“The first university in the West - and, one of the best”

Introduction
I chose Willamette for its location, its size, and the caliber of its teaching faculty. As a politics major, the campus' location across the street from the Oregon state capitol building provides unparalleled access to the halls of power, and opportunities for internships. The size of the student body - hovering around 1,950 undergrads, with three adjacent (yet small) grad. schools - is also a definite plus to going here. Class sizes are incredibly low (the largest # of students that I've shared a class with, so far, is about 25), giving you the experience of interacting with your classmates and being able to approach your professors with any questions about things - both inside and out of the classroom. In addition, the campus is absolutely gorgeous. A walk down the Capitol mall in the springtime, with the cherry blossoms in bloom, is pretty cool indeed.

That said, there are a few things about going here that would definitely discourage some people from attending. One of these would have to be the nature of being on a small campus, going to a relatively-small and isolated school. I say isolated not because of the physical location it has - it obviously isn't isolated, in that regard, as it's literally surrounded by downtown Salem - but because of the way in which you feel almost closed off from the world when you're in here. A person used to being in an urban environment, I imagine, would have a hard time adjusting to the constant, insulated daily routine(s) of a school like Willamette, and the lack of constant activity and energy that it has.

The biggest piece of advice I would give to people considering going here would be to talk to the actual students (like me), instead of listening to what the tour guide will tell you. I say this, mind you, not because the admissions staff does a poor job of 'selling' the place-- they actually do a pretty good job, all things said-- but simply because you can get an even more genuine "feel" for a place like Willamette U. by turning to those who would be the most familar with it, living on campus and being around everything that goes on around here everyday, for nine months out of the year.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life on campus is very active and diverse, considering the size of the student body. On any given night you will have a range of activities available to you that are catered towards pretty much any given discipline, academic or not. I personally try to catch as many of the weekly “convocations” – during which an invited speaker will give a lecture on a certain (and, usually, pretty timely) topic – as I can. The main student center is less than five years old, and boasts a lot of different things, from ping-pong to a big-screen TV, with laundry facilities and a ‘convenience store’ of sorts to boot.

The presence of five national fraternities, and three sororities on campus only adds to the social scene – providing additional options for what to do on the weekends. Having them on campus, in addition, brings with it the advantage of greater oversight of parties and things. I know it’s something you hear at every campus you visit, but at Willamette … the ‘drinking scene’ really isn’t that bad. I live in a dorm situated smack-dab in the middle of four fraternities, and I hardly even notice it – including on Friday nights. Advertisement
Academics
Willamette has a great reputation in terms of academics, and it tries to live up to it – with its faculty, its facilities, etc. For those who had the benefit of a lot of college-prep work in high school, though – whether through AP, IB, or the like – I would say that the coursework here really isn’t that much of a step up from what you’ve already been exposed to. This really isn’t the sort of rigorous small-college world that they would have you believe – and yet, a degree from here will, we’re told, get you places. My experience has shown that Willamette isn’t the best known on the East coast, but definitely enjoys a lot of name recognition among people in the Northwest and Pacific Rim states.

Student Body
The vast majority of the students I have met here are from one of about six different states, outside of Oregon (with the most, by far, being from the first four): Washington, California, Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska, and Montana. This is a place that attracts some of the best liberal-arts students in this corner of the country … and beyond. Average test scores are around 1300 on the SAT, with a 3.75 GPA. The most common majors are politics, econ., music, English, and the natural sciences (bio, chem., etc.).

But, what are students really like? They’re tolerant, open-minded and accepting. When something happens that ‘ruffles’ their (our) feathers, though, the student body – and, campus at-large – tends to crouch down into sort of a “politically-correct hole”, afraid to say anything in response to whatever bigot or general idiot has made the latest lame remark in the school newspaper. There is a real sense of almost cautious acceptance of pretty much anything and everything here, and general reluctance to speak out about anyone who might push the envelope of free speech too far in their quest to make themselves heard. So what usually ends up happening when something like this comes up is people just ignore it and try to move on with their lives, burrowing themselves in the latest environmental trends or local (Salem) punk bands that are common to such a small, liberal-arts campus.

In Closing...
I came to Willamette this past August as an incoming freshman, matriculating as a member of the class of ’09 with about 400 others. However, I came having already had a bit of a taste of life on a college campus – having attended a school, on the east coast, for roughly three months after I graduated from high school. Willamette was a school that I was accepted to, while I was still in high school – but, which I chose not to go to, preferring instead the promise that I thought the Washington, D.C. region would offer me in terms of national politics and political campaign intrigue.

I now look back on that decision to start my college career elsewhere as one of the worst I’ve ever made. I’m constantly wishing that I had made the choice, originally, to come here along with so many of the other members of my class – because I can feel like I can fully appreciate how good I have it, here, after having dealt with how bad things can be at another institution. All things said, Willamette University is just the kind of place that you’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of things wrong about. And I say this not because I’m trying to make it look good for any prospective students out there – but because that’s how it appears to me, now, having been here for six months and seen first-hand all that it has to offer.

Willamette is a place that more than met my expectations, and one that I am sure will continue to meet a lot of other people's, as well. And for that reason, I say that it really is a school that I would recommend to … well, just about anyone.