Pacific Northwest Tour - Lewis & Clark College

Original estate manorhouse, now the Lewis & Clark Admission Office

Students personalize their mailboxes with stickers.

Today was the final day of the tour and we spent it visiting Lewis & Clark College. A liberal arts college with about 2,400 students located in the suburbs of Portland, this school has a gorgeous campus (formerly a private estate and country club built by a Jewish family unwelcome to join existing clubs in the 1920s). There are towering trees and a lovely wooded landscape that can't help but make you feel transported to a peaceful forest retreat away from the urban grid of Portland just a few miles away.

Location is one of the major features that Lewis & Clark prides itself on, being both in a major city and in the Pacific Northwest situated right between the Oregon coast, a state park, and nearby mountains for skiing. There is a focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship and students are very much drawn toward global experiences and applying their learning to the real world.


As a counselor, something I found appealing was the fact that Lewis & Clark can offer high quality of education while simultaneously having a generous rate of admission. For the vast majority of Eleanor Roosevelt students, this could be a target or likely school but it wouldn't result in sacrificing on key factors like proximity to a city/airport, strong faculty, and happy students. The school has been testing optional since 1991, a sign that they genuinely are able to serve and welcome students with all sorts of strengths. About 8-9% of the pool applies without testing, but those students end up being 20% of the enrolled class.

From my observation, Lewis & Clark is a good fit for a student who is outdoorsy, artsy, and self identifies as someone a little off the beaten path. They do not have any Greek life and the student I had lunch with made a point to say it was not a party school. Instead, most students prefer to go hiking or camping on the weekend, socializing in the great outdoors as opposed to a bar, club, or big party. One of the highlights of the visit was getting to hear anecdotes from professors at breakfast about their interactions with students. It was clear that teaching is a priority and personal attention from faculty is the norm. A few spaces on campus could potentially use some renovation, but I respect their approach to fund other institutional priorities above interior decorating (especially given the precarious state of liberal arts colleges that don't have giant endowments). It also goes with their mission of environmental sustainability to not replace or redecorate functional spaces.

I want to sincerely thank all five campuses for their hospitality over the past week. I also very much thank the ElRo PTA for their funding support of the college office and Mr. Saliani for his commitment to professional development in granting me permission to attend amazing opportunities such as this. I feel so much more well versed in these schools and am ready to recommend them to the right students.