<p>ok.. so this school is supposed to be one of the best liberal arts schools in the nation, but why does us news rank them in the high 30s? i dont understand. princeton review 366 college book states they are are "mega sleeper", and that its a great institution, but WHY is it a mega sleeper?
isnt there a legit reason?</p>
<p>It has got to do, in my opinion, with its location-not in the 'northeast', but in 'northwest mountains'!</p>
<p>my interpretation is of "mega sleeper" is that there is a large disparity between the quality of the school and how well known it is. I think they called Whitman a mega sleeper is a top-notch school (if not in the top 25), while being virtually unknown outside of the Pacific NW. </p>
<p>Because of its "mega sleeper" status, I don't think that Whitman would be the ideal school if someone is looking for a school with immediate name recognition and clout in name-brand circles.</p>
<p>I'm from the East Coast (Connecticut), and virtually no one has ever heard of Whitman. However, I have a lot of family on the West Coast, and they are all impressed when I say I applied to Whitman. So in I think mkword and seniorslacker are right to say that it just really depends what part of the country you are from!</p>
<p>Snap412 has it perfect. I live in Portland, OR, and my dad went to Whitman. Aside from Reed, it's probably the most prestigious college out here.</p>
<p>I, on the other hand, am going to Hamilton College in upstate NY next year, and I've had to explain where/what Hamilton is to everybody I tell over here, whereas my family back East all think Hamilton is an incredibly impressive school.
My friends at Pomona have the same problem.</p>
<p>Another note, take another look at those rankings and see how many are from west of the Mississippi, much less on the coast. I don't think anyone can really say that east coast schools are BETTER, they just are more well known, which makes up a good chunk of the score. </p>
<p>With that in mind, I think it's amazing that Whitman can be in the 30s, and that Reed (which refuses to participate in the rankings and gets penalized) can be in the 50s. Take a look at Furman, one above. I've never heard of them, but they must be good.</p>
<p>Whitman has a huge endowment for its size, tons of alumni support, and a great record of grad school/job placement. Don't let the lack of a big name keep you from it.</p>
<p>To me Whitman isn't defined by prestige and competition, which makes it stand out to me. However, this is probably why it has been called a "mega sleeper" (what a weird name, haha).</p>
<p>does anyone have some stats about whitman kids getting into grad school?</p>
<p>From the website:
"Over 60% of Whitman College students continue their education in various graduate school programs throughout the nation and world.
The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized Whitman as one of the top producers of Fulbright fellowship recipients. Ten Whitman graduates received these prestigious international research and study grants in 2007, an extraordinary number for any institution, especially a smaller liberal arts college."
The school is well-tuned toward getting you into a good grad school if that's what you want.</p>
<p>I don't have stats to report on grad school admissions, but I believe that Whitman students are very successful once admitted to grad school because they have learned how to write well during their undergraduate careers. I have taught many Whitman grads, and am always so impressed by their analytic and writing skills. I'm thrilled to see them in my classes!</p>