Oregon State - Thoughts?

[ccrose3]

So does anyone here, attending or not, have any thoughts on Oregon State? I would love opinions on the curriculum, culture, surroundings, etc. I'm trying to consider where to move for my 3rd year undergrad, and would like to move somewhere that I know I would want to go to vet school at, to make my chances easier.

My bf and I visited Portland a couple of years ago, as well as Newberg, where he would be attending flight school if we were to move. The scenery is beautiful, but I'm concerned about the climate (I've heard varying stories on the amount of time it rains there, and what the rain is like). Is the climate in Corvallis different than in Portland? I don't mind rain, but I don't want to feel like I'm living in Ireland for half the year. We will probably visit again this winter - last time we visited during the summer, so I think we need a taste of the not-so-great weather.

We would probably live somewhere between Corvallis and Newberg. I'm used to driving 45min to an hour each way to/from work and school, so a similar drive would be fine. As for getting out, although I love someplace like Portland I don't mind living somewhere smaller than that, because I seriously doubt I'm going to have much time to experience that anyway. I live in Austin, TX right now and if I can go on hikes with my dogs and find a good coffee shop, I'm a happy girl (and living someplace that isn't hot all the time would be nice).

Also, I have tried to find some sort of admissions statistics for OSU, but can't seem to find any. If anyone has any input on any of this I would greatly appreciate it.

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[lailanni]

I know ..what's his name...vetDJ, I think? He got into Oregon and accepted. A few others here got in and declined, a good handful waitlisted. If he's not reading boards anymore I'm sure he'd write back if you PM'd him.

If you want to go to Oregon, your best bet is in-state. They only take 8 OOS people, including WICHE so it's pretty steep.

I'm from Washington so I'm pretty immune from the rain. But I will say it does rain quite a bit and the winters are predominately overcast on the PNW coast. If the thought of no sunshine, high temps in the upper 30's, and rain for a few weeks on end doesn't bother you, then you should be ok. The springs/summers are amazing but the winters/falls can be a bummer. But I like it anyways! And we have plenty of coffee shops!

 

[ccrose3]

Hi Lailanni, thanks for your input. Yeah a few weeks is no big deal, but more than a month straight would probably do me in. Coffee shops might make up for some of those bad days, though!

I really don't think I have a chance at all as an OOS applicant, so def want to apply as in-state... I'll see if I can find vetDJ and msg him, thanks!

 

[BrumleyVet]

I have lived in Washington most of my life. I lived in Corvallis for a couple of years before moving to Everett (north of Seattle), then finally to Spokane. Portland weather is a wee bit like Ireland (sorry-couldn't help it ), but the area is way less congested than Seattle and the winters are mild. You get a bit of snow, but not to the point of having to own a 4-wheel drive. Just a half hour either direction and you're out of the city and can do just about anything you can imagine! Great shopping, hiking, boating, sports, you name it! The Guide Dogs for the Blind is in Boring, just a little East of Portland too. Great place to volunteer or get into puppy raising! And yes, the coffee shops are wonderful!

 

[LucyLoo]

Just be ready for weeks of overcast skies. People think it rains a lot, but more like drizzles for days on end with a few sun breaks (which you will learn to really appreciate). But like the others said, that is mostly in the winter. Like the others, I lived on the west side of WA most of my life and it seemed to be the constant overcast that really got to out of state people. But a lot of them would visit tanning salons just to get some extra UV.

Oh, and yes...coffee,lots of coffee

 

[ccrose3]

Thanks for the reply, Brumlyvet! This information is helpful.

 

[ccrose3]

Just be ready for weeks of overcast skies. People think it rains a lot, but more like drizzles for days on end with a few sun breaks (which you will learn to really appreciate). But like the others said, that is mostly in the winter. Like the others, I lived on the west side of WA most of my life and it seemed to be the constant overcast that really got to out of state people. But a lot of them would visit tanning salons just to get some extra UV.

Oh, and yes...coffee,lots of coffee

Hmmm.... I could deal with it to an extent, but I don't know how long. About how many months does this last? The winters here are maybe 2 months long, and it seems like summer lasts for 5-6. The heat is just too much for me to deal with for so long, and I'm from here! (There are 2 seasons in TX, hot and hotter!) I guess any extreme weather could get old, but I imagine those overcast skies could be a bit depressing. Ideally I would like to live somewhere that has at least 3 seasons, if not 4.

 

[LucyLoo]

The worst of it is probably Nov-Jan and then Spring starts arriving about the end of Feb. I think most people deal with it because it is so beautiful, you just need a good Gortex jacket! I honestly didn't appreciate it until I moved away 2 years ago and plan on moving back when I'm done with school. A good idea is just to watch their weather for a while and you will get a feel for what you would be in for.

I don't know if you're set on OR but I didn't realize the sun could shine so much in winter until I moved to CO. Now if they were next to the ocean it would be perfect.

 

[BrumleyVet]

Put it this way - you mow your lawn from March til October, shovel maybe twice, but you will never fry an egg on the sidewalk!

 

[ccrose3]

Put it this way - you mow your lawn from March til October, shovel maybe twice, but you will never fry an egg on the sidewalk!

I think you just convinced me to move. That sounds like heaven!

 

[Mylez]

I attend OSU as a second year vet student. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Coming from a state where it is so sunny in the wintertime to a place that rains all the time was really hard for me. I like the rain, but like others have said it drizzles ALL THE TIME. I would say Oct-May before it really starts to get pretty nice outside, and then you hate going to class on days when it is nice outside (and it is the first nice day in MONTHS).

With that said I love OSU. Think it has a great program although it has had its problems. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, but I am happy with the quality of education and especially the one-on one interaction with professors because of the small class size (which also means you get to do more stuff that only third or fourth years get to do at larger schools).

 

[ccrose3]

I attend OSU as a second year vet student. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Coming from a state where it is so sunny in the wintertime to a place that rains all the time was really hard for me. I like the rain, but like others have said it drizzles ALL THE TIME. I would say Oct-May before it really starts to get pretty nice outside, and then you hate going to class on days when it is nice outside (and it is the first nice day in MONTHS).

With that said I love OSU. Think it has a great program although it has had its problems. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, but I am happy with the quality of education and especially the one-on one interaction with professors because of the small class size (which also means you get to do more stuff that only third or fourth years get to do at larger schools).

Hm.... 6 months of rain, I dunno. Then again, we have 8 months of miserable heat so could be a good trade off...

I'll definitely PM you, thanks!

 

[LucyLoo]

Hm.... 6 months of rain, I dunno. Then again, we have 8 months of miserable heat so could be a good trade off...

I'll definitely PM you, thanks!

Look at it this way, you get to see a lot of interesting fungal cases...it grows on everything!!