University of Oregon or Washington State University?

[mitzi]

Hey y'all! I am lucky enough to have choices as to where I go to grad school in the fall, but I'm trying to gather information before making a decision. 

Can anyone give me a little more insight into the programs at UO and WSU? Does anyone know how these programs compare? Or is anyone familiar with Spokane and Eugene and able to give me more information about the areas?

My heart is leaning toward UO, mostly because it's a little closer to my family. However, I'm a Washington resident, so WSU would be WAY cheaper for me. Of course it depends from person to person, and there are many factors involved...but for you personally, would you take the cheaper offer no matter what?

[Shecan]

I would certainly take the cheaper option. I apply to California schools and I would want to stay in Cali. I can't imagine graduating with lots of debt. Good luck! 

[THS]

I went to Oregon State for my Ma (Applied Anth) and am at WSU for my PhD and I would 100% choose Oregon over Washington for place to live. I like my phd program, but Pullman is a drag and Spokane isn't that great. Idk if your program is centered in Spokane or Pullman...it sounds like Spokane from what you posted, but if you are in Pullman know that you'll be an hour and a half from Spokane, an hour from good hiking...it just isn't ideal. 

[SLP224]

I am in the exact same position. I’m also from Washington which makes UO much more expensive than WSU. I’ve visited both campuses, and UO feels more like a college campus and a college town (and has a very similar feel to my undergraduate experience) whereas WSU is a smaller campus and feels more professional and is in a bigger city. I also really loved the faculty at WSU! I am leaning more towards WSU mainly for the price difference, but I think I would be happy in either school! What are your pros and cons?

Edited March 28, 2019 by SLP224

[mitzi]

On 3/19/2019 at 12:31 PM, loves2hike said:

I went to Oregon State for my Ma (Applied Anth) and am at WSU for my PhD and I would 100% choose Oregon over Washington for place to live. I like my phd program, but Pullman is a drag and Spokane isn't that great. Idk if your program is centered in Spokane or Pullman...it sounds like Spokane from what you posted, but if you are in Pullman know that you'll be an hour and a half from Spokane, an hour from good hiking...it just isn't ideal. 

I definitely have no desire to be in Pullman. WSU's SLP program is in Spokane...still not ideal, but I'd definitely take it over Pullman. Part of me thinks I shouldn't dwell on the town the programs are in since I'll probably be too busy to really explore the area TOO much anyway, but it sounds like location has had a huge impact on your experiences! What did you enjoy about Eugene?

[Bmay80]

I went from Northern Virginia to Radford, VA, population around 16,000. Was it a culture shock, yes, but I survived. I was busy with class work and weekends were busy with studying. I did make it home on occasion, maybe 2-3 times a semester. I only lived there for 3 semesters because I was able to do my externship at home. I wouldn’t let the size of a town determine where I went to school, it’s not forever?

[mitzi]

On 3/27/2019 at 6:55 PM, SLP224 said:

I am in the exact same position. I’m also from Washington which makes UO much more expensive than WSU. I’ve visited both campuses, and UO feels more like a college campus and a college town (and has a very similar feel to my undergraduate experience) whereas WSU is a smaller campus and feels more professional and is in a bigger city. I also really loved the faculty at WSU! I am leaning more towards WSU mainly for the price difference, but I think I would be happy in either school! What are your pros and cons?

Thank you for giving me your perspective! So helpful. You get the struggle. I haven't had the chance to visit either campus, but I'm planning on going to the visiting day this Friday. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to see the WSU campus before making my decision. I have a friend in the Eastern program who has talked the EWU/WSU program up significantly, though! And I really enjoyed the small interactions I had with the two professors who conducted my interview. I think I would be happy in either program as well! 

At this point the main pros and cons influencing my decision are tuition/cost of living and location. I don't know enough about either program to actually compare them. I obviously have some researching to do in the next couple weeks haha. What are your pros and cons?

[mitzi]

10 minutes ago, Bmay80 said:

I went from Northern Virginia to Radford, VA, population around 16,000. Was it a culture shock, yes, but I survived. I was busy with class work and weekends were busy with studying. I did make it home on occasion, maybe 2-3 times a semester. I only lived there for 3 semesters because I was able to do my externship at home. I wouldn’t let the size of a town determine where I went to school, it’s not forever?

Awesome! I feel the same way. I figure I can live anywhere for a couple years, and I'll probably be too busy for it to REALLY make a difference. So I'm trying not to dwell too much on location. I love hearing others' perspectives, so thank you  

[SLP224]

On 4/1/2019 at 1:58 PM, mitzi said:

Thank you for giving me your perspective! So helpful. You get the struggle. I haven't had the chance to visit either campus, but I'm planning on going to the visiting day this Friday. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to see the WSU campus before making my decision. I have a friend in the Eastern program who has talked the EWU/WSU program up significantly, though! And I really enjoyed the small interactions I had with the two professors who conducted my interview. I think I would be happy in either program as well! 

At this point the main pros and cons influencing my decision are tuition/cost of living and location. I don't know enough about either program to actually compare them. I obviously have some researching to do in the next couple weeks haha. What are your pros and cons?

No problem, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one having a tough time deciding haha. How was your visit to UO? I think based on the little research I've done, the programs themselves seem very similar! It's mainly about tuition and location for me as well. I also know that WSU and UO offer externships the last semester/last two quarters that can be done outside of Spokane/Eugene so even if the town isn't the best, you're really only there for less than 2 years! At this point I think I am going to commit to WSU because it's more affordable for me, and I think I can be happy in Spokane! Both Eugene and Spokane will be a new place to me as well, so I don't know if I want to pay more for the same degree just for a difference in location.

[slptobe!]

On 3/17/2019 at 6:23 PM, mitzi said:

Hey y'all! I am lucky enough to have choices as to where I go to grad school in the fall, but I'm trying to gather information before making a decision. 

Can anyone give me a little more insight into the programs at UO and WSU? Does anyone know how these programs compare? Or is anyone familiar with Spokane and Eugene and able to give me more information about the areas?

My heart is leaning toward UO, mostly because it's a little closer to my family. However, I'm a Washington resident, so WSU would be WAY cheaper for me. Of course it depends from person to person, and there are many factors involved...but for you personally, would you take the cheaper offer no matter what?

These are both such great options, so first congrats! I have been to both of these locations, but only the Spokane campus as far as actually seeing what being in the program would be like. I feel like the locations have similarities in many ways, and like mentioned there are some similarities in the programs. If you decide for the WSU one, let me know!

Edited April 8, 2019 by slptobe!

[mitzi]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:47 PM, SLP224 said:

No problem, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one having a tough time deciding haha. How was your visit to UO? I think based on the little research I've done, the programs themselves seem very similar! It's mainly about tuition and location for me as well. I also know that WSU and UO offer externships the last semester/last two quarters that can be done outside of Spokane/Eugene so even if the town isn't the best, you're really only there for less than 2 years! At this point I think I am going to commit to WSU because it's more affordable for me, and I think I can be happy in Spokane! Both Eugene and Spokane will be a new place to me as well, so I don't know if I want to pay more for the same degree just for a difference in location.

It was good! The facilities are beautiful and everyone seems super friendly and supportive. That seems like good reasoning to me! It seems logical to choose the program that is more affordable when you'll be getting the same degree in the end anyway. I'm actually leaning toward UO, though...definitely goes against the logical side of my brain. But it's closer to friends and family, I wouldn't have to drive over the mountains to visit home (like I would if I was in Spokane), wouldn't have to deal with as much snow, and I think I'd like living in Eugene. Meeting some of the faculty, current grad students, and prospective students probably influenced my train of thought as well, though! I wish I had time to visit WSU, but it is what it is. I'm excited for you!

[mitzi]

On 4/7/2019 at 10:38 PM, slptobe! said:

These are both such great options, so first congrats! I have been to both of these locations, but only the Spokane campus as far as actually seeing what being in the program would be like. I feel like the locations have similarities in many ways, and like mentioned there are some similarities in the programs. If you decide for the WSU one, let me know!

Thank you so much! There are definitely some similarities between the two programs, and they're both good programs, so I can't really go wrong. I'm still leaning toward UO but haven't made a FINAL decision, so I'll let you know if that changes! I have a friend in the Eastern SLP program and she's pretty great, so I already know you'll be in good company

[PNWSpeech]

Congrats on both!! I love UofO, I did my undergrad there and know the SLP program is great. BUT all of that being said, I work in a speech clinic in Portland and we have therapists who went to both schools, I say go where it's cheaper. You'll be equally employable and will have an equally great education, if you can save ANY money you should absolutely do it. You'll get an amazing education and WSU. That's the advice i've always gottten from SLP's and is the reason I turned down my only offer last year, do what makes sense financially because you'll get to do what you love regardless knowing you have choices