Inside Lewis & Clark
Congratulations on your acceptance to Lewis & Clark! We are excited to welcome you as a member of our community on the most beautiful college campus in the country. There are so many reasons why we think you should choose L&C. Here’s our insider’s guide to life on Palatine Hill that will give you all the insight you need to say YES to L&C.
Choose Your Interest
You Belong at Lewis & Clark
We support all new students—first year and transfer—throughout their entire first year, not just when they arrive on campus. We believe that fostering a sense of belonging as you transition to college is one of the most important things we can do as an institution. Our First-Year Experience program connects you to resources and hosts events that help you find your place at Lewis & Clark.
This support starts over the summer, and ramps up during the five-day New Student Orientation. You will engage in fun and informative activities to learn about academics, resources, social outlets, community engagement, and more.
During NSO, you will also be assigned to a small cohort of other new students, led by a peer mentor. Your group will meet regularly throughout orientation, will be the same peers in your Core Seminar class (for first-year students), and will connect for programming throughout the year. Your mentor will also facilitate check-ins with you throughout the year.
Feya Dawkins BA ’25More about FeyaI remember being so nervous, I didn’t even want to go. But when I did, everyone was so nice and welcoming, and I made friends so fast. It is hard not to get along with students at Lewis & Clark.
Peter Smith BA ’24More about PeterThe thing I remember most about my NSO was going stargazing. It was the first time I really felt like I was in a community on campus!
Ben Naftali BA’ 27More about BenI think that the act of getting out there and meeting new people is a very important part of the college experience.
Residential Life
Most new students live in Copeland, Platt-Howard, or Akin. Take quick video tours of those three residence halls, and get all the details on the Campus Living website.
Akin
Akin houses up to 85 students on two floors in double occupancy rooms. Each floor has a large lounge and kitchen. The hall is home to the Social Change Living-Learning Community.
Copeland
Copeland consists of seven connected wings, and each wing has up to four floors consisting of 8 to 13 people. Rooms are singles, doubles, triples, and quads. A kitchen and bathroom complete every floor, and lounges can be found throughout every wing. Copeland is also home to the Holistic Wellness Living-Learning Community.
Platt-Howard
Platt-Howard Halls have double, triple, and quad rooms. Platt houses the Platteau—a student-run art center—and the Visual and Performing Arts Living-Learning Community. Howard is home to the Global Languages and Cultures Living-Learning Community.
Dining
Lewis & Clark’s undergraduate campus has four locations to grab meals, coffees, and snacks, and you can choose from a variety of selections to accommodate your dietary needs and restrictions. There are several meal plan choices, but the most popular selection for first-year students is 14 meals with flex points.
Get Involved and Find Your People
One of the most frequently used words when our students describe L&C is “community,” and frankly, we’re not surprised. (Another one is “beautiful,” but that’s just a given.)
Our 110+ student-led clubs and organizations play a huge role in building that community on campus. At Lewis & Clark, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to join clubs where you will develop lifelong friendships through shared interests, discover new passions, or recruit others to start a brand-new organization.
Pacific Northwest Playground
A huge advantage to Lewis & Clark’s location in Portland is our immediate access to the stunning Pacific Northwest. Our College Outdoors program will take you on adventures like hiking, mushroom-hunting, cross-country skiing, backpacking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, nature meditation, and more, all while you get to connect with your peers in nature. No experience or gear are necessary!
Leadership Opportunities
There’s more to College Outdoors than just fun trips. Their robust leadership program provides a structured way to build skills that apply indoors and out.
New Student Trips
All students have an opportunity to launch their Lewis & Clark career in a fun and adventurous way by going on a New Student Trip just before arriving on campus for orientation. You’ll be able to form great friendships, connect with nature, and learn new skills, all before heading to the nonstop activity on campus.
More Pacific Northwest Playground Videos →
Lilah Shapiro BA ’25More about LilahI made some of my closest friends on my New Student Trip. It really helped me transition into college, and I loved adventuring in nature with new people before starting school.
Jason Kowalski BA ’23More about JasonThere were multiple people from my virtual new student trip that were in my NSO group, and seeing the familiar faces made me feel more comfortable and willing to be open.
Avi Strok BA ’25More about AviMaking bonds with other incoming first years made the transition to an entirely new environment much less daunting. I’m still great friends with a lot of the people I met on my New Student Trip!
Athletics
Our varsity student-athletes are a big, 21-sport family, with room for club sports and intramural athletes, too. Supported by coaches, trainers, and tutors, the athletic community at Lewis & Clark is noteworthy in its strength.
The Liberal Arts Advantage
Lewis & Clark’s liberal arts education gives you the opportunity to take a wide variety of classes and explore connections across disciplines. Our academics are challenging and rigorous, but you will be supported every step of the way. All of your classes will be grounded in critical thinking, written and verbal communication, teamwork, and problem solving. You’ll draw on these skills throughout your life, no matter where you work or what you do.
Your general education courses—which account for approximately one-third of your total coursework—can be both a pathway to discovering your major and a complement to the specialized classes you will take within your major. If you’re interested in law, medicine, business, education, or engineering, our preprofessional programs will help you build a strong academic foundation, supported by expert advising, hands-on experience, and partnerships with top graduate programs, and gain the confidence and preparation to pursue what’s next.
First-year students: our innovative Core Seminar consists of two courses: Words and Numbers. In each of these courses, you will explore a specialized topic with a faculty member and the same peers from your New Student Orientation group.
Careers in Training
Your learning doesn’t stop when you set foot outside the classroom. At Lewis & Clark College, career preparation is part of the DNA of our institution. Our Career Accelerator ensures that every student, regardless of major, graduates with the confidence, adaptability, and professional experience needed to thrive in a complex, changing world. Internship sponsors and employers value the critical thinking and problem solving skills that liberal arts students bring to the table—and we can help you get a seat.
Outcomes Stories
AI Helps Students ‘Take the Hint’
Ishan Abraham BA ’26 and a team of collaborators are developing an AI-powered learning system that delivers hints during hands-on cybersecurity exercises. Their work will be presented at next year’s 21st International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Justice for Animals and the Environment on a Global Scale
The law school’s Global Law Alliance is helping to advance environmental and wildlife protections across the globe while giving students hands-on experience in international law.
Visualizing the Region’s Wildlife Through Data
Students received hands-on data science experience with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, predicting the climate and habitat vulnerabilities of the species in our region.
Serving Up Internships, Pickles Style
Through internships and post-graduate careers, Lewis & Clark students and alumni are helping the Portland Pickles baseball team thrive.
Training the Healers of Tomorrow
Lewis & Clark students are finding real-world meaning in narrative medicine—an emerging field that blends writing, empathy, and health care. For graduates like Edie Tavel BA ’23, an internship experience led directly to a full-time role at Fora Health.
PBS Shines National Spotlight on ‘Classroom 4’
PBS is streaming Classroom 4, which captures the transformative Inside-Out course taught by Professor Reiko Hillyer, where students break down the walls imposed by incarceration to study, connect, and change each other.
Financial Aid
A private, liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think, and our Office of Financial Aid is here to help you every step of the way.
Study Abroad
Our commitment to creating global citizens is evident in our unique approach to overseas study. Over 60 percent of our students participate on one or more of our 30+ study abroad programs offered on 6 continents.
Immersive
You will study abroad for either a semester or full year, giving you a deeper context for understanding the world.
Accessible
No matter what your major—even the sciences—you will be encouraged to study overseas. Athletes: this applies to you too!
Integrated
You will receive full academic credit for all of our overseas programs, many of which are led by L&C faculty.
The Stage Is Calling
Lewis & Clark is a great place to get creative. Whether you’re a maker, an audience member, a behind-the-scenes collaborator, or some of each, opportunities abound for you in the fine arts. Our conservatory-caliber faculty will train you to live your dream as a working artist, or nurture your desire to grow creatively while pursuing other life paths. With over 70 percent of our students involved in the arts during their time at L&C, we promise: there’s a place for your ideas and your voice here.
Art
Our students practice the visual arts and study art in historical and theoretical contexts in an exciting learning environment. Lewis & Clark prepares you to pursue advanced degrees in graduate school; for careers as visual artists or in galleries, museums, or arts administration; and for a life enriched by the visual arts.
Creative Writing
Lewis & Clark College has one of the longest-standing creative writing programs in America. Our faculty members have been recognized for excellence in teaching and have won some of the country’s most prestigious writing awards. Courses include poetry, fiction writing, creative nonfiction, playwriting, and screenwriting.
Music
Performance and academic courses are taught by faculty who are distinguished performers, composers, and musicologists. Lewis & Clark will prepare you for further musical study, careers in music, and global citizenry. We offer merit-based music scholarships to all students who demonstrate skill and potential, regardless of their major.
Rhetoric and Media Studies
Lewis & Clark’s rhetoric and media studies department is one of the first programs in the country to offer a major that integrates training in film/television studies with media and rhetorical analysis. Our students learn tools for understanding how public messages, images, texts, stories, conversations, and symbols work through challenging curriculum and collaborative research.
Theatre and Dance
Over 1,000 students a year participate in theatre and dance as performers, designers, directors, writers, dancers, production crew, and audience members. Our production program invites all students, regardless of major, to participate in creating professional productions ranging from classics to contemporary work to musicals to original student-written work.
International Student Experience
At Lewis & Clark, everyone in the International Students and Scholars office will know you by name, even before you arrive on campus. From student groups to specialized advising, you’ll be supported every step of the way.
Uwella Rubuga BA ’19More about UwellaI found my community on campus through the International Students and Scholars Office, which was honestly a home for us and a way of meeting other international students.
Ruth Makonnen BA ’22More about RuthI came to Lewis & Clark for its ideals, how welcoming and supportive it is to international students, and its location.
Brenna Ketchum BA ’23More about BrennaMost groups and spaces where I find community on campus are of an international nature. The international student and Third Culture Kid networks are foundational to my identity, and I am so grateful for the friendships and connections I have made.
Support and Wellness
At Lewis & Clark, we are committed to the success and wellness of each of our students, and we offer support in many forms: academic, mental, physical, spiritual, and more.
Palatine Support Network
Lewis & Clark’s Palatine Support Network—a peer-led, free mental health resource—supports our students through group dialogue and fun activities, like this Goats on the Glade event.
Rest Is Resistance
Lewis & Clark’s Group Nap, inspired by Tricia Hersey and The Nap Ministry, is sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life as a way to hold space for rest. Whether that means sleep, deep breathing, meditation, or something else entirely, our students are able to engage in a moment of rejuvenation.
Parents and Families
Parents, we care about you, too! Our Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement offers an information hub of resources, and is always available to answer any questions.
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