<p>I know this has been done before, I just need some more insight. My question is; Willamette is more highly ranked than Lewis and Clark, but literally no one around me (I live in Chicago) has heard of it and everyone has heard of Lewis and Clark. It seems to me that Lewis and Clark has a wider reputation, whereas Willamette is lacking that well-known name. Do these things matter? Which is more important? I feel like I would fit in pretty well at both schools, so now I'm just trying to figure which is the better choice. Willamette did give me more merit aid, so they have that leg up. And thoughts? Thanks!</p>
<p>Prestige matters very little except in certain fields where recruiting is very focused. I’ve visited Willamette and a friend attended there (when dinosaurs roamed), my D attended L&C. Go to the one you like better that your family can afford. You’ll have an enjoyable experience at either one.</p>
<p>My husband and I graduated from Willamette, he graduated from the law school, we live down the street from Lewis and Clark and have many, many friends who are graduates, staff members, etc. both are wonderful places, but the character of the students and their settings differ: LC draws a more hipster/earthy crowd, Willamette has lots of students interested in politics and the arts. Willamette is within a block of the state Capitol, Supreme Court and Attorney General’s office, so you can actually get to the internship locations and don’t need a car. Although LC is in the city, it’s not walkable to restaurants, etc, so it’s more isolated, in a way. The food at Willamette is great (Rachel Ray visited and did a TV spot on it), but that was NOT the case back in our day. Facilities on both campuses are lovely, but Willamette has “hearths”, places where students hang out informally in groups or by themselves with close proximity to professors within the academic buildings. This encourages collaboration and closer ties and more academic support from prof’s in a casual way. The academic reputation of Willamette is as strong or stronger as LC among grad schools or anyone who would need to know. Time magazine recently linked a study of schools’ graduates’ impact on society and Willamette came out on top. You could have a great experience at either place…welcome to the gorgeous NW!</p>
<p>You’re looking at two great choices: Go with the one that you are most drawn to and works the best for your overall situation. We visited and seriously considered both, and we thought DD could do well and be happy at either place. Reputation-wise, we were surprised when we looked at the rankings and saw that Willamette came out above L&C, because like you we hadn’t heard of it until starting to research colleges. But we learned that Willamette has a well earned excellent reputation, just not such wide name recognition as L&C. Both are well-known for graduating a high number of Peace Corps volunteers, Fulbright recipients etc. Location-wise, each has its merits–I liked Willamette’s proximity to the capitol that essayteacher points out. L&C’s shuttles make reaching downtown Portland easy, and DD has taken part in several events happening downtown this year. Both campuses are lovely, and both have friendly students, lots of opportunities, caring staff and talented faculty. L&C has a great College Outdoors program that makes it easy to get out and enjoy the PNW as well. Ultimately DD chose L&C because the aid package was stronger there–but could easily have gone the other way if Willamette had been the one with the stronger merit aid. Best wishes to you with your decision. </p>