<p>Wondering what the differences are between sthese Pacific Northwest liberal arts colleges:
Williamette
Whitman
Lewis & Clark
Reed
University of Puget Sound</p>
<p>I’m sure many will weigh in with their own takes but I’ll take a shot at it . . .</p>
<p>Williamette - nice middle of the road student body, pretty campus in OK location. Great merit aid. Strong for pre-law, business and many other things. Small Greek scene. Happy student body.</p>
<p>Whitman - beautiful location but HARD to get to. Small student body. Fairly active Greek scene. Not great merit compared to Williamette. Beloved by many but must be your type. Less arty than Reed, less outdoorsy than UPS, more cohesive student body than L & C.</p>
<p>Reed - smart, interesting, academic student body - less sporty and more knowledge for its own sake than the others. More intense. Great location. No sports and “team spirit” type stuff. No Merit aid. Excellent school for the right person</p>
<p>UPS - Lots of people love it. Outdoorsy. Strong merit aid I think. Easier admit than Whitman and Reed. Location neither fish nor foul - nor urban exactly as it is off in a corner of Tacoma but not rural like Whitman.</p>
<p>Lewis and Clark - in a funny neighborhood location although there is a shuttle to downtown Portland. THe admissions office is the nicest building on campus . . . don’t let it fool you. The campus photos must be taken from an upper window of the admissions building - a donated mansion. Out tour guide told us and I have heard from others that campus lacks continuity as many move off campus and many go away for a year to study abroad. He said that it can feel really small. If you visit when it is hot remember that it will be rainy and under the trees most of the year. My D wasn’t impressed but some people love it there.</p>
<p>Your need for merit aid vs need based aid may eliminate a couple off the list.</p>
<p>Nice summary above @saintfan. I did find it interesting you went into the LC campus so thoroughly but not Reed. Same weather since it’s right across the river, and Reed’s campus is not nearly as nice as LC’s. Reed is also plopped into in a neighborhood. LC’s chapel is also quite nice (with the organ hanging from the ceiling, but that may just be of interest to me).</p>
<p>I too agree with Saintfan’s summary, although most people I know find the Lewis & Clark campus to be prettier than Saintfan described it. Their shuttle to downtown Portland is a convenient plus for students who either don’t have a car or want to be able to go to a bar or concert in downtown Portland and get back to campus safely. </p>
<p>OK, I know I fight an uphill battle, but I need to say it, Whitman is not rural, it is smack dab in the middle of a city of 31,000 people and Walla Walla is growing. Because it’s a wine destination, there are upscale restaurants and shops, the nearby historic downtown is alive and well… and many think it’s a charming place. It’s 4 hours from Portland or Seattle by car or you can fly into Walla Walla or Pasco (an hour away). The the college community is very closely knit because everybody stays around on weekends. You’ll either like that or not.</p>
<p>skysunsea, try looking at the Princeton Review website, it has descriptions made by the attending students themselves. They also compile lists of the top 20 schools for this and that. Reed, Lewis and Clark and UPS all make the list for “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians”, Reed is #3, L & C is #10 and UPS is #11. Whitman and Willamette do not make that list. </p>
<p>My best friend from HS went to Reed and loved it and me neighbor’s kid visited and was admitted there and loved it but fell into the full pay but can’t afford bucket. I know people love it but my kids weren’t interested so I didn’t visit myself.</p>
<p>Kids tend to like LC and Reed or Willamette but rarely both. My D felt like she could happily attend W (admitted with big merit) but it was a back up and she didn’t end up there. We visited LC the same day and she hated it so the impression is biased.</p>
<p>Whitman is more of a stylistic middle ground between LC and W. It’s just darn hard to get to even from Seattle.</p>
<p>My D was looking at science building at the time and LC didn’t compare to some others that she had seen. She felt like she would spend her life in a drab basement. </p>
<p>Reed does have a reputation for more drug use and smokers than the other colleges on this list. Not everyone partakes, but it is a factor to consider. It is also the most academically intense of the bunch. You really need to visit these colleges to get a better feeling for them.</p>
<p>
Very true, plus Walla Walla is a vibrant and very sophisticated small town (probably a result of both the wine industry and Whitman College). I personally love Walla Walla, partially because it is so hard to get to. I am actually thinking of retiring in Walla Walla, although I currently live in Ohio.</p>
<p>We visited all of these schools except Whitman and my D is now a freshman at Willamette. We thought all of these schools were beautiful but they had very different personalities. My D didn’t care for the classics based gen ed requirements at Reed and the supr intense vibe, she just didn’t like the vibe at L&C. The admin staff interviewing her did not impress her at all. We loved UPS but my D didn’t like it at all. In fact 3 other Californians we know really didn’t like it either. Really have no idea why. Willamette had a homey welcoming feel, we had great interactions with students, staff, and faculty, the college has a very active outdoor program my D takes advantage almost every week. Strong sciences were the cherry on top. Bottom line, each has a distinct flavor and you just have to visit.</p>