<p>Whitman has a huge Greek presence; 40% for guys and 25% for gals. I would imagine however that LAC Greek is very different from large uni Greek. Students there are also very, very happy with the school, so maybe they do a good job of selecting those for whom it is a good match.</p>
<p>My sense is that Whitman, Oxy, and possibly/probably Rhodes have the most conventional students of those on your list, if social environment makes any difference to you. You may also want to consider where a school is on the political/social justice spectrum if you are a political type and don’t want to bash your head in frustration (or are apolitical and find demonstrations annoying).</p>
<p>I’m trying to figure out whether I think Whitman students are conventional. My son is a sophomore there and that’s really pretty tricky. They’re motivated, smart, down to earth and much less fashion conscious than hipster-ish Reed. There are plenty of quirky unpredictable sorts and community service is big, in fact Greeks do a huge amount of philanthropy. Sustainability is a big issue, composting is king and the outdoors beckon to many, on the other hand, there isn’t a huge counter culture vibe. It’s a little preppy, a little hippy, pretty outdoorsy with some social activism thrown in, and very friendly.</p>
<p>As a recent Reed grad parent, and a best friend of a recent Whitman grad’s parents (we regularly exchanged impressions), I agree with bopambo, with the caveat that I think Reedies are dressing down hipster conscious. By hipster I mean middle class and upper class young people associated with alternative culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, alternative hip-hop, independent film and a lifestyle revolving around thrift store shopping, eating organic, locally grown, vegetarian, and/or vegan food, drinking local beer (or even brewing their own), listening to public radio, and riding fixed-gear bicycles. YMMV. I think Whitties are more conventional than Reedies, on average.</p>
<p>My son was offered a fabulous FA package from Macalester, merit plus need based aid. I believe he did because right up until the end it was one of his top choices and he’d shown a lot of interest. I think the LACs ranked a little below the top 10 realize that they become safety schools for top students so they respond to genuine interest from well qualified applicants.</p>
<p>eeek, I keep forgetting to say S received merit aid at Whitman = about 1/3 tuition. His stats were in the top 25% of enrolled students. I think that’s the key to receiving merit aid, target schools where your stats and/or talents stand out.</p>
<p>According to Whitman’s CDS, a 31 ACT is the 75th percentile, and I got a 32… but only about 45 kids sent the ACT, the vast majority sent the SAT.</p>
<p>Any of these schools (or some of the others including Macalester) might offer you a few thousand per year, perhaps. I think even that is not too likely, so for planning purposes I would not count on any. As suggested above, consider less selective schools such as Hendrix (Goucher, Ursinus, etc.)</p>
<p>tk21769, is right, you can’t count on merit aid. If merit is vital you must add some lower ranked schools where you are squarely in the top 75 percentile, preferably higher. You’re a junior so you have time to take the SATs and even add some points to your GPA. That being said, you really can’t predict what schools will give you what until you apply. That’s why people apply to so many. Potentially, depending on all the components of your application, you could get merit aid at the schools that offer it.</p>
<p>Cut Lewis and Clark for community feel. Notorious for students who go abroad, move far off campus or transfer after 2 years. Even our tour guide admitted that the community feel was really lost after first year or 2.</p>
<p>When you are looking at tuition of $45,000 out thereabouts, 12k doesn’t go very far. Many school offer a high end 16-17k merit award. One is still left on the hook for more than a state school, so you still have to make sure that the cost/benefit makes sense. As many here have said, though, you can’t tell for sure what their grant, scholarship, loan mix will be until you apply and get the packet back. Everyone works it a bit differently and bases mix on different applicant attributes.</p>
<p>I go to Lewis and Clark, and I would say that once you’re an upperclassman the community is what you make of it. I know lots of upperclassmen who live on campus and love it. It’s only the people who choose to move off who lose the sense of community a bit. It’s still a small, close-knit school and even without the residential community there’s still a community within whichever academic program you’re in.</p>
<p>Yeah, some of the other options may be better for that residential community feel, but I don’t think you should completely disregard LC. You seem like you could be competitive for some merit money, and it’s a free app. At least, it was last year.</p>
<p>I agree with anyone who says you should visit, though.</p>
<p>Are you saying you won’t qualify for need-based aid? I don’t think merit-based aid should be a big consideration. Need-based age is generally larger than merit-based aid at good schools. Some not-as-good schools have more merit-based aid, but I’ve seen cases of students regretting haven taken it.</p>
<p>Re: Merit aid at Whitman. My daughter was Salutatorian, 3.9999 unweighted GPA, 30 ACT (hard worker, very driven and organized - not necessarily the most gifted academically) Lots of leadership in ECs, community service, etc. Those statistics are middle of the road at Whitman. So merit aid wasn’t a big part of the aid picture. She ended up going to another school where her statistics put her closer to the top and got $16,000 a year in merit aid, at a school with much lower cost of attendance. </p>
<p>I am a Whitman grad, and I would have loved for her to go there, but it wasn’t her first choice, and the better aid at her first choice sealed the deal. </p>
<p>Walla Walla is a great town. I would love to retire there. </p>
<p>The fraternities and sororities are much different at Whitman than what my other daughter has experienced at the University of Washington. I never actually set foot in either a sorority or a fraternity when I was a student at Whitman, although I had good friends who were members. (The sororities don’t even have sorority houses - just sections in one of the dormitories. ) There aren’t barriers between Greek and indies.</p>