Salem? That was a question mark for me, too. Though I didn’t get to spend much time there (1 day, 1 night), it still struck me as a remarkably clean city, clean regardless of where you were in town. I read somewhere that its population is approx. 140,000, so (by my standards) there’s probably plenty to do. Mind you, though, I’m from Eastern Washington so pretty much everything west of the mountains seems huge to me. So whether there’s much to do is kind of relative, but every time I read a description of Salem from Willamette they make sure to point out that Portland, Eugene, the ocean, and the mountains are all w/in an hour’s drive. Does this mean that the main thing to do in Salem is to go somewhere else?
I do know that Salem has a Gold’s gym, which is nice because I like to work out and already have a membership. Maybe I’ll find a place close to the gym, but right now I don’t have much idea where I plan on living. If you find a convenient or fun area, let me know. Also, if you end up going downtown, I’d like to know how the nightlife is so that I’ll know what I’m missing out on when I’m spending my Friday nights studying.
Unfortunately, I didn’t really meet any current Willamette students, but my general impression was that the students were pretty laid back. You might get a different impression, though, since I’m guessing it’s close to finals week. The professors with whom I spoke seemed really open and genuine, but of course they would try to give that impression regardless.
2 other things that I thought were pretty cool: the law library is open 24 hrs, and the Capital is so close that it looks like it’s part of campus.
What do you know about Salem/Willamette? Do you know whether it’s considered more liberal or conservative? Do you know anyone who’s also planning on attending or has attended Willamette (law school or not)? I do know of at least one person who went to undergrad there; I think I’ll track her down and ask her about it.
Good luck w/L&C, btw.
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