<p>rix, wow! That's exactly what my D thought: Macy's + Starbucks = Walla Walla is livable. The best part it is all within walking distance from the campus. And when D had some "funky" food at a cute little restaurant downtown, she was sold on Whitman. </p>
<p>I used to work with a prowd Whitman grad who always kept a gigantic Whitman coffee mug on his desk. He and his wife met at Whitman, and after their graduation were very actively involved in the alumni affairs. He told me that when he went to Whitman, Walla Walla was "a Seven-Eleven and nothing else". The town is definitely growing, but still has small-town charm. I hope D gets in (fingers crossed).</p>
<p>I'm getting excited to visit - now less than 2 weeks away. D is a vegetarian. Will little Walla Walla (sorry - medium-sized Walla Walla) have adequate food options for us? I know we should sample campus food with that restrictive diet in mind, but since it will be spring break, I'm not sure we'll be able to eat on campus.</p>
<p>My daughter is sophmore at Whitman and comments that the vegetarian choices are multiple at every meal. She is not a vegetarian but often eats the vegetarian option as they can be better than the non-vegetarian. Cafeterias will be shut down spring break. But if you check on-line on a non holiday week you can read the menu for the cafeterias to get an idea of what is being served, for instance here is this week at Prentiss:</p>
<p>Bon Appetit provides food services at Whitman and Lewis and Clark, the two PNW schools D applied to. In both places the food was excellent, and there was quite an abundance of veggies. The cafe in Walla Walla where we had dinner on the way back also had a nice selection of vegetarian dishes (<a href="http://www.lusciousww.com/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.lusciousww.com/)</a>. Walla Walla chamber of commerce has a nice website: Walla</a> Walla - Restaurants</p>
<p>My father's son, that is me, is a total outdoorsy fanatic. Nature admirer and adventure seeker. Loves Jon Krakauer, Henry David Thoreau and respects late Crish McCandless. So when I looked at Whitman's website and viewbook, I was completely mesmerised by the college environment. Those mountains, cycle tour, Rock climbing, Kayaking etc. really took my breath away. Then Whitman went straight to #1 <because no="" number="" is="" greater="" than="" 1=""> Will this hurt my application because the college might reject saying, "We have enough insane Crish Mccandless like you. We no more want an outdoorsy student but a non outdoorsy to increase our diversity."</because></p>
<p>There's a fun little pizza place called Sweet Basil near main street that has veggie options. Great pizza by the slice (which is a big serving) or whole.</p>
<p>I'm back from visiting last week. Thanks for the Sweet Basil tip! Actually, we found several restaurants with vegetarian options. The number of restaurants - and good restaurants! - was surprising for a town that size. Perhaps we can thank the growing wine industry for that.</p>
<p>So ChiSquare, can you share with us your D's reaction to Whitman? We will not make a visit unless S is admitted, so it's still a bit of a mystery to me. Last time I was in Walla Walla was the day Mount St. Helen's erupted, so I was distracted and don't remember much about the college or town :)</p>
<p>Hi guys! I guess I have a different facet of the "city girl" type of question on this thread. I found out last week that I got into Whitman as a transfer student. I was trying not to think too much about it because I thought the financial aid wouldn't be enough, but miracle of miracles, they were pretty generous. So now Whitman's an option, and as much as I want to go there (their theatre program and debate team are big draws for me), I'm a little nervous about fitting in.</p>
<p>See, I'm a Southern girl, and I'm afraid I'll stick out like a sore thumb. Fortunately I don't have much of an accent (people never guess that I'm from Texas) but I'm a little worried about the way I dress. I'm not wealthy or anything, so it's not like I'm sporting J. Crew and Banana Republic, but I do love my American Eagle polos and my pearls. My intellectual attitude fits right in line with Whitman, but I'm afraid I won't fit in because people seem to think it has a hippie vibe dress-wise. I don't mind being different than most of the campus, but I do mind being ostracized because of my appearance. Am I crazy or is this a legit concern? Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>I don't think you would really stick out all that much, and I definitely don't think you would be ostracized. There are plenty of polo-shirt wearers and students with a preppier style. There is no lack of girls wearing designer labels, as well as those with hippie-ish or more outdoorsy styles. </p>
<p>You might end up changing your style a little bit a college, but not because of any pressure to do so or in a bad way. It's a natural possibility with such a big change in your living situation. The "outdoorsy" and "bohemian" parts of my daughter's wardrobe have definitely expanded since going to Whitman, and she has given up on trying to look perfect whenever she goes outside, since you are basically living with your peers and it's impossible to be perfectly groomed and made up 24 hours a day. But she's happy with all of that.</p>
<p>I hate to beat a dead horse, but this "outdoorsy-ness" is still the one thing that is keeping me from committing to Whitman. Not that I'm opposed to the outdoors or anything, but I like to shower everyday and hiking is not neccessarily my favorite activity. Also, I'm not really musical or into theatre that much. I don't know what I am! Hahaha. But I don't want to sound ignorant and uninformed as I have visited campus twice, but I am still so nervous that I won't find my niche at campus, and I want to make sure that I will really love the school and find kindred spirits if I do decide to make the large commute (from CT). So I know people have spoken to this many times, but any more reassuring comments would really make my decision final! THANK YOU!</p>
<p>The vibe that I've gotten from guidebooks and people I've spoken to on the phone at Whitman is that's it's not so much that students are necessarily "outdoorsy", but that they have an active lifestyle. I like the idea of going to a school where people care about themselves enough to take care of their bodies, regardless of whether it's on the treadmill in the new fitness center or outside on the field. And plus, who wouldn't want to go outside on a beautiful day? You can just sit outside and read if you're not into playing sports (I'm a gym girl myself) or you can cheer your friends on.</p>
<p>I'm visiting next week so I haven't seen this in person yet. If anyone wants to back me up it'd be great. :)</p>
<p>snap412, my daughter showers everyday, hiking is not her favorite activity, and while she likes to go to the plays on campus, because people she knows are in them, she isn't planning on taking any theater classes! Unfortunately, you can't know for sure if you will love Whitman, or any school. You can only make as educated/informed a decision as possible. Making a decision about college involves a leap of faith, to some degree. Nearly everyone going to college worries about finding a niche, or community they feel at home in. This is natural, and it may not always be easy. If you keep your mind open, even if you're scared, you will be fine.</p>
<p>Except for the Scramble, my son hasn't done any of the outdoor activities either. Like rix's daughter, he attends the plays and musical performances because he has friends in them and enjoys them, but isn't involved in those either. His extras have been more sports and academic/research opportunities. The outdoor program is strong and has many devotees, but I don't think it's most people.</p>
<p>Since the Scramble (which he really enjoyed), my son has not been "outdoorsy" either because he has been so busy with other things that he found equally compelling (newspaper, radio, interest house, intramurals, --and he is not an athlete, and community service)....and then there are academics too...There really are a multitude of things to do and kids join in where their interest catches them. Everyone seems to enjoy watching other people do things they are not involved in also. For example, theater and musical events are well attended by those who do not perform....It seems to be a very warm community and you are likely to find your niche. It is definitely not Connecticut but then college is often about finding out about someplace else....</p>
<p>One of the main attractions of Whitman for my daughter was the outdoor program and especially the opportunities for rock climbing. What happened? Rugby, Campus Greens, a social life. After her great scramble, in two years she went on one camping trip, one ice-climbing trip and a couple of skiing trips, only two of them events sponsored by the outdoor program. Her weekends are a juggling exercise in an attempt to do sixteen different things with time for only eight. When I hear what she does it sounds wonderful and varied; sometimes it's a rugby game or flag football, but often it's going to a play her friends are in or political work or something in the community. Be prepared to be surprised by college. That's a good thing.</p>