火爆社区

Students can鈥檛 stop raving about the quality of professors at the University of Portland: 鈥減henomenal鈥攏o question about it,鈥� puts one, while another elaborates that students are 鈥渁lways able to get something out of every lecture鈥� because of how 鈥渃lear, brilliant, and genuinely enjoyable鈥� the teachers are. This boils down to two things: First, the smaller class sizes mean students establish a 鈥渟uper strong community鈥� in which 鈥渢he professors get the chance to get to know each and every one of their students personally and are able to help them in a way that is customized to them.鈥� Second, the faculty 鈥渁re all incredibly knowledgeable and interested in both the course content and their students.鈥� As an education major puts it about their department, having professors who 鈥渨ere teachers themselves鈥� is a huge perk that makes this undergrad 鈥渇eel very confident about my ability to find a teaching job and thrive in my own classroom.鈥� Instructors also don鈥檛 hesitate to take learning off campus. One senior boasts that as part of their capstone class they are 鈥減art of a racing team where we are developing an electric go-kart to race in an upcoming collegiate competition.鈥� It seems that at UP, students do indeed go up, up, and away, with business students emphasizing the school鈥檚 鈥渃onnections at Nike, Adidas, Intel, and most companies based in Portland.鈥� The University of Portland also boasts a highly valued nursing program. 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful and grateful for the professors I鈥檝e had during my college experience,鈥� says one nursing student, 鈥淚 feel better prepared for the beginning of my post-grad life working as an RN thanks to them.鈥�

The sense of community here is unmatched, enthuses one student鈥攁s long as you鈥檙e willing to get involved. In short, 鈥渨hile students are focused on their academics...there is still a social scene and atmosphere if you want it.鈥� To put it another way: 鈥淎lmost everyone I know is involved in a club or organization, and it is where I have met almost all of my friends.鈥� The student body includes 鈥渟tudents with different identities, cultures, [and] passions.鈥� One student describes their peers as 鈥渕ostly PNW-style, [and] outdoorsy...either nonreligious or progressive religious,鈥� and others value the 鈥渄iverse set of minds鈥� and 鈥渧ery unique people鈥欌�� they鈥檙e surrounded by on campus. Students also note that 鈥渢he University of Portland has been growing with more diverse students, but more importantly more diverse professors.鈥� The University of Portland also has 鈥渁 large amount of students from other nations, which really enriches the culture and connectedness between one another.鈥� Students are 鈥渧ery outspoken, they are not scared to speak up,鈥� and are known for their willingness to 鈥渦plift each student鈥檚 uniqueness.鈥�

Affectionately known as 鈥淭he Bluff,鈥� the UP campus offers a lifestyle 鈥渓ike no other.鈥� Dorms offer a strong 鈥溾�榣obby culture鈥� so there鈥檚 always people in the lobby doing homework, or playing a game with a friend, or just relaxing.鈥� There鈥檚 an equally strong culture of spirituality鈥攖rue to the school鈥檚 Holy Cross roots鈥攊n that each dorm has its own chapel. 鈥淭here is always a way to grow stronger in your faith here.鈥� And while students emphasize all the fun there is to be had with sports and dances and the weekly Pilots After Dark pub-style event (鈥淪ometimes there is trivia, drag performances, [or] seasonal activities鈥�), UP is 鈥渙verall not a party school.鈥� Instead of discussing drinking, students speak of how 鈥淭he Bluff is a beautiful place, and just walking around campus is so relaxing,鈥� and revel in the 鈥渙utdoor opportunities available in the Pacific Northwest,鈥� like kayaking, camping, and skiing. There鈥檚 an Outdoor Pursuits Program that 鈥渙ffers students the ability to learn the basics and exposes people to the outdoors.鈥�

The University of Portland wants to raise students UP, and it has a whole Career Readiness Guide and a library of online resources and tools to get them there. In the classrooms, students participate in ten 鈥渃areer readiness competencies,鈥� such as Ethical Reasoning & Decision Making or Digital Literacy. On campus, the year-round Career Education Center works with students by phone, video, and in person to ensure that these competencies are evident in a student's applications, r茅sum茅s, interviews, and more. Students also mention the usefulness of clubs, like the Society of Women Engineers, which has 鈥渁mazing opportunities offered for career preparation,鈥� and the school鈥檚 connections and location, both of which help 鈥渟tudents connect with industry professionals,鈥� much of which can be done through the CEC鈥檚 job board. The school鈥檚 self-reported success rate finds about 85 percent of graduates employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation, with the highest full-time rates coming from the schools of Nursing & Health and Engineering. Accordingly, about 23 percent of graduates hail from STEM fields, and their median early career earnings tend to be on the higher side, starting at $75,000.