Bastyr University

I don’t just move clear across the country for just ANY school — I am in my 5^th year of studying for my Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine, and I am continually impressed at the education I am receiving. Although the price is STEEP, it is all well worth it because I’m nurturing my calling, being taught by brilliant professors and clinicians, and I’m surrounded by friends and classmates who want to continue to revolutionize healthcare– we want to put HEALTH back in healthcare, and to truly do that, naturopathic medicine (AKA integrative medicine) is the way to go :)

I’ve been coming here for their annual herb and food fair for the past 3 years. So I guess this review will be more on the fair. I must say, though, Bastyr is a nicely situated campus that located in the middle of a verdant state park. The campus is welcoming and has that homey feeling. I could spend hours at their well tended herb and food gardens. Who wouldn’t love going to school here?!
Back to the fair… The fair is fun and informative. if you’re into Eastern and herbal medicine. Herbal and edible plants are sold during the fair. The same goes with herbal and natural ointments, salves, and food!
This year they even have Chopstix food truck parked in the parking lot to cater the fair goers.
I wish they hold the fair for at least two days, with more vendors. However the number of vendors seem to grow year after year, so I guess I need to be more patient. #ReachingForMyAntiStressSalve
So next year, make sure you bring your friends, kids, and dogs to the fair. They have a large area for the kiddos to play and dogs-​friendly environment. You could take the shuttle or pay a small fee to park on site. Either way, it’s a really nice outing for everybody and a great opportunity to learn about natural medicine. Win-​win, I’d say!

What a great place for continuing education! Uni in the park!!!
From the organic gluten free option cafeteria to the turtles naturally living in the landscaped plant pond area, this place lives the lifestyle it teaches!
Great location for continuing education courses. I will definitely attend another conference here. Parking is free too and plentiful so no worries for conference attendees.
Campus isn’t too large, which is nice for visitors attending conferences or workshops especially for those who are prone to getting lost =D

I want to review the reviewers. Wake up! Did you think medical school would be inexpensive? Did you think you would love every teacher. I don’t think I can take your whining reviews very seriously!
Yes check out the costs and living expenses of every college, then check out the hidden costs: food, rent, transportation, books, insurance, clothing, etc. The cost of living goes up every year. I am paying more for groceries and insurance than I ever did. Expect the college to raise their tuition for cost of living.
Did you learn a lot? Are you confident going out into the world as a doctor?

Haunted Trails Review!
First, when they bill it as 5 haunts, they really mean 1 haunt because it is just one trail with different parts to it.
They were so very organized! No confusion about what to do. First, you get your tickets (will call or not) from the main ticket booth. They essentially give you a number. You wait for your number to be called, then you go to the first person and wait. Then you go to the hay bales and wait. Then you go to the front of the woods and wait. Then you go! (There actually are actors keeping you entertained at all the waiting points).
You are lumped in groups of 10 or so, regardless if you know the people or not. Not a huge fan of this, but it certainly made things move a little faster. We still ended up catching up to other groups.
The woods themselves are dimly lit and spooky because their is a lot of brush cover that goes to about waist height. They could really use that more to their advantage in the future. The trail was long, funny, scary, etc. There is a cemetary that is a little more free form before you come to the last building in the haunt, where you wait again. They say it is a maze, but really there is only a couple «wrong turns» you can take. Still fun though.
Then you are done!
Not the most original or scary haunted house I’ve been to, but one of the more organized and certainly long enough. There are also food vendors in the lot before you go in – and since you don’t stand in a line, you can actually wander around and eat and stuff!

I received a masters degree from the MSAOM program in 2009. Hopefully my experience can help future students decide if they want to attend.
General — Do your research on what type of acupuncture you are interested in. There and MANY types! Bastyr specifically teaches «Traditional Chinese Medicine». Study up on what this means. I know alot of people in my class who came expecting to learn classical acupuncture and got something totally different.
Campus — Beautiful! I hear the new student dorms are wonderful.
Clinic — My favorite part of the curriculum. One of the huge advantages Bastyr has over any other schools.
Faculty — For the most part, really good. I mean REALLY good. Unfortunately two of the best recently quit. And those that are left teach a highly institutionalized form of TCM.
Now the bad…
Administration — For the most part, really bad. I mean REALLY bad.
Debt — Unless you are a trust fund baby you will finish your schooling with around 120,000 in debt for the bachelors/​masters program. With interest you can expect to owe about 150,000 two years after finishing school. In most areas your income potential is simply not enough to pay off your loans over a 10 year period. Fortunately Obamas new IBR plan allows a maximum period of 20 years with payments based on your income. UNfortunately, this means you will always pay a fixed percent of your income and can never have a «good month». Do the research on how much you will owe. I have alot of friends who feel their lives are literally crippled from attending this school.
Bottom line — If you are expecting to come to a wonderful University to learn a great form of healing, go somewhere else. Bastyr is a highly institutionalized and somewhat narrow minded place under the guise of a healing and learning center. Dont get me wrong, there are wonderful elements within the school but they are buried underneath the myriad of problems and business/​bureaucracy that seems to plague the school.

We came to the Annual Herb Fair. This used to be the location St. John Vianney Catholic church when we first moved to the area, so I have lots of experience with coming here over the years. First for Church related functions, then when Bastyr bought the property, to deliver pizzas. Now that Church is no longer here and we aren’t doing pizzas, they still have events and a wonderful garden that is open to the public. Plus the dining hall /​food service is open to the public and has delish vegetarian dishes.

I am in the Exercise Program at Bastyr and LOVE my instructors! They are awesome! June and Tiffany are probably the best teachers I have had in my 5 years of college. The curriculum is great and the classes are very informational, packed with everything I need to know.
I only thing that I don’t like is the exercise science room. The Bastyr learning kitchen is beautiful and right down the hall is a crappy exercise science room. It really needs to be bigger and needs to be updated. There also is no masters in exercise science and really think it would benefit the university to have it.
The best thing about the university… deff the teachers

This is my first quater at Bastyr, I’m in the Master in Acupuncture. I do not recommend this school to anyone. First, it is very expensive and they would raise 5% tution yearly and without telling the students. They would just put fake amount on the website or brochure. Then change it once you are in the mid quarter. We are paying $ 25,000 per year and this is a 3.5 years program (will be over $ 80,000 debt).
They often rent out the chapel to host weddings and this mean they take up our chapel, restroom, and even cafeteria. They claim their campus a «fragrance free» environment but this is not true when there are weddings going on. I usually can’t study because its so loud, and stinky.
I’m only half way in the quarter and I already thinking about leaving the school. It is awful, the class size is large and you don’t have anytime to practice. The faculties aren’t helpful. I don’t think its worth paying this much. I don’t mind paying high tuition if I get good education. I wish someone would have told me this before. I wasted $ 10,000 this quarter and it went to the drain but its ok I just know I don’t want to waste more time in this school.
Read the review for the Bastyr’s clinic, the faculties there do not have any real clinical experience. They graduated from Bastyr and went straight to teaching. I have heard so many bad things about getting treatment at the clinic. I personally experienced it too. Just so bad that I don’t want to say it.
The students are mostly rude, snooties and arrogant. But anyways the campus is nice where you get to see grasses, trees, and flowers.
Well if you decide to go to school here make sure you think it through and do research.

This review of specifically of Bastyr’s on-​campus Bookstore.
This bookstore is fantastic! If you’re looking for books on holistic health, naturopathic medicine, psychology, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and Herbs — this bookstore has it all.
As an acupuncturist myself, I find this store to be an incredible resource. They have all of the textbooks necessary for any aspiring acupuncturist or student of Natrual medicine. Also, they have lots of books that are NOT on the reading list of an Acupuncture program — but probably should be. I’ve been in practice for several years now, but I often find myself in here just browsing for new books and research updates on this beautiful centuries-​old form of medicine that I humbly practice.
They’ve got a decent supply of acupuncture supplies as well. Including models, sharps containers, cups, etc. The selection of needles that they carry is *decent* but very limited. I only go here for needles when I’m really in a pinch — otherwise, I find much better prices and options for needles online.
They’ve also got a good supply of organic snacks and other knick-​knacks to peruse.
Overall, a fantastic resource for all things that fall under the heading of «holistic and natural medicine».
And after you’ve browsed around the store for a while, be sure to stop in to the cafeteria there at Bastyr — they really do have some wonderful vegetarian eats worth trying!

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.

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.