Adam wants to be a history teacher. Kayla is exploring careers in chemistry and/or law.

For the last couple of years, Adam wanted to attend the University of Alaska Anchorage. No questions, no doubts. He took a tour. Then he talked to a couple of people who had gone through UAA's education program. He started to waiver in his choice after that. He heard it could be a great program, but it seems the program is off nowadays.

He didn't show any interest in Alaska Pacific University or any of the other UA programs after that. Time to look to Outside schools.

Unlike most Alaskans, we have another option, and one that won't rack up those ultra-high non-resident tuition rates. My husband lives in Seattle, and has established residency there. I checked with admissions folks at three Washington schools, all said that if Adam moved to the state and quickly established residency himself, we may only have to pay a semester of the higher costs.

Bingo. All he has to do is get his drivers' license, register to vote, find a place to live and get a job. A little footwork and paperwork, and he's good.

Washington has a long list of good schools, and a fair number with notable education and chemistry programs. You can't tour them all, so we narrowed it down to three: small, medium and large campuses. Two of them are state schools and one is private.

We visited the public universities of Washington and Western Washington, and Pacific Lutheran University, a private school.

UW is a huge campus, a city of its own, really. Located in Seattle, it has everything one could want in a university — high-ranking programs of all sorts and of all levels, a strong sports organization, clubs out the whazoo. It's got great paths, a notable security system and loads of dorm rooms.

It has 23 libraries - most could fit the entire Loussac Library inside - and many focus on a single subject. A couple are open 24 hours when classes are in session.

Our young tour guide, a senior, said classes generally hold about 25 or 30 students, though she added that the largest class she'd ever attended was a session on dinosaurs, along with 700-plus others.

Many classes are taught by teaching assistants rather than the professor, though she pointed out that professors oversee the assistants and have office hours.

Annual tuition and fees run about $6,800 for resident, $23,000 for non-resident. Tack on another $10,000 or so for room and board, books and other expenses.

The campus was beautiful, and bustling even during the summer session. The architecture throughout was exquisite.

Still, it was a bit overwhelming. This place of learning almost offered too much. It is noted as much for its party atmosphere and petty crime as it is for its education and research programs.

Adam and Kayla both liked it, but agreed it wasn't for them.

The next stop, Pacific Lutheran, was the extreme opposite. Located on the edge of Tacoma, about 40 miles south of Seattle, this private school had a small-town, homey feel.

It's the kind of place where you get to know a lot of the other students. It offers small class sizes, sometimes as few as six in a room. The largest class might get up to 100, but that would be only one or two during freshman year, our tour guide said. And professors teach the classes.

Going into the tour, the kids' main concern was the religious aspect. We are not a religious family, so they were worried that religious references would constantly be brought up in the classrooms and throughout the day.

Our tour guide, also a senior, assured us this is not the case. Church services of several denominations are available on campus, but it is not a requirement to attend. To graduate, students must take two religious courses that are more of a review of the cultural and historical aspects of religions.

The school also has a notable study abroad program, and going overseas is strongly encouraged.

“You're gonna get peer-pressured into this,” said our tour guide, who had recently attended a semester in China studying business.

PLU was the first university to have students on all seven continents at the same time, he said, and has accomplished that several times since.

That's perfect for a young man who wants to teach European history, and for a young woman who has always dreamed of traveling to just about anywhere.

Annual tuition and fees run about $29,000 for residents or non-residents. Again, tack on another $10,000 or so for room and board, books and other expenses.

Of our choices, Western Washington University was somewhere down the middle. This mid-sized campus is located in Bellingham, less than a two-hour drive north of Seattle.

The dorms were nice, the campus was broad but not so much that it was intimidating. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the school - more so than the others. And since he had attended a large and a small college in the past, he could offer comparisons from his point of view.

WWU started as a teaching college for women, and has retained its reputation for being one of the nation's best education programs. It also has a notable science degree option.

Annual tuition and fees run about $5,300 for resident, $16,000 for non-resident, plus that extra $10,000 for other expenses.

It was a great school, and both kids were really excited about the idea of attending.

Adam plans to apply to both WWU and PLU. Kayla is interested in both, as well, but is leaning more toward WWU. Once they're accepted into one or, hopefully, both, then comes the work to figure out how to pay for it. Stay tuned.

Reach the reporter at melissa.campbell@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, September 4, 2008.