Karin Dobbins Sherer
Senior Associate Dean of Admissions
U.S. transfer students
Additional Information
615 S. Palatine Hill Road
Portland, OR 97219
Phone: 503-768-7054
Email: dobbins@lclark.edu
Hometown: Portland, OR. Yup, I’m a native!
Favorite spot on campus: Griswold Stadium. I’ve spent many, many hours running on the track, and I have a fab time at L&C football games and the other athletic events that take place there.
Little-known fact about me: I don’t eat seafood or fish of any kind, ever. No, not even tuna sandwiches or fish sticks. Nothing from the sea! Also? Sweet pickles totally gross me out.
Piece of advice for students in the college search process: Relax! There is so much hype and unnecessary stress associated with the search process now. While choosing where you’ll go to college is an important decision and you need to take it seriously, it doesn’t have to be a process fraught with anxiety. There are thousands of colleges and universities out there, and there’s a pretty good chance there are multiple institutions that not only will gladly offer you admission but will also be genuinely good fits for you and your interests. The admissions process isn’t about winning a contest; it is about finding the best place for you to grow and develop and learn. That place may not be ranked #1 on the latest list, and it may not be the same college your friends select or your family attended. But if it’s the college that feels right to you, that’s what counts.
Favorite place to spend time in Portland: Set me down at any McMenamins around town and I’m pretty happy.
If I was stranded on a desert island, I would want these three things:
(1) A fully functional airplane.
(2) One copy of “The Idiot’s Guide to Flying Airplanes.”
(3) A large bag of Red Vines (the best for long trips).
But perhaps that’s not really in the spirit of the question? Can we assume that said deserted island has a source of food and fresh water? If not, there’s #1 and #2, and a sharp knife is #3. But if we go with that assumption, then:
(1) A toothbrush and toothpaste. Good dental hygiene is important to me.
(2) A set of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novels. Love her.
(3) The Professor from Gilligan’s Island. Dead useful, that dude. He could make a satellite video phone out of a couple of coconut shells and whip up all sorts of other awesome things. He’d have to make his own toothbrush, tho’.
If I didn’t work in Admissions, I would be: I read somewhere about a woman who was the official tester for a luxury mattress maker. I want that job.