<p>We recently visited Whitman with our HS Junior, who loved it and plans to apply next year. I am wondering if anyone who has visited several of the PNW LACs can compare Whitman to Willamette, UPS, and Lewis & Clark? I know the difference in majors/ranking/location -- it's more the "intangible" things I am asking about... like what are the students like, what's the "vibe" on campus, etc. Any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>MamaBear16, this forum goes through spurts of activity, the students seem to prefer other forms of social media, or they’re just to busy too hang out on CC. I can’t shed any light on what Whitman is like compared to the other campuses, as I haven’t been to the others you listed. I do know that the students who end up at Whitman are largely a congenial, talented, hardworking bunch; the college and the town are friendly and supportive; and the students, faculty and staff form a closely knit community that seems to be very inclusive.</p>
<p>Walla Walla is a great college town, it has everything a student needs within walking or biking distance, and has really good restaurants and shopping a few blocks from campus. There isn’t the nightlife that happens in a large city, but the campus offers a ton of speakers, musicians, plays, sports, outdoor trips, parties, etcetera. The campus doesn’t clear out on the weekends, people are always around and that makes for close connections. </p>
<p>The academics are rigorous, the students work very hard, but there are many supports in place to help those who need it. It’s a place that wants students to succeed, so they’ve got an infrastructure to assist those who need assistance. There is also a very collaborative energy that pervades to place, study groups pop up spontaneously and students help each other.</p>
<p>As far as the “vibe”, I think you’ll find pretty liberal, smart, indie music loving, active and overall nice folks. They tend to be white and affluent, as with most private liberal arts colleges, but Whitman makes great efforts to attract and fund people of other races and socioeconomic classes, it’s an ongoing quest to diversify the student body.</p>
<p>Can you tell us what your daughter loved about Whitman, that would be very interesting to hear.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response! She especially liked the people she met (the students seemed friendly, intelligent, and unpretentious), the class she sat in on, the campus, pretty much everything. Knowing that Whitman is selective and that we can’t count on it, I was hoping to find out if some of the other liberal arts colleges in the Pacific Northwest have a similar student body and vibe.</p>
<p>Hi MamaBear:
I spent a weekend at Whitman so long ago that it isn’t really relevant anymore (although I really enjoyed it). But, D did visit both LC and UPS during her search. She said LC was definitely one of the most beautiful campuses that she visited, but it just felt a little “country-clubish” to her. She really really liked UPS during a summer visit, but when she returned for an overnight, she was turned off by the particular party scene she was exposed to. Now, she understands that is something you can normally work around and it wouldn’t normally be an issue, but she was on an athletic OV, it was her hosts who were partying the night before a big game, and she was looking for teammates who would have a more serious commitment to their sport. Again, other than that she really liked the UPS campus and its programs.</p>
<p>otisp – Thanks for the input! It’s so hard to know if a school is right without visiting, but we just can’t visit all the schools she is interested in before she applies. Any info from people is helpful! :)</p>
<p>@MamaBear16 - We visited UPS, Whitman, L&C, Reed, Linfield, and Willamette last summer with D, who is a Jr. this year. At the time D thought she didn’t want to be in an urban environment and she wants to be near skiing. She has since changed her mind because she is into music and wants access to events. Additionally she will need to get a merit aid package if she really wants to go to a small LAC. We visited in August when school was out and the weather was awesome and, yes, all of the tour guides did a good job and all walked backwards well. The schools tend to run together somewhat as did info sessions, but basic impressions were:</p>
<p>1) UPS was nicer than she expected. The campus was more compact than I expected, but very pretty. The dorm rooms were nice and decent sized. There was construction on campus so it was loud and we couldn’t get everywhere. Our tour guide was good which also gave a positive impression. The campus is located in a nice area of Tacoma.</p>
<p>2) Reed has a pretty campus, but D got a less than positive impression right away. Might be because the school is trying to set itself up as a west coast Ivy in terms of rigor. One thing our tour guide told us is that a local philanthropist donated to Reed with the stipulation that the money was used for fun because she didn’t think Reedies had enough fun. Pluses were that the school owns a condo at Mt. Hood (D is a competitive ski racer). Negatives were the overly-serious vibe.</p>
<p>3) Lewis & Clark was probably the most beautiful campus. Very park-like. We all fell in love with the campus. Academically the school is a good fit for D, but I don’t think they had one of the majors she was looking for. The dorms were set away from the main part of campus. Buses go to downtown Portland (very nice City and a place I’d like to spend more time). We left with a positive feeling and lots of literature for all her school friends.</p>
<p>4) Linfield is in McMinnville, an hour west of Portland. We did not have a group info session there, rather our area rep met us, knew who we were and called D by name, and brought us up for a private meeting. We were impressed by that. The school seemed to want D and we left with the impression that she would get offered the most aid from Linfield. The campus was not as strikingly beautiful as L&C, but it was nice. I don’t remember the dorm room, but they do offer the major D wanted at that time (creative writing). McMinnville is cute and is in wine country, a plus for visiting parents. Linfield as very nice sports facilities and actively recruits athletes (softball, basketball, etc.)</p>
<p>5) Willamette is smack in the center of Salem, Oregon’s capitol. The Capitol complex is on one side of campus and the main hospital on the other. It felt more urban than UPS. I’d bet it’s a great set-up for internships. The Mill Stream runds through the middle of campus and makes for a gathering place. Kids were moving into the dorms while we visited, so we snuck looks into dorm rooms. They were nice, neither huge nor small. The library was nice. What caught my D’s attendtion was an old observatory on campus that is now used by campus garage bands to practice. She is a musician and is part of a garage band at home. For her that gave the campus an additional cool factor.</p>
<p>D surprised us with her ranking, which were
1 - tie between Whitman and Willamette. She liked the vibes on these campus. We were surprised that she ranked Willamette, an totally urban campus, so high. Now, 6 months later, she is thinking Whitman is too isolated.
3 - Lewis and Clark. She liked the campus better than the UPS campus
4 - UPS. She liked the academics
5 - Linfield. She was impressed by the personal attention, but probably the least academically rigerous of schools we visited. (We’re betting they offer the best aid package though)
Off List - Reed. She could not see herself there at all even though she is a serious student.</p>
<p>So all and all, we were happy to have found 5 potential schools from one college road trip! If you want more info or specific info, let me know and I will dig up my notes from the trip.</p>
<p>FYI @MamaBear16, you can go to the CampusVibe section of CC and search for and read campus visit posts by people who have visited specific schools. That may help you get an idea of other campus that would be a fit for your D. Good luck!</p>