
<p>Hope all this helps…feel free to PM me if you have anymore questions regarding UO.</p>
<p>patty</p>
<p>Thank you DuckMom and cheval54 -
GREAT posts and I feel very encouraged about UofO…I’m not sure she’s ready for heavy city experience of Chicago and Oregon could offer the perfect venue, with its proximity to Portland. thank you so much!</p>
<p>Is there any reason why your D would choose to full pay at an OOS school while so many CA state schools are on par academically with UO?</p>
<p>I attended DePaul for my MA and PhD. After being in a rural college town for 4 years I was excited about living in the city. DePaul is in a great location- you can walk to the Lincoln Park Zoo which is along the lakefront, Clark Street is fun and busy, and the L is right by campus. My only hesitation for an undergrad is that it is heavy on commuter students. The positives are the academics and proximity to the city and endless internship opportunities. Good luck with the decision!</p>
<p>cbreeze, UofOregon, as we understand is ranked well for her major although, yes, CA schools would be a bit less. I am very discouraged with the in state schools though - tuition is through the roof…my son is transferring from our local community college to UC Santa Cruz this fall to study engineering, and tuition+housing still more than 30K a year - for CA resident!</p>