<p>Lewis & Clark:</p>
<p>Since Carolyn recently described the school in detail, I will only offer a few comments myself. The grounds were very nice: the admission office, housed in the Frank House, is gorgeous. I wanted to move my books into the den and set up shop there.</p>
<p>However, neither daughter was impressed with the campus. Both felt that the topography made the campus feel small. One described it as a camp atmosphere. This visit was only a drive-by, and the info session really did not tell us much we did not know about L & C.</p>
<p>Since it was L&Cs Spring Break, my daughters did not have a chance to interact with any L & C students.</p>
<p>Based upon this visit, it would be unlikely that either daughter would apply to L & C.</p>
<p>Albertson College of Idaho</p>
<p>The drive from Portland to near Boise, Id. was breath-taking at points (The Gorge & Blue Mts.) and boring at times.</p>
<p>The town of Caldwell, Id. is nothing to speak of unless you are my D2! When we got out of the car at our hotel the smell of COW permeated the air. D2 took a deep breath and exclaimed: That smells good!!! D1 said Wheres our next stop? </p>
<p>The 1 mile drive from the hotel to campus took us through Farm City (no, I did not make up that name, that is what it is called everything one could ever need for their farm needs in one tight geographic area. D2 said cool, D1 said when are we leaving? As an aside, how the heck did a Jewish boy from NYC create a farm girl?</p>
<p>The Albertson campus was a real surprise. It really brought home the concept that the sum is greater than its parts. Having had the opportunity to look at the campus online, my reaction was BORING. But, getting to campus and seeing it all fit together was a big WOW. For a school of approximately 800 students, the campus felt very large. Good size buildings, great spacing, attractive quads.</p>
<p>The Admissions office and visitor center was a jewel, very inviting. Albertson employs a visitation coordinator, who much to our surprise had a complete visitation schedule arranged for us. School was in session, so our first stop was an hour long upper division Ethics class. There were approximately 10 kids in the class, and the topic of the day was their reading of J.S. Mill and his theories. The Prof. was very engaging, and tried to foster discussion. In our opinion, the students did not seem to have been very well prepared, and it took at least two prompts from the Prof. each time she wanted a response. She handled the students mis-steps very nicely, validating what they had to say, but gently noting that it was not quite what she was looking for. After class, the Prof. met with us. I asked her if this class was typical of her upper division classes. She said it was. Since my question did not reveal my opinion that the students did not seem well prepared, she assumed I held a high opinion what I had just experienced and was proud of her students. She felt that her biggest challenge in class was to get students to write analytically, rather than writing impression papers. My daughters felt that their H.S. classes were just as, or more engaging in high level discussion, and D2 has had excellent writing classes and has been engaged analytical writing for 2 years.</p>
<p>Our next stop was(a free ) lunch with a student. The dining hall was again much nicer than one would expect of such a small school. Pizza, burgers, and deli sandwiches always available. A nice salad bar, cereals, and a hot dish that was actually incredibly good a chicken, jalapeno, cilantro saute over rice. Lunch was pleasant. The students were generally very happy. There was a strong feeling that they were the best and the brightest in Idaho (no cheap shots taken), and felt a strong tie to the school. Diversity is not really happening on this campus. The school is also very athletic in nature, even boosting a Div. I ski team. The hot button issue on the campus is whether or not to institute a football program. The mens basketball team has done very well, and enjoys great school support. It really seemed like 40% of the kids we saw on campus were involved in some sort of varsity sport.</p>
<p>After lunch our next stop was the Biology Dept. D2 wants to be a Vet, so that was a natural. We were led to the science building by a current student who was on her way to a lab that we were invited to join. On our way we passed by the anatomy lab as it was being setup. D2 popped her head in, and the Prof. Came out, grabbed us, started explaining what he was about to do. They had a cadaver ready to examine. He explained how he only allows 8 students in his lab, 4 on each side of the examining table, etc. He then went to a computer and pulled up a program that allowed for D2 to call up or search for all body parts, She was enthralled, and the Prof. whispered to my wife I want her in my class. D2 overheard this and was beaming. We then meet with another bio. Prof, who took us into the lounge and spoke about the research and internship opportunities . As expected, most of the opportunities were located in Idaho.</p>
<p>Finally, we took a limited tour of the campus we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us to Walla Walla and were anxious to get going as there was the threat of snow in the Mt. Passes we had to cross. The schools boasts a new student center with great amenities, good exercise facilities, and a very nice library. </p>
<p>D1 is not interested; D2 loved the personal attention and community feel. She will likely go back next year for an overnight. It would be a safety for her, with a great shot at some significant merit aid.</p>
<p>And, a word of caution, do not bring a Safeway or Piggly Wiggly bag onto campus. As we learned, the School used to called The College of Idaho until the early 90's, when the Albertsons grocery founder put his name on the school.</p>
<p>Whitman College</p>
<p>Hows this for a slogan: Walla Walla, a mere four hours from anywhere (unless you consider the tri-cities of Pasco, Richland, and Kenniwick somewhere) Well, maybe the chamber of commerce will not make me an offer. Actually, the town of Walla Walla was a big and pleasant surprise. The small downtown area had charm, galleries, restaurants, clothing shops, a Macys, and most importantly a Starbucks (and local coffee shop too). The downtown area borders on the Southern edge of the Whitman campus and is walking within easy walking distance, as is the Safeway.</p>
<p>Whitman was on Spring Break, so we did not get to meet many students. Admissions was very friendly, and even had a pamphlet ready for D2 on local horse riding facilities near campus. D1 really lit up at Whitman. The campus is just beautiful. Large quads, historic buildings, great looking dorms (inside and out), several dining halls, some located in the dorms. Out tour guide was very engaging, really loved the school, and again while color diversity was lacking, our guide identified himself as queer and also as the President of his frat to show how accepting the community is at Whitman. </p>
<p>For me, the most fascinating part of the tour was the fact that right behind the glass french doors in the admission office was a group of for adcons actually debating and making decisions on student files. As a true CC addict, I begged to no avail to be allowed to just be a fly on the wall. They cited some silly rule about confidentiality or something. Really, Im a lawyer I told them, you can trust me. They were not convinced. It was exciting nonetheless, kind of like getting to see the Dallas Cowboys practice for me.</p>
<p>The info session was typical, except that adcon was very honest about the lack of kids of color and the frustration of trying to attract them to a rural campus in central Wa.</p>
<p>D1 so loved the school, she asked if she could apply now as a soph! Really, it fit her image of the type of school she sees herself in: beautiful campus, community amenities, excellent academics, and small classes. Interestingly, the biggest turn off for D1 was the fact that many kids from our H.S. go there. Of course, that will be a big help for her in admissions because Whitman knows our H.S. and its students and thinks very highly of the kids coming out of it.</p>
<p>D2 also liked Whitman, but I would say Whitman is a definite maybe for D1.</p>
<p>Univ of Puget Sound</p>
<p>We really did not know what to expect here. It is a popular choice for many in our area because it is fairly local, with good academics, and financial aid. We were pleasantly surprised by the campus. Both girls were impressed by the continuity of architecture and the great facilities. D1 especially like the fact that at 2,600 students they still had very small class sizes. The admissions office was very busy, with tours leaving every hour on the hour. It was machine like in its efficiency, but the girls really liked the campus treed, large quads, beautiful buildings, very nice dorms, and more diversity than we saw on the other campuses. No doubt that was due to its proximity to Tacoma, Seattle and Portland. Most students were offered a private conference with an adcon, but since our daughters were sophs. They were not. They did however have lunch with a very nice student from Hawaii how made them feel very much at ease. Both felt like they would fit in well.</p>
<p>It would be a safety for both girls, both academically and financially, and a definite possibility that both would apply.</p>