The main reason was that I really wanted to be in Portland, Oregon and Portland State University is the only public university in Portland. I really liked their biology program and their sustainability program too. The school also had a relationship with Oregon Health & Science University where I wanted to attend graduate school.
Course Curriculum :
The curriculum for my major was more complex than the curriculum for my friends at other public universities in the state. I think that the courses were rigorous and prepared me well for graduate school.
Exams :
I took the SAT as a high school junior and again as a high school senior before I applied to and attended PSU.
Internship :
I believe PSU does provide student internships but I am not sure what the stipend was or is. They also had a lot of student jobs that had fair pay and work-study opportunities. There were also student research positions with stipends.
Events :
We had a lot of multicultural events held by clubs and international students. We also have a week in January dedicated to health and wellness that celebrated self-care. There's a week in the fall based on the city of Portland that showcases and features different things about and around Portland. The school also celebrates its alumni.
Fees :
We paid for courses based on the number of credits we were enrolled in. We didn't have to pay for tuition in full at the beginning of the semester in order to stay in the class but we did have to enroll in the schools' payment plan. The payment plan was very reasonable and was helpful to me when paying for classes. We would have a student health fee, facility fees, course-specific fees, etc. The student health insurance plan was around $800 per trimester but students could opt out by signing a waiver showing insurance coverage at the beginning of the term.
Scholarship :
I applied for financial aid online and it was easily granted and then disbursed by the school. I fortunately never had an issue receiving my funds on the disbursement date so that I could pay for classes and books.
Examination Structure :
Science courses typically had two midterm exams and then one final exam. The school has trimesters so finals week happens three times a year. There are no classes in the week of finals, we only meet for exams. Some courses had more strict exam taking policies than others.
Faculty :
The faculty is diverse, which is something I appreciated about the school. They had a number of female science professors which was important to me. I loved the majority of my professors. The ones I did not love were really dedicated to their research and less dedicated to teaching.
