NEED Help! I just finished my first year at a large school in Boston, and am transferring to one of those five colleges (which I’ve been accepted to). I’m looking for a down-to-earth and outdoorsy school with good academic standing and lots of community-service oriented students.
I’m mostly between Colorado College, College of William & Mary (in VA), and Whitman College (in WA).
I’m transferring because I want more accessible professors, a discussion-based classroom setting, and small classes. I’m also looking for a small school in general, which makes me skeptical about W&M. It’s a great school and was my #1 in high school, but it’s bigger.
I LOVE the progressive attitude of the West. Whitman has everything I want except it’s too remote (especially coming from New England) and has lower academic rank. They seem to have the classroom experience and atmosphere I want, but I don’t want to feel too stranded in Walla Walla and I can’t tell how much lower Whitman’s rank is. Colorado College seems amazing and so does the Block Plan, but the Block Plan is risky for a transfer (since I could hate it). It’s also the most expensive of the schools.
I’m looking to study economics with focuses in math and environmental studies. I want an outdoorsy school with driven and down-to-earth students, and I want to graduate knowing that I could get into grad school or get a job. HELP :))
Your desired criteria sounds like a perfect fit for either Whitman or Colorado College.
Remember that no one school will meet all your needs, and the block plan at Colorado College
is indeed a wild card.
My vote: embrace the compromise and select Whitman.
The block plan is not ideal if you want to study science or math. Many students say it made for a very intense block, with a great deal of studying in the evenings to prepare for the(significant) amount scheduled for the next day. So while some students adapted to it and even thrived in it, others found it to be a bit of a grind. Overall most agreed that it’s great for the humanities, though.
Sounds as if Reed and Colby didn’t make your top 3, but Reed is a school you really have to visit before deciding to attend. Remarkable, but not for everyone. Spend some time reading the newspaper and the graduation requirements if you can’t visit.
I know a couple of kids who went to Whitman. None of them had a problem getting a job or into grad school. Don’t let the academic rank dissuade you. Whitman is a great school.
Sounds like CC vs Whitman to me, given your interests. You can have everything you are looking for at CC- connection with professors, intimate classroom settings- and you cannot beat the adventuresome spirit you will find at CC. STEM classes really aren’t too difficult on the block plan, some are intense but remember you have a 4 day break to recoup before another class starts. The extended field trips and opportunities for internships are fantastic. There is funding available to design your own block that can take you anywhere in the world. If you have a sense of adventure, and/or an entrepreneurial sprit, and you are looking for excellent academics in an outdoorsy location, you can’t go wrong with CC. Unless financials are a big factor, if CC is too expensive, Whitman is also a wonderful terrific school with awesome students offering an excellent academic opportunity as well. It is just waaaay more isolated.
Whitman sounds like would be a great choice - great programs, esp. in environmental sciences, outdoorsy, ideal atmosphere with respect to faculty-student interactions, etc.
Colorado College or Whitman are the two you should be focusing on. You shouldn’t be afraid of either the block plan at CC or Whitman’s location/job prospects. Both will give you a great education and provide the outdoorsy, laid back vibe you are looking for.
Some tips:
Think about what outdoor activities you enjoy and what is accessible for each location. Both offer options but they are different options. Would you enjoy the benefits of Colorado College 4.5 day block breaks?
One is located in a small, bucolic but more remote tiny city. The other is located in a larger city with Denver 1 hour away. Which appeals to you more?
Look through the course catalog in areas of academic interest. Which school has more classes that sound interesting?
Congrats on the wonderful options! Either option will be great.
My son is just finishing his first year at CC. He is planning on double majoring in Math and Computer Science. For him, the math and CS classes have NOT been the most difficult classes on the block plan. He loves being completely immersed in the Math and CS classes for a block. For him, the most difficult class so far has been Spanish. The language requirement is two blocks of the same language and he started a new language. So, essentially, he did a years worth of Spanish in 7 weeks. He had 7-8 hours of homework a night. That was brutal for him. The math and CS, a breeze for him. I think that students that are not math and science people will tell you that those classes are hard on the block plan, but if you are a math/science person they are not so bad. He has already formed incredible relationships with his professors. He is not outdoorsy, but most students are. There is so much to do in Colorado and the 4 1/2 day block breaks really give you time to go explore. He loves CC and it was the perfect choice for him.
Colorado College sounds like everything you are looking for - Colorado Springs is plenty outdoorsy without being too isolated. You could hate any aspect of any college, so that shouldn’t frighten you away.
Science and math students spend a lot of time studying everywhere. I don’t see how studying one thing for three weeks is any worse than studying four things for 15 weeks - you are studying the same amount of material over the same number of hours; you’re just stringing those hours together instead of separating them out (3 hours per day for 18 days instead of 3 hours per week for ~15 weeks). As the Colorado website itself put it:
Want to study for your biology midterm without worrying about filming your documentary, reading 72 pages of The Odyssey, or training your psychology rat?
And then you get the four-day block breaks. It’s like spring break four times every semester.
“Some students adapted, some thrived and some find it a bit of a grind” applies to every college’s system of education.
Whitman is an excellent alternative as well. Walla Walla is a lovely town, and there’s lots of outdoorsy stuff to do there. You’ve got a bunch of great options.
Thank you! Could anyone describe what Walla Walla is like? Is transportation easy for flying and going to Portland or Seattle? I’m slightly worried about traveling home and just the overall isolation of the town. Reed appeals to me because it’s in Portland, but I’m afraid I may not match the average student there - if anyone knows what “Reedies” are like or what the school vibe is that would be helpful as well.
There are two regional airports near Walla Walla, one in Pasco and I can’t remember the other. They are 30 minutes to one hour away from Whitman respectively and public transportation is available. You can connect via Seattle, not sure if there are any other options. Don’t know how convenient the connections are from your city, just that it’s doable. Go to kayak dot com and plug in your itinerary and see what happens.
I think the best way to get a sense of transportation between your home and Walla Walla is to jump onto Kayak.com and look at flights/costs based on the academic calendar and when you think you’d be traveling.
I think a little extra traveling time is worth it for a school that is the right fit.
All of the LACs you listed will provide small classes, teaching quality, academic support and access to profs.
Look at dorms, social scene and available nearby culture, and weather. The schools you listed will differ quite a bit.
Not to oversimplify, but you don’t have time to read paragraphs from someone who didn’t attend any of these… so here’s a thought or two about each:
Reed: Rigor and intellectualism are almost unparalleled.
Colby: Overall quality academics and strong NESCAC rep nestled within beautiful Maine surroundings.
Colorado College: Such beautiful vistas and great hiking. Competitive hockey.
Whitman: Very friendly, beautiful campus and environs.
Colby and Reed have a bit more rep/prestige than Whitman and CC, but they’re all quality LACs that will look good on grad school apps but are somewhat unknown outside of their regions (to the average hiring manager).
Everyone always worries about how isolated Whitman is. There is an airport in town; it takes maybe 15 minutes to drive from campus to the airport. There aren’t hourly flights, but there are several daily flights to Seattle, for example. The airport in the Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland) offers even more choices. There is bus service from the Tri-Cities to Walla Walla, and of course lots of students share rides.
Walla Walla is a great small city. It has some very good restaurants, lots of wineries, beautiful parks, an old-fashioned walkable Main Street, all within easy walking distance of Whitman. Students can also walk to Starbucks, Macy’s, Safeway (grocery store), Goodwill, churches, the public library, etc. But there is so much going on on campus, many students look up one day and realize that it has been days since they have left campus. The college brings in plenty of musical groups, visiting scholars, guest speakers, etc.
I hate to see Whitman dismissed because it is so “rural.” It’s not in the middle of cow country or even wheat fields. It’s in a lovely neighborhood in a small city that serves as a commercial center for a fairly large area.
I wouldn’t automatically rule out W&m just because it’s a little bigger… I my experience, schools of that size (especially if they don’t have a particularly large grad school) are more similar to liberal arts colleges than they are to large ressearch universities.
Whitman and William & Mary are cheaper (Whitman gave me merit and W&M has relatively lower tuition) than Colorado College. I’m still deciding since I have another two weeks! I can’t get over how good William & Mary’s reputation is (well-known and probably best with creating careers), but it’s not liberal arts. Colorado College is more expensive and while I love the Block Plan it also makes me nervous for the risk of it. Whitman seems perfect for my personality and I would be happy there, but it seems less well-known and is far which concerns my family. It’s between these three.