We just toured Whitman yesterday and had a terrific visit; moved UP, with (at this moment) Whitman #1, St. Olaf #2 on S23’s list.
Welcoming staff in the admissions office preceded a tour led by a gregarious and thoughtful student. While I wish we had been able to walk through more of the buildings (we entered the lobbies or main hall of buildings rather than walking down the halls), the tour group was able to go everywhere except inside the dorms, dining hall, and the music hall.
The campus is beautiful with sculptures peppered throughout the landscape, and it was full of flowering trees, spring bulbs, water features, and ducks playing in the waterways. S was able to sit in on a class and came away from it finding the professor engaging and the students interested and interesting - the classroom experience boosted their opinion quite a bit going into the afternoon. After walking to lunch and walking around Walla Walla and the neighborhood around Whitman (a lovely area), we walked back to campus to explore the buildings more thoroughly and ended up in the campus center looking to check out the outdoor program. We had a spontaneous and fun chat with a student staffing the outdoor rentals desk - and she told S all about the (many!) trips, the focus on affordability and accessibility for students, and how easy it is to get outside while at Whitman. (The gear rental program is terrific!)
S next had a coffee and chat that the college arranged for him previously (an extra at my student’s request, as depending on the day of the week of your visit they offer either sitting in on a class or lunch with a student and S really hoped to do both).
So my S23 was able to tour the dining hall, pick up a snack and a tea and talked for an hour(!) with a current senior. As we drove away from Whitman my S said: we talked a lot about the community and the close relationships with the professors - it’s really what I want! Whitman #1, and St. Olaf #2…