February a good time to consider West Coast colleges
With February break around the corner, it is the perfect excuse to combine West Coast ski trips with college visits. Consider touring the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, known as Silicon Slopes, and the University of Washington, in the heart of Seattle’s Silicon Canal. In developing the college list, these colleges highlight the three “L’s”: learning, living, launching.
Last March, I visited the University of Utah, 30 miles from Park City (Epic season pass) and the University of Washington, 30 miles from the Summit at Snoqualmie (Ikon season pass). Both state universities have expansive academic programs, outdoor lifestyles, and booming internship and job markets.
Departing from Burlington, with a stopover in Chicago, it is an eight-hour flight to Salt Lake City. From the skies, the Wasatch Range is huge, and the Great Salt Lake is majestic. Utah is known as Silicon Slopes for hosting the 2002 Olympic Games held in Park City and Deer Valley. This July, The Wall Street Journal reported that Utah’s tech sector was the hottest U.S. job maker in 2023.
Leaving Utah, Seattle is just a two-and-a-half-hour direct flight, where you can see Mt. Rainier and Puget Sound from the airplane’s window. Seattle is known as Silicon Canal, located on the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Seattle is also referred to as Silicon Sound for Puget Sound. The headquarters of Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks are in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Starting at the University of Utah, there are 22,000 undergraduate students. The top majors are psychology (research and clinical), communication, biology, computer science and nursing. It competes in the Big 12 Conference, and 65 percent of its students are from in-state.
Learning opportunities include joining professional clubs. For example, joining the Blockchain Club includes networking events and guest speakers. Club activities include working on teams to develop and interact with secure networks in sharing data information and transport cryptocurrencies. Students collaborate on project competitions and participate in hack-a-thons. These are all experiences to add to the student’s resume and LinkedIn accomplishments.
Living experiences include enjoying outdoor fun and making friends with One Love Ski and Snowboard Club for students at all skills and levels. Students receive season pass discounts, participate in events with local brands, attend ski trips out west and enjoy wax nights, tailgates and community outreach.
Opportunities to launch your career include attending networking fairs and expos. Internships and jobs opportunities include STEM, data science and artificial intelligence, accounting, business, finance, sales, social and environmental impact, social and behavioral science, humanities, cultural and social transformation, architecture, design and planning, and fashion. LinkedIn lists 114 summer internships in Salt Lake City across all these industries with both big and small companies.
Continuing my campus visits at the University of Washington, there are 30,000 undergraduates and a recent member of the Big 10 Conference. The top majors include computer and information science, social sciences, biology, business and engineering. In-state students represent 77 percent of the student body.
The University of Washington’s gated campus is within the city of Seattle. It includes the contemporary Henry Art Gallery and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Waterside Husky Stadium is located along University Way, known as The Ave, with many cafes and shops.
Socializing with friends is a short walk to the U District of stores and restaurants. The local community partners with the University of Washington to schedule street fairs and festivals. There are artisan vendors, craft beers, bubble tea and ethnic foods. Also, the famous Pike Place Market is only 4 miles away from campus.
For the great outdoors, the Husky Snow Club and Husky Winter Sports Club are connected to The Summit at Snoqualmie. Also, the UWild Outdoors Club includes renting gear, climbing the Crags, paddling at the Waterfront and kayaking at Portage Bay. There is even a peaks and professors hiking club to explore the Pacific Northwest with your professors.
Launching professional exposures is supported by the career and internship center that offers weekly activities for career development. Events include resume and cover letter writing with AI-Jobscan, interview preparation, building your LinkedIn profile, biotech alumni panel, pre-health panel, environmental fair and the law, government and policy career connections.
College is a time to form community. Learning can extend beyond the classroom and into the natural and professional environments. Launch your career and have fun living it.
(Margo Bartsch founded College Essay Coach, a full-service college admission business, and has been an adjunct professor in business at Champlain College and at Middlebury College.)