The Evergreen State College Top Questions

It is okay to cycle through friends and not everyone needs to know your whole story.

That there isn't very much job diversity. If you're expecting to find work, you will, but it probably won't be work where you'll be passionate about. There is also not much on the dining menu for vegans or preople with allergens despite there being a deliberate "no worries" section in the school cafeteria.

Something that I wish I knew before coming to this school would be that there are no grades given. It has been difficult adjusting to the different academic setting here. Especially being the first generation at this school to write an academic statement. It feels good to be one of the first to try something new here, but at times overwhelming. There is nothing one can do but accept this type of education and make the best of it. Learn to adapt because not everywhere that one sets foot on will find to ones own pleasures satisfied.

I can't think of anything that wasn't covered, or answered, in the individual counseling, academic meetings and fairs before I started.

I knew what i needed to. An incomming student should know that they will be taking significant responcibility for their own education.

The more that you put into your education the more you get out of it.

How it can't really help you decide what you want to do.

There isn't anything that I wish I had known before I came to Evergreen. I researched the school and talked to a few people, and decided that it was the best fit for me.

I wish I would have known about ways in which I could have earlier focused my interests and utilized more specialized facilities to do so...

The woods grow mold on every single surface.

I wish I had known how to navigate the course catalog better. The programs are stuctured differently. Once I figured it out, I knew how to best take advantage of all the opportunities and interdiciplinary learning.

How much of my education at the this college is up to me-you really have to know what you want to study to attend Evergreen. Faculty is always able and willing to help, however you really make your own path.

I wished I would have realised that not every program was offered year to year. It's usually only the classes that are proven popular in a given quarter that get the priority. So, I would make sure that if you come with a certain program in mind, it would be best for you to contact the professor to make certain that it will be available when your first quarter starts.

That I should've applied for Quiet Housing in the Freshman Dorms.

The on campus dining (the Greenery) puts on a show for prospective students, but it's really not very good food. Also, be sure to really think about whether or not you want to be graded using evaluations--a lot of people think "Awesome, no grades" but evaluations are pretty subjective.

I wish I would've known more about the class styles and had been able to sit in a seminar and witness what went on, as well as known more about indepent studies, field work, and volunteering.

I wish I had known what I wanted to study so I could have prepared ahead of time to take harder classes the first year.

More about what the classroom and campus dynamics entailed

Try to meet your professors at an academic fair before you register for the class.

I wish I had known more about the atmosphere and what being and living on campus was like. Because I am from so far away, I did not visit the campus before hand and knew very little about Evergreen. I wish the Evergreen website was easier to navigate so I would have known more about all Evergreen has to offer.

I wish I had known that despite the gems, there is a lot of stupid bullshit you have to wade through. The administration is not on your side, although the will put on a nice face and pretend they are. Everything cool about Evergreen exists because of student (and some faculty) pressure and creativity; the administration is constantly trying to mainstream the college. Many classes are not worth your time, althought, like I said, there are some good ones. Get off campus, check out the rest of Olympia and the surrounding area.

i wish i had known that i could get involved in non-varsity club sports (like the crew team)...and that they didn't require tryouts. i also wish i had known that seeing a counselor was free...i feel like it took me quite a while to figure this out.

You get what you put in to your education at Evergreen. If you choose to challenge yourself you will learn a lot. If you choose to mess around and do the bare minimum, it's easy to graduate in 4 years.

radical

I wish I had known that Olympia ia really a small town, not a city but a town that has many nice things in it, but not the life that you can find in a big city.

Although it is emphasized that they have a non-traditional way of teaching, I wish that I had researched more about the way that their school year is structured - you can only take one "program" a quarter, so your choice of classes to take is actually in some ways more limited than it is at a traditional school. You might get stuck in a program that teaches one area you're very interested in, but another subject you dislike. Also, their on-campus living situation leaves much to be desired.

Everything that I learned at this school. Knowledge I have attained here would of been beneficial to my early life as well as my future one.

Before attending Evergreen, I wish I had been educated on the opportunities available at this college. Through the time I have been here, I have been figuring out how to get the absolute most out of my school, and what it has to offer. I feel that if you know how a school works, you can use its facilities to your benefit, and get your moneys worth.

I wish I had know what deep connections I was about to make. My original plan was to return home every weekend, visit the old crowd. I never expected to find a group of such caring, open individuals. Whether in class or out, I discovered people with the same goals and fears, friends with whom I could dance or laugh or make a fool of my self. With the same dedication to personal learning and growth, we bonded more quickly than I could have imagined. If I had known this, I certainly wouldn?t have been shy the first week.

I researched things in depth prior to making my decision so I had a full awareness of what Evergreen had to offer. The only thing that would make it easier would be the distance I have to travel.

The Winter time in the Pacific Northwest is really rainey.

The amount of self-motivation needed to sustain alll 4 years of college. Also, a little more about meal plans.

That Olympia is a boring shitty small town & there is NOTHING to do here. Also Evergreen is full of hippies, lots of people who smoke pot and play jam music & other things I dont like. Though I am very liberal, it is difficult to find like -minded people interested in avant garde art & literature and music. Most people like really "bohemian" hippy stuff which I find to be an absolute bore.

I wish I had known campus a little bit better. When you first arrive, campus seems a little far spread and hard to locate buildings.

All about the amazing facilities offered and how to get access to them.

The horrible food service and lack of alternate food options to on-campus students.