Portland State University https://www.pdx.edu/ is located in the heart of downtown Portland and is a great choice for students who are looking for an exciting urban setting with lots of opportunities for internships, and city fun. It's not surprising that business and marketing are the most popular majors. Portland State is a WUE school, (Western Undergraduate Exchange,) which offers reduced tuition to neighboring states if you meet the academic requirements. This makes PSU an affordable option for out-of-state students. Portland State has rolled out a 4 year degree guarantee and many other exciting programs, in fact they have been named in the top 10 for innovation by US News & World Reports! ​https://www.pdx.edu/insidepsu/us-news-ranks-psu-as-top-10-most-innovative 

Today I attended the CSU counselor conference to get the latest updates for the 23 California State University Campuses. There is good news within the CSU, 4-year graduation rates are on the rise and programs such as SB-1450, The California Promise, offer enhanced advising and other support to help students graduate in four years. http://ticas.org/keeping-californias-promise. Campus impaction continues at many schools which can make getting in more difficult. Impaction means there are more applicants than seats, this can be campus wide, or program specific. The campuses with all programs impacted include: San Diego State, San Jose State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal State Long Beach. The California State University system was created to serve the top third of California students and that bar keeps getting higher. A sneak preview into the future promises an updated application with a new name, Cal State Apply, coming Fall of 2018. The current application, CSU Mentor, https://secure.csumentor.edu/logon.asp will open on October 1st and close November 30th.

October 20, 2015 · Colorado Springs, CO ·
Colorado Collage in Colorado Springs is a very selective top liberal arts college located at the foot of Pike's Peak. Colorado College is known for the "block plan." It's a unique way of taking classes, one at time! Students are able to study in depth in one subject, typically from 9-noon every day. This allows for field trips, research, and only studying for one final at a time! Colorado College encourages students to become fully immersed in the subject. Imagine sailing in the Mediterranean while reading Homer and retracing Odysseus' adventures. Colorado College has a study abroad program that does just that! The students are engaged, friendly, and have a lot of input with the administration. If a block plan interests you, I recommend you take a look at Colorado College. #coloradocollege #pikespeakview https://www.coloradocollege.edu/