Bastyr University

 

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Yoruba P.

Seattle, WA

I've been attending Bastyr for nearly two years.  It has been an amazing journey in which I have learned more than what I had expected out of a nutrition degree.  Basty has a global perspective and accepts the differences in everyone.  The environment on campus is truly unique.  

Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but I am glad to be a part of this special place.  I am the type of person who enjoys nature.  I don't feel comfortable in buildings that look like military bases around the country.  Bastyr is the type of location that suits me.  With the trees, the trails leading to Lake Washington and a garden that is growing bigger every year, I feel at home in this institution.

If you like nature and are looking for a degree in one of Bastyr's fields of study, this could be the place for you.  Be prepared to show up early for class because the school's student population has out-grown the available parking spaces.

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Elite '08

9

72

Michelle G.

Seattle, WA

I attended Bastyr for two years and recently graduated from one of their undergrad programs.  I gotta say that everyone should do some serious researching and thinking before attending school here ... it's definitely not for everyone!

First, it is *very* expensive!  Some of the instructors are incredibly well-suited to their jobs and you really learn and retain a lot from their classes.  Others, not so much.  In hindsight, I don't think I received an education that was worth $34,000 (for my two years there).

The campus is beautiful, but commuting there from Seattle in traffic every day for years gets really old, and it seems kinda non-eco-friendly.  If you want to take the bus, be willing to invest several hours on it and be prepared for multiple transfers.  Also, you can bike there, but again be prepared for an hour of biking and be careful on that hill!  A student was killed biking down it last year!

I definitely miss the cafeteria and the wonderful people who work there ... stop by for lunch if you're ever in the area and you won't be disappointed!  2 stars just for the cafeteria!

I'd highly recommend to prospective students that they do some major research and take a weekend class or workshop there before applying to find out if it's their thing.  Maybe it will be!  I don't think it was mine, and I wish someone would have given this advice to me.

I guess at the end of it all, Bastyr didn't seem "holistic" enough to me.  I feel like healers in general should be people who are well ... and people who have class 8AM to 9PM with no real lunch breaks and who spend close to 2 hours a day in their cars are not going to be well.

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5

2

Deah C.

Kirkland, WA

I've been an adjunct instructor of psycho-spiritually oriented courses for naturopathic medicine students at Bastyr University  since 1997, and was on the academic administration staff before that.  Bastyr has much to recommend.

The campus is beautiful, and the ever-expanding herb garden well worth a visit. The surrounding woods are filled with natural wonders, beauty and secluded spots for moments of solitude.  The school itself is bursting at the seams. As more people seek care from naturopathic physicians, enrollment in this largest of degree programs under the Bastyr umbrella grows every year.

If you're contemplating becoming an ND student, don't think this is the easy alternative to conventional med school.  At Bastyr, you'll take everything they get at UW in the basic sciences, and then the extensive and intensive natural medicine curriculum on top of that.  

The ND program includes courses in homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, TCM, counseling psychology, botanical medicine, natural childbirth, and much much more.  It's rigorous and exhausting -- and that's not even including the clinical experience of working with real patients for usually 3 shifts per quarter.

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593

Robyn H.

Seattle, WA

Go grab a degree that isn't your typical run-of-the-mill piece of paper. Wholistic Psychology, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Herbal Science, Exercise Science...I could go on but you should check it out for yourself. If nothing else, a trip to the campus will make you want to be a student there.  The former seminary is surrounded by the forest of St. Edwards Park and is an island of tranquility in the hustle and rush of  the northeast end of Lake Washington.  
Not only that, but the cafeteria serves up some of the best vegetarian meals this side of....Seattle.

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