Good friends of 23 have accepted at UMD and some will live in dorms near where 23’s dorm would be.
We are probably down to two schools. I suspect the friends heading to UMD will sway 23. OTOH, 23 seems hard to read to me.
They are both excellent schools, and I’d be excited about either one!
They train appropriately by studying one thing for 3 years, and having full 1-year syllabus exams etc right?
Yes, and you take it very seriously because the stakes are so high. For my finals I studied 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks, because my PhD offer was conditional on getting a first.
Yeah, I would not buy anything until you know what the other kids have. 
My kid tells me that in undergrad here in the US, he has very few exams as he gets into junior and senior year – it’s mostly just homework or large projects. Very different culture and approach.
It depends a lot on the major.
Agreed, especially boys.
My son at boarding school - we took the usual SUV full O stuff for his freshman year - fan, lamp, rug, cute little bookcase/dresser, decor.
Then Covid hit and he came home with most of it. When he finally went back, he took a duffel bag. And that’s pretty much sustained him for the last two years. And a huge laundry hamper that he comes home with every time. lol
Miraculously at my kids (private) school, the “fashion” is nearly everything the kids wear is thrifted; at lunch they’ll run over to the local Goodwill “bins” (which is often sold by the pound) to look for “good finds” - my kid will come home and excitedly say: Look! these pants were $2, and this sweatshirt was $1.50!!
Outdoor winter wear is solely functional: “can I go camping in this, roll in muddy snow and stand by a fire” is the thought process, not “can I wear this downtown.”
I’m not complaining! It’s kept (some) costs down over these high school years. 
I bought kiddo a blazer last week for a graduation function, I asked him how much he thought it cost, he said: maybe $50 or $60…?. (Yes, he was shocked at the actual cost. )
(I am curious as to whether or not his thrifted, outdoorsy style is going to change at college, but as he’s going to an outdoorsy place I’m guessing it won’t be by much.)
He should also check out the Equal Justice Initiative, also in Montgomery. An amazing organization.
We were there visiting schools around Halloween and were hot in our sweaters. It’s was stunning weather 
I think he will fit in just fine at Whitman 
Remind me what the other school is again?
Someone referenced a results only thread earlier but I can’t find it. Would be fun to read since I missed nearly 2 weeks of posts in early April.
I’m at Whitman right now as I read this. He will be right at home in a thrifted/outdoorsy style
My kid is almost exclusively dressed from the bins! I think the same bins, actually, since we also live not far from Reed. And a few higher end thrift shops. He sounds the same as your kid–his cold weather gear is from his middle school years at an outdoor school. I can’t imagine his approach to clothing changing in college. But I myself like to have the “right” coat and uggs like the other women at the gym, and I’m a grown-up. 
It depends on whether the kid is like him or like me, I guess.
Oh, I hope you’re having a good visit!!
(My phone made me one of those memory videos of our Whitman trip this morning because we were there a year ago today - I am drowning in nostalgia! )
The 5C students where my son is seem to have a major thrifting culture, so I’m guessing he’ll have high quality gear (also sometimes thrifted or pre-owned) but also the rest the same as now as well!
What a small world - yep, I bet they’re at the same “bins” - I shake my head sometimes at the things he comes home with! (Mine also went to an all outdoor school from preschool through 3rd grade - so much wool, so much rain gear!)
Cheers to our funny Portland boys
This is true for my kids too. My daughter came home from a break last fall and was literally wearing an exact match to a casual sweatshirt I used to wear all the time 10+ years ago – same brand, same color, everything. Her roommate was wearing the same in a different color. I took my daughter to the basement and found some old bins of clothes including other colors of the exact same thing. Both of our older kids loved sifting through these dusty bins finding old treasures. Who would have thought. LOL, they both actually loved a backpack my wife used to use when he was an infant to carry around diapers and wipes and competed over who got to use it.
My kid wears uniforms to school. For outside of school, I believe he owns one pair of jeans, two solid colored t shirts, and work out clothes. That’s about it. When I ask him if he needs more jeans or t shirts, he wonders why. He can only wear one shirt at a time after all. I will literally be starting from scratch.