Reviews

Pacific University has an extremely extensive course catalog for such a small school. They also cover a large amount of subjects, so students who go to college undecided have the ability to sample courses from many areas before deciding on a major. Plus, the wide variety means that once you have decided on a major, there is a high chance that Pacific will offer it - and if it doesn't, Pacific's design your own major program will allow you to create it yourself. This, as well as the fact the Pacific offers a liberal arts education, or a well-rounded education, means that simply in fulfilling the core requirements, all students will have the ability to survey different areas of study. Lastly, the student to teacher ratio is very low, so you will get to know almost all of your professors on a first name basis.

The Pacific University Forest Grove campus is beautiful, especially in the fall - one of the main reasons I chose to come to Pacific. Also, the location between the coast and Portland is great, especially with the public transportation between Forest Grove and Portland being so easy. One of the best parts about Pacific, though, is how student oriented it is. For example, upon arriving at Pacific on move-in day, I was approached by the student ambassadors, who carried all of my luggage and furniture to my dorm room for me - and there was a lot of it. On top of that, when checking me in, when the admission staff asked for my last name, they knew my first name without even checking the list! At Pacific, you are more than a number, you are a person, and they treat you as such.

Pacific is extremely expensive, in fact, the most expensive school I looked at. However, they offer a great scholarship program, which takes into account both need and academics - a friend of mine who didn't do so great in high school, but is unable to pay for college without loans, has more than half of her tuition covered in loans and scholarships - in another example, I know someone who got great grades and SAT scores, and is getting over $16,000/year in scholarships! The sticker price may be high, but chances are, you won't have to pay all of it. On top of that, I do feel that the school is a great value - so much is included in tuition, you could easily go the whole year without spending money on extras at the market or restaurants, and the small classes really maximize how much you get to learn for your money.

One unavoidable thing at Pacific is their dedication to the environment. There are many programs on campus that support sustainable living, and I guarantee you won't get through college without hearing about it. Also, one misconception is that at a small school such as Pacific, there wouldn't be much to do - however, between parties, festivals, clubs, and events around the Grove, there really isn't a day where you can't find something to do. Pacific hosts the annual Luau, as well as the Mensch Festival (this year including a free Blue Scholars Concert) and many other events. Clubs and organizations hold dances, lectures, movie nights, trips to Portland, and lots of other things. A friend of mine is even hosting a Cuddle Party for a school project this week - there's plenty to do here.

Personally, I can't see anyone who wouldn't like this school, and I know many different types who attend Pacific and love it. However, I would imagine that it would be best for...
- Environmentally friendly students
- Students who are passionate about learning
- Students who enjoy the outdoors (there are many outdoor activities to participate in)
- Students who aren't afraid of working hard
- Students who enjoy being involved in their community
I wouldn't, however, recommend Pacific to anyone looking for a large school, a school where they can expect to go unnoticed, or a school where they can get by just doing the minimal amount of work... classes here are challenging!

Pacific University has an extensive course catalog of basic classes, as well as in depth, career specific courses. As one who is undecided about my major, I appreciate the strong base of courses and large number of majors. While most of the majors I am considering are offered at Pacific, it adds extra security to know that I can create my own major with the guidance of an advisor, should I choose a major that Pacific does not normally offer. I am currently a freshman at Pacific University and have learned a lot just in my first semester. Each class I have taken was taught by a very knowledgeable and experienced faculty member. All professors I have come into contact with truly have the students best interests in mind and are tough, but fair in grading. Pacific University is an academically challenging school, which requires hard work, but offers an excellent education.

Most everyone at Pacific is welcoming and helpful. During orientation, “Boxer” Ambassadors and staff assist students in moving into dorms and settling into life on campus. Pacific has a diverse group of students, so everyone can find somewhere to fit in. Pacific’s former President, Phil Creighton knows each student by name and our current President, Lesley Hallick is working toward making each student feel welcome as well. Campus Public Security (CPS) are always on call and willing to accompany you to your dorm or vehicle and assist with other inconveniences, such as unlocking classrooms, and jumpstarting vehicles. The Pacific Information Center (PIC) is a helpful resource for general questions about Pacific and the Forest Grove community. Pacific University has a beautiful campus year round from its gorgeously colored trees in the fall and flowers in the spring to the old, yet well kept brick buildings. Forest Grove has a tight knit, small town feel, yet is close to Portland’s big city bustle, which can easily be reached by car or public transportation. The Oregon Coast and Mount Hood for the beach and skiing are also within driving distance. At Pacific, there are frequent events hosted by both students and the University. Some examples of these include: the annual Luau, holiday light parade, the Mensch Festival, and numerous visits from influential speakers and artists. Each of these things works toward making Pacific an enjoyable college to attend.

Pacific University is an expensive school, with the projected cost for the 2009-2010 school year at over $39,000. As daunting as this figure may look, Pacific does offer good “bang for the buck”. I have found that the books and supplies estimate is much higher than the actual cost, as long as you are frugal. Also, Pacific offers many scholarship opportunities, including merit based scholarships, competitive academic scholarships, special interest scholarships, and need based scholarships. These scholarships can cover a large part of the tuition. For example the honors merit scholarship is worth $12,000 per year. This year, I received a scholarship from Pacific, which I hadn’t even applied for. I believe the schooling at Pacific is of much higher quality than many other less expensive schools. The student to faculty ratio is 13:1. This enables you to develop relationships with teachers who know you by name and are willing to spend extra time to help you understand a subject or further pursue an interest. Each of these things add value to the educational experience offered at Pacific University. I believe the quality of the education is worth the cost, as long as you are willing to work hard and have education as a top priority.

For prospective students, I would recommend visiting the Pacific University campus early in the application process. Pacific is a wonderful school, though it is not for everyone. When I was a prospective student, I was told, “Once you’re here, you’ll know if Pacific is right for you”. This is true because Pacific has a unique environment, which is hard to explain though readily experienced on campus. I would also encourage prospective students to take challenging classes, keep a high GPA and prepare well for standardized tests. All of these things will lead to more scholarship opportunities to help cover tuition. Feel free to contact Pacific admissions staff as they are happy to answer questions and help you figure out if Pacific University is the right school for you.

Pacific has a very diverse group of students from 21 states and 6 countries. Most everyone can find somewhere to fit in. From my experience, however, Pacific is best for students who are serious about their education, enjoy a tight knit community and accountability, and enjoy being involved with school activities and the surrounding city.

Pacific University is the perfect school for athletes, academically driven students, and students who love the rain. The academics are rigorous, but the teachers are extremely helpful. The spirit at this school is something that anyone can feel as soon as he or she steps foot on campus.

For future students, I would advise taking classes back to back (preferably in the morning) so you can get done with your day as soon as possible. That way, you have the rest of the day to do homework, rest, eat, do chores, or anything else that needs taken care of in the daily life of a college student :)

Pacific University is very rigorous. In every class, I feel challenged and pushed in different ways. It can be difficult at times, but I know in the end I will come out of Pacific with a broader knowledge and specific skills to help me in my career. It is very important that you are on top of your studies here. If you slack off, then doing well is very hard.

The dorms here are pretty nice for the most part. I currently live in Cascade, which is only 3 years old so its pretty new. I also live in a quad with three other girls and it's always a fun time with them. Last year, I lived in Walter. Walter is one of the older dorms, but living there was super fun as a freshman because the dorm was very social. As a freshman, I was very eager to make friends and Walter was the perfect dorm for that.

My favorite meal in the cafeteria is the breakfast because the cooks are so good and I just love breakfast. Lunch and dinner are okay, but lately the cafeteria has been letting people fill out comment cards in order to better the food at Pacific. The newest meal they have been cycling through is sushi! It has been a big hit! The cafeteria offers a lot of variety, but sometimes something as simple as meat can be super dry or bland.

For fun, me and my roommates do a bunch of stuff. On Thursday's, there is free bowling at 9pm and every comes out. Its super fun. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays there is Zumba at 7pm which is always a good time and a great way to exercise! When its sunny outside, my roommates and I love to play on the beach volleyball court. But if the weather isn't cooperating, then we will play doubles in the gym, which is also really fun too.

A HUGE tradition here on campus is the traditional luau at the end of the year. It is a great production and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into it. The food is amazing and the performances embody the true Hawaiian culture. It is a fun filled week of activities that EVERYONE can be apart of. I am doing Luau this year with my roommates and I could not be more excited!

The Campus safety are super helpful and respond almost immediately. They are very kind and have personally helped me with my jump starts on my truck. Without them, I don't know what I would do!

At Pacific, you a treated like a person not a number. Beyond that, their for year graduation rate is very high. So even it the price tag seems high, with scholarships and the ability to get all your classes in, it is a better deal by far

Visit campus, get to know your admissions counselor.

I hear it's very high.

New dorm looks amazing!

The food is very good, with a great selection ( and I am picky.)

Swim, bike, hike surf - it's all close by. Voodoo Dpoughnuts & Powell Books in Portland, too, just 30 minutes away.

Pacific University is a home away from home filled with amazing faculty and opportunities to branch out.

I can't compare Pacific's classes to other colleges, haven't never attended any other, but I can say for certain that the learning opportunities offered by the school are diverse and engaging. In my experience within the English Department, at least, no two professors share too-similar teaching styles--there is a lot of diversity within the way they go about things, which allows for Pacific students to learn about and look at similar topics from vastly different perspectives.

The dorms at Pacific are, for the most part, very nice and enjoyable to live in, and each is managed by an amazing RA staff. Though some of the buildings and floors are older and need to be refurbished, the sense of community within the dorms is something to be applauded, particularly within the freshmen dorms. The upper class dorms are all new and beautiful, as well.

Pacific's dining services are perhaps the one area where things fall flat. There has been a lot of controversy even within the past year and a half over the school's food supplier, Aramark, and complaints about the quality of the food are neither rare nor unfounded. Still, the dining staff itself are all awesome, and the dining hours are easy enough to remember. On top of that, dining services (along with Greek life) occasionally put on big dinners before things like winter break, and these are always delicious.

There are a lot of things around campus for students to do, from intramural sports to non-intramural sports to theater and choir and band shows. Adding in other events and organizations, like the Open Mic Nights put on by ACE Board, and there is no shortage of things to do on a given day.

pacific is a fantastic place to be. the people are welcoming like a family. and you always feel that you are an important part of the forest grove community.

scholarships, scholarships, scholarships. pacific is pricy, yes. but it is worth any amount of money you could pay. so keep hunting for those scholarships.

pacific is a school that seems difficult to most. it demands success. let's face it, you would't pay around 45k to not be successful in your college career, and that's that way that pacific treats you. they treat you like a student that is there to learn and become someone very important in today's society.

dorm life is absolutely fantastic. it is like living in a mini suburb. you get to leave your doors open when you're studying just so that you can meet new people and become a family with the people in your hell. i have felt a sense of community here at pacific than i didn't even feel at home. i know so many people, and am proud to say that i met them all just by living on campus.

the food here isn't exactly a home cooked meal, but we have a ton of variety that i haven't seen at other schools. we have a salad bar, pizza bar, pasta bar where your food is prepared right in front of you, a sushi bar, a mongolian grill where the food is also prepared right in front of you, a wrap and sandwich station, a home cooking station, and a grill that makes anything form burgers to philly cheesesteaks. so in other words, you can pretty much have something new almost everyday.

for fun in forest grove, there is free bowling for students on thursday nights at the local bowling alley, which is a very popular activity. we have a huge athletic complex where you can run on the track outside, play football or soccer on either our indoor or outdoor turf field, workout in the fitness center, or just chill around campus. my friends and i usually will head out to portland for some weekend fun though. you can easily hop on the bus or the train and get to portland in about an hour, where there is so much to do.

pacific may seem pricy, but the education that you get here is some of the best in the state. you are prepared for the real world and for the workforce from day one. nobody babies you here, you are taught to be self-reliant, to time manage, and to be responsible for your own life. but in return most students graduating from pacific are hired right out of college by just having a degree with pacific university stamped across the top.

we have a spirit bench that has been made into the special spray paint bench. in the middle of the night you can go paint the bench and put whatever you want on it. the game is not to get caught, if you are caught painting it, it is said that you get a huge stroke of bad luck, we also have a building close to campus that is just offices, that is said to be haunted by a friendly ex-music major, that loves to turn lights on and off in the night.

pacific is great for the types of students that are serious about their future. if you are going to school to party, then pay half the price and go to some state university. here you will get a top education that is going to carry you through life. but don't get me wrong, you still get to have fun.

i am a member of the german club and we meet once a week on wednesday. we also have so many other clubs, we have sororities, housing associations, intramural sports, and clubs for every language out there.

we have around ten sororities here at pacific. my roommate happens to be in one of them. we have a pledge week just like other schools and many people end up pledging. but that is about all i can tell you.

safety here on campus is top notch. we have a 24 hour run security group that will answer any call. if you for some reason don't want to walk to your room or your car form the library, a campus security officer will come pick you up or walk you to wherever you need to go. they are constantly keeping tabs on the residence halls and are there when you need someone to let you in. there have never been any incidents on campus as far as i am aware of. i feel very safe here and don't know why anyone else wouldn't.

Most of the teachers here at Pacific really care about you and how you are going about your college life. The teachers are also very understanding and do not mind taking extra time to help you out if you need it. If they feel that you are more advanced than you think, they will let you know and suggest a different class that is in your level.

People and the campus is great. There may not be a lot to do in Forest Grove, but the students of Pacific plan a lot of fun and helpful activities

Pacific is really expensive but it will defiantly help you out in the long run. Though I will admit that we should not be charged for some of the things on our student account.

If you are undecided it is almost as good as a student who knows what major they want. Some teachers will let you know if you have a calling in a certain subject. Also, get a jump start on work study if you have. A lot of spots get taken up super fast! Do not miss the club and job fair! You never know what you can get yourself into! Also, internet in the dorms is really bad! I suggest if you could get your own internet.

If you are from Hawaii there are a lot of Hawaii students there and there is also a club that almost every student from Hawaii joins. There is also a Lu'au that is HUGE! But if you are from Hawaii and want to branch out the mainland students are also very nice. =D

The classes here are phenomenal. The professors interact directly with each student, and the class sizes stay small enough that you get to know your profs really well. This is not high school where you have to agree with the teacher because that's what's expected. Here, the profs encourage you to think for yourself and disagree with them. In an academic setting, of course, meaning you still have to respect that they are your instructor. But that's not hard, because the profs are good enough that most likely, you will respect them anyway. And they respect you back as students, which helps you to learn more. Yes, the work load can be killer, but it wouldn't be college, much less a private college, if you didn't have to actually work to get the grade and the education you are paying for.

If not for certain class requirements, I almost never leave campus. The whole campus is gorgeous and so alive, and almost everything you could possibly need is within a few minutes walking distance of your dorm, if you live on campus. The town of Forest Grove is cool, too, and many of the best spots are within walking distance of campus, as well. There's a Walmart a short drive down the road if you need anything that you can't find in the vicinity. And, of course, Portland is about 45 minutes away, accessible by car or public transport.

It's super spendy to get into, but it is well worth it. The community at Pacific alone makes it a worthwhile college. You will never lack support from your professors or peers here, and it's easy to feel safe wherever you go on campus. The level of academia and the quality of education is well worth the $40,000+ figure. And, although grades are not the most important thing, they help a lot. There are tons of scholarships, academic as well as merit, available through the school and its departments that can apply for. Work study opportunities are just about endless, and there are jobs on campus as well as off that can appeal to anybody, no matter what their interests or schedules.

+Go to Pacific's bookstore website early on in the summer to get your book list for your classes. You always have the option of finding the books you need from that site and ordering them elsewhere, but they also offer a great rental program that is easy to afford on just about any budget.

+Ask for help! The professors are more than happy to help you out if you need it, but won't know that you're struggling if you don't ask. They are very approachable and easy to talk to, so don't be afraid of them just because they have a Ph.D. and you don't. If you still don't feel comfortable asking your prof, there are any number of great on campus resources you can go to for help, and many of them have student volunteers that may be easier for you to talk to.

+Get involved in something. There's plenty of sports, especially now that Pacific brought back football. There's clubs for just about anybody, whether you're a biology or math fan or all about cancer research and prevention. There are tons of music groups for you to join, from symphonic band to orchestra to the chamber singers and more. The Theater Department has a full schedule lined up with any number of plays that you can get involved in, and even if you don't act, you can get down and dirty building sets in the scene shop or helping put together costumes in the costume shop.

+Don't come with a bad attitude or crummy work ethic. Someone once said that college is the only institute you /pay/ to get into but relish your days off. Just because you have a free day, remember that the weekend ends on Monday morning, and even though the professors are cool, they will still get grumpy if you don't have your act (and your homework) together. Don't put things off until the last minute and throw crap essays together the night before, because it's easy for profs to tell when that's the case. And don't think you can just skip readings because you have too much other work. Even if you just skim the chapter and get an idea...

+Anyone who simply loves to learn
+Anyone who likes getting involved in stuff
+Anyone from a small town (it's a small campus, apparently)
+Anyone looking for a change of pace
+Anyone who thinks a great college name is the clincher on a good resume (although we all know that it's what you do at college that matters, not where you went, right?)
+And anyone who thinks having a mythical creature as a mascot is awesome.