<p>I know both colleges are very similar, and I am very interested in both, but which has better:</p>
<p>-Environmental Program?</p>
<p>-Outdoor recreation opportunities(fishing, biking, hiking etc)?</p>
<p>-Campus Life?</p>
<p>-Intelligent Staff?</p>
<p>-Friendly Student Body?</p>
<p>-Less Hippie?</p>
<p>Thanks, any information you have on either University would be awesome.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know too much about either school, but from what I’ve heard Whitman students are a bit more academically-focused. Both are known for their rather intelligent, nice, outdoorsy student bodies. Keep in mind the difference in what, precisely, that outdoorsy stuff will consist of, considering the weather; if you’re primarily interested in good winter sports, Colorado is better but I’ve heard Whitman is more canoeing/camping/hiking sort of stuff. Again, this is all mostly from guidebooks, not personal experience.</p>
<p>-Environmental Program?</p>
<p>Whitman has an amazing environmental science program. There’s a program called Semester In The West where they take environmental science programs on a semester long camping trip of the west to study the different environmental landscapes.</p>
<p>-Outdoor recreation opportunities(fishing, biking, hiking etc)?</p>
<p>By far, Whitman. The outdoors program at Whitman is probably one of the best in the country. Many trips, activities every week and you can rent equipment for a low price.</p>
<p>-Campus Life?</p>
<p>Whitman College is consistently ranked in the top 20 schools in the country for “Best Quality Of Life”</p>
<p>-Intelligent Staff?</p>
<p>Both Whitman and Colorado College have brilliant faculty. There’s no diference here.</p>
<p>-Friendly Student Body?</p>
<p>Both student bodies are very friendly </p>
<p>-Less Hippie?</p>
<p>Colorado College is probably more less hippie. Whitman is more on the hippie side but it doesn’t bother most people who go there.</p>
<p>thanks is there much difference in weather?</p>
<p>Whitman College has much better weather than Colorado College as far as I’m aware. I think there are more sunny days in Walla Walla, Washington than Tempe, Arizona!</p>
<p>Pierre…you are the ubiquitous expert on every college it seems. Are you a student or guidance counselor? </p>
<p>I happen to know people who attended or are attending both colleges. Both are amazing. Colorado College is a very different school that has short academic periods, where they take one and only one class but study it intensely. They then take their finals and move on to the next class. Its very interesting but very different. </p>
<p>Both are academically quite challenging. Whitman is a quintessential top drawer LAC. Either you love Walla Walla (the Palouse Country) or you hate it. Its remote from urban life. Its somewhat difficult to get to. A former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court attended Whitman. </p>
<p>You cannot go wrong at either, but I would say that Whitman is likely more conservative overall in its student body, but by no means a heavily conservative school…just more of the flipped collar yuppies. Colorado College is a tad more liberal from what I hear. Neither are sports schools to speak of (Division III). But they do have lots of sports to get involved in. Whitman has lots of sororities and fraternities to hook up with as well. </p>
<p>Walla Walla is bitter cold in the Winter and plenty of snow. Drinking is reported to be popular at Whitman, so if you like to party, its a fun place to be. But remember, its a tough LAC and partying will usually land you in stiff academic trouble very quickly if only for falling behind. </p>
<p>Graduating from either school with a decent GPA will land you in the graduate program of your choosing. Both are highly regarded.</p>
<p>I am a white male from a large diverse high school in texas who appreciates diversity and has many friends from various cultures… do I fit the bill?</p>
<p>description of the typical Whitman College student (from Princeton Review):</p>
<p>“It’s a sociable bunch at Whitman, where most students “are interested in trying new things and meeting new people” and “everyone seems to have a weird interest or talent or passion.” The quirky Whitties “usually have a strong opinion about SOMETHING,” and one freshman refers to her classmates as “”cool nerds.” As with many northwestern schools, diversity here is pretty low, but the school at least puts up a fight for getting more than the typical “mid- to upper-class and white” contingent. Everyone here is pretty outdoorsy and environmentally aware (“to the point where you almost feel guilty for printing an assignment”), and leans far enough to the left to tip over; there’s also not much of a religious quotient to the student body, and those that are find themselves “subtly looked down upon.””</p>
<p>description of the typical Colorado College student:</p>
<p>“One student characterizes the typical student thus: “The typical Colorado College student is White and from an upper-middle-class home in a metropolitan suburb, but wishes this weren’t true and acts accordingly. He or she is relatively aware politically, socially, and environmentally, and cares enough to be motivated and take advantage of what Colorado College has to offer, but won’t let this interfere with his or her skiing plans.” Visitors to Colorado College, another writes, will probably find “three major demographics. First and largest: outdoor enthusiasts with a little bit of hippie in them. Second: classic frat type. The Greek scene is small, but there are plenty of folks sporting American Eagle clothes and hanging out in the gyms. Third: outright hippies. This is a smaller demographic than you’d think.” Many students feel like “liberals in a conservative town.” Students also admit that “there is not a whole lot of diversity at Colorado College in terms of race, sexual orientation, class, or background,” but add that “there are numerous clubs and groups that support all types of minorities.””</p>
<p>onthefly:</p>
<p>your self description, while laudable, is still fairly vague and overly broad. Most students would describe themselves as appreciating diversity, whether they come from a large or small school.</p>
<p>But to the point: coming from a large (particularly if its public) school only BENEFITS you and prepares you very well for almost any college environment. Princeton Review should be used as a somewhat shallow and PRELIMINARY source for measuring “fit.” </p>
<p>Ultimately, you need to visit both campuses, if possible, this summer. Better yet during the school year when their campuses are full of students. Both are fine schools but they approach learning somewhat differently. Whitman is the classic LAC, and is a Hidden Ivy. Work hard, play hard etc. Colorado College is unique in its curriculum and structure. For some, its a perfect fit. For others, they want the more staid semester structure: 5 classes of 3 credits each, meeting three times a week. Its up to you.</p>
<p>endlessrecession, when you say that Whitman is a “hidden Ivy” does that mean it is more academically respected than CC?</p>
<p>I think both schools are “hidden ivies”, they are of the same academic quality as the ivy leagues except without the famous professors and crazy research. I’d give a slight edge to Whitman but Colorado College is right behind it. I’m really shocked that not many people on CC know about these two excellent colleges.</p>
<p>Whitman = flipped-collar yuppies?
Um, no. Try again.</p>
<p>I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I predict that Whitman is going be HOT HOT HOT in just a few years. It is now what all the current “new ivies” were a few years ago – maybe better. Brilliant students, beautiful campus, quirky but not obnoxiously so, distinguished alumni, etc etc yet a high acceptance rate because no one knows about it.</p>
<p>PS The Princeton Review college-finder sucks. When I took the test and on the first page it recommended both Appalachian State University and Amherst College, two schools with what I assume is a very slim overlap of applicants, I knew it was not to be trusted.</p>
<p>Whitman is looking good, but I love the sound of the block plan. This is going to be tough.</p>
<p>Hopefully one of the schools will reject me so my decision will be made easy</p>
<p>My dad went to Colorado College, so I’ll answer your questions as best as I can based on what I’ve gathered from him-</p>
<p>-Outdoor Recreation- definitely available; I’m not sure how close it is to campus, but my dad said one of the reasons he chose CC was because he wanted to be able to ski (he was able to)</p>
<p>-“Less hippie”- hm. My dad describes the CC student body (when he was there- 1970s) as “trustafarian”… a lot of kids with trust funds, smoking pot- pierre0913’s description seems pretty accurate from what I’ve heard.</p>
<p>It seems like the block plan could be really good- you only have to concentrate on one class at a time. Of course, there is a lot of work; but (for example) you won’t have exams in Calculus, Physics, English, and History on the same day.</p>
<p>oh no, trustifarian</p>
<p>These 2 schools have much in common. I think the most important differences (from more important to less) are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the curriculum model (CC’s distinctive block plan sets it apart from almost all other schools)</p></li>
<li><p>location (CC is in a medium sized city close to a major city; Whitman is in a fairly remote town; CC is located much closer to the country’s geographic center)</p></li>
<li><p>size (CC is larger by about 500 students)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>They seem to be very close peers in quality. CC’s admit rate is significantly lower, but Whitman’s SAT averages are a bit higher. </p>
<p>My kid will attend Colorado College. Was attracted to Whitman, too, but ruled it out due to distance from the east coast. CC seems to share many applicants with eastern LACs like Middlebury or Bowdoin. Don’t know if the same is true of Whitman.</p>
<p>thanks tk, I was also wondering…</p>
<p>What school has better job/ graduate school placement in the environmental fields?</p>
<p>Personally, I think both schools are just as good for placing graduates in careers but I think that Whitman has a better environmental science program.</p>
<p>Pierre, why do you think that?</p>
<p>I do not have much specific information about environmental programs at the two schools to form a comprehensive basis for comparison (of faculty strength, for example). However, I do think Colorado College offers at least two advantages for Environmental Science and other life science students. First, the Block Plan allows for extensive field work free from scheduling conflicts. Second, the school’s location at the foot of the Rockies allows rapid access to a wide range of plant and animal habitat zones.</p>