Most colleges, including the University of Washington, have pennants that represent their school. At CHS, college pennants can be found everywhere, especially in classrooms acknowledging teachers’ alma maters and in the Career Center to inspire students.
It’s that time of year: high school seniors all around the country are applying for college and some have already received letters of acceptance. Seniors at Cascade are no different. While some may venture far from home, there are many Washington state colleges that are good options. Staying in state for college offers a variety of advantages. Some of the more well-known Washington state colleges include Western Washington University (WWU), Central Washington University (CWU), Washington State University (WSU), University of Washington (UW), and Eastern Washington University (EWU). There are many good courses and majors offered at these colleges and Kodiaks who stay in state can still be close to home.
“The plus of going to Washington state colleges and being from Washington is in-state tuition. It's a lot more affordable if you're from the state you're going to college too. Granted, they have lots of good things to offer, like the University of Washington has an amazing campus and this great setting. Then all the colleges on that list have good programs for one reason or another. So, it really depends on what you students want to do and how they want to pay for it,” said Mrs. Rieke CHS College & Career Counselor.
Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, WA. Western Washington has a small student body of 15,197 it's, it has a total of 93% undergraduate students. Many of the students that attend WWU are from Washington, with 13% of students international or out of state. They have more than 200 academic programs for a wide selection of career paths. Almost all classes are taught by faculty and not by graduate assistants; Most Western faculty have the top degrees in their field. WWU has an average class size of around 26 people allowing WWU students to get as much help as they need. Western Washington University is only 55 miles South of Vancouver, British Columbia; it is also 90 miles north of Seattle, WA.
Central Washington University is in Ellensburg, WA. It has a small student body of 10,327; only 2,800 live on campus. At Central Washington University the average out of pocket tuition is around $3,000; full tuition for 10-17 credits is $6,621; this does not include room and board which is another $13,787 on average. CWU has over 135 majors including music, business and physics. Central Washington University has many sports competitions and is part of NCAA Division II. Teams at CWU include six men varsity sports and seven women varsity sports.
Washington State University has 11 National Academy members and five Grand Challenges as institutional research priorities. It offers 101 majors for undergraduates, research opportunities, and many internships. Students from 87 different countries work together to solve world problems. According to the WSU website “they are mentored by professors who are accomplished in their fields with 79 masters degree programs, 65 doctoral degree programs, and three professional degree programs: medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine.” Many degree studies in medicine and pharmacy are a choice at the WSU Spokane Health Sciences campus. There are 565 different study abroad programs in more than 70 countries offered through the university. There are around 19,900 students who attend WSU; 30% are multicultural. Activities include more than 260 registered student organizations, four different student centers, nine Pac-12 Conference intercollegiate sports for women, six for men, and more than 6,000 intramural sports players.
The University of Washington is in NE Seattle, WA; it has a medium undergrad enrollment of 36,206 students. UW has a large campus of 635 acres. The University of Washington is ranked #55 in the 2022-2023 edition of best colleges and national universities according to U.S. News and World Report. For in-state students' tuition and fees are $12,242 and for students out of state tuition and fees are around $40,740. On average, Washington University accepts students who have an SAT score between 1220 and 1470 or an ACT score of 29 to 34.
Eastern Washington University is in Cheney, Washington. EWU has a smaller student body of 10,892 students. Eastern Washington University accepts students with GPAs around 3.27. EWU’s annual tuition per quarter is $2,294. Eastern has a large selection of classes with over 100 majors and more than 150 areas of study; they also offer 39 master's degrees, 20 graduate certificates, 60 graduate programs, and doctorates.
Montana State University (MSU), however, is not a Washington state school, it is a school that many CHS students apply for. MSU has an average enrollment of 16,766: 14,817 undergraduates and 1,949 graduates. First-year class enrollment is around 3,330: average high school GPA is around 3.57; average ACT is around 25; average SAT is around 1234. It has over 250 academic programs. MSU is in Bozeman, MT, which has a population of 107,810. Bozeman has an average snowfall of 86” a year. MSU has 498 international students representing 74 different countries. “Over the past ten years, MSU students have received the following: three Rhodes scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, 37 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, 8 Udall Scholarships, 8 Boren Scholarships, two Gates-Cambridge Scholarships (including the first Native American student to receive the award), 23 Fulbright Grants, and a Marshall, Mitchell, Schwarzman Scholarship and the Pearson Prize for Higher Education,” according to Facts and Stats Undergrad Admission. MSU might be considered a “life-style college”. There are two big ski resorts within one hour driving of the campus: Bridger Bowl 20 minutes from campus, with 2,700’ vertical drop and 350” annual snowfall; Big Sky Resort is 60 minutes from the campus with 4,350’ vertical drop and 400+” annual snowfall. Bozeman has three major rivers, they are the Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone rivers. and Bozeman is famous for whitewater adventure, fly fishing, history and Hollywood films. The MSU Bobcats have sport teams such as alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, football, golf, Nordic skiing, rodeo (NIRA), spirit squad, tennis, track, field, and volleyball. Jerome Jerome (current MSU student) said, “I chose MSU for a few reasons. The biggest one was probably because I liked the school; it had good academics for the fields I wanted to go in to and I got a good scholarship. Not having to pay a ton of money was helpful and the surrounding area, it had all the activities I wanted to do, I especially love fly fishing. My favorite part of MSU is a tie between the people who I have met and the surrounding area, all the outdoor activities. I have met a lot of cool people there.”
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