<p>I would love to hear from anyone especially current students about a few things...What is the attitude regarding learning and academics...are kids excited, interested and curious, wanting to excel, and be challenged? How is the social situation? Students seemed pretty laid back, which was nice though also seemed not so energetic. How is school spirit? Do kids really like to get involved in student life and school events? I know these are varied questions but they are really important...we just visited and these are the things that you can't see in a day...Thanks so much in advance would be helpful to hear!</p>
<p>Bumping this OP since S has the same questions. We visited Puget Sound during their Homecoming/Family Weekend. He liked the campus but couldn’t get a feel of campus life.</p>
<p>bumping it again… DS is trying to choose between Lewis & Clark, Willamette, UPS and (reach) Whitman. Wants to study geology and environmental science. He’s a suburban white kid from Texas who wants to explore a different area of the country like the Pacific Northwest, be exposed to kids from other parts of the country, and have a great college town experience (not necessarily spectator sports) like cafes, bookstores, coffee shops, and live music.</p>
<p>Have visited all four schools, live near one and one daughter decided between UPS and Willamette. Although Whitman is a reach and has higher stats and prestige than the other three i wouldn’t let that sway you. Whitman is really isolated and for a suburban kid that could be difficult. Hands down the admissions folks and kids at Willamette the nicest of any school we visited. Not a big fan of Salem and not sure they offer the variety of majors as UPS. Dont know as much about Lewis and Clark but in a great setting and easy access to Portland. Overall UPS was best fit in terms of size, financial package, location and the quality of housing and food (Willamette also had great food which shouldnt be overlooked).</p>
<p>Thanks, Ruddy Duck. UPS and Whitman have the geology programs he’s interested in, so he’ll likely pursue those tow for sure. He is concerned about the isolation of Whitman, but he’s also determined to study in the best geology school he can. I like what I’ve learned about both Willamette and Lewis and Clark, but they just don’t have the science he wants. His alternatives take him deeper into deep snow country: Beloit, Oberlin and Wooster.</p>
<p>I guess “isolated” is in the eye of the beholder. I’ve been to Walla Walla several times and yes,it is a four hour+ drive from Portland or Seattle, but it’s a really nice small city. Whitman is 2 blocks from Walla Walla’s downtown where you’ll find really good restaurants, clothing shops, groceries, coffee houses, etc. It’s not a megalopolis, but I found the campuses that were set off away from towns were the ones that felt REALLY isolated. At Whitman you can walk or bike anywhere you need to go and you can get off campus in minutes. There is a ton of stuff going on on campus all the time and the outdoor program makes access to the the great outdoors a breeze. Because of Whitman’s location the student body forms a close knit supportive community; with a 94% freshman retention rate its obvious some students really value that. Won’t appeal to everyone though, the LACs all have their own personalities.</p>
<p>bopambo - good to know that Walla Walla is a great town for Whitman’s students. Personally (mom-wise) it sounds ideal for the experience I’d pick for him if it was up to me. Clearly we will need to visit! My best friend from high school lives on the Oregon coast, so this will not be a terrible thing 
Whitman is in DS’ top three LACs for geology, and he’s already submitted his application, just needs to complete the supplement. I will say this: Whitman sent a very informative set of materials, impressive just for that alone.</p>
<p>Wow, onesonmom, your son is efficient! I really didn’t mean to hijack the thread; I’ve heard only great things about UPS. Good luck!</p>
<p>Actually, bopambo, you did us a service. Whitman moved up the list once we heard that it wasn’t so isolated and that the town could provide a more positive experience than we assumed. We’ve visited some LACs that were just too far from much of anything, or in towns that would motivate long drives to the closest big city for entertainment - something I try to keep in focus. DS wants some kind of college town-y experience (coffee houses, bookstores, live music). I checked airfare (yikes) for a January 2 visit in order to get the interview in before the January 15 deadline as strongly recommended on the admissions page. Here in our district we have some very tight restrictions - and heavy consequences - regarding absences this year - DS has only one more exempt college day he can take for the remainder of the school year, so we may try to squeeze it in at the end of our break (Whitman’s admissions are doing interviews and tours that day). Or, perhaps, schedule a long weekend and try to get over to UPS as well. Overshadowing all of this is DS’ early decision application to Colorado College, which I’ guessing will result in deferment into the regular pool of applicants… thus the backup plans for continuing the application process even though he’s missed some early action deadlines. (We’ll know before Christmas, at which time he’ll either write those supplement essays or notify colleges that he’s withdrawing if he’s accepted to CC.)</p>
<p>Anyway, I want to thank you for your helpful information. We feel so much better prepared for the aftermath of a Colorado College “rejection” but between us parents, I’d LOVE for him to pursue Whitman!</p>
<p>If you do find yourselves making a quick trip to Walla Walla there are two ways to get there by air, I think I remember reading that you’re in southern CA: fly to Seattle and change planes for a hop to Walla Walla, this one is longer and more expensive; or fly into Pasco, 45 minutes away, and rent a car. Even with renting the car it’ll still be cheaper than flying into Walla Walla, and there are a lot more flight options because there are multiple carriers flying into Pasco so it cuts down on travel time. This is also a good way for students to get there and back, they often share cabs, get friends to drop them off, or they can ride the Grapeline bus service that makes the run 3 times a day between Pasco airport and Walla Walla.</p>
<p>onesonmom, you might also have your son read this: [Is</a> College Better if there is a Big City Nearby? | Kayvon’s (WHITMAN!) Blog](<a href=“http://kayvonsblog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2011/12/23/is-college-better-if-there-is-a-big-city-nearby/]Is”>http://kayvonsblog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2011/12/23/is-college-better-if-there-is-a-big-city-nearby/)
Ok, I’ll stop now.</p>
<p>onesonmom…My DS applied to CC, Whitman, UPS and L&C last year… he also applied ED to CC, but was deferred then ultimately denied… his 2nd choice was Whitman, but he was rejected there as well… I don’t know what your S’s stats are, but Whitman is a stickler for grades… I think test scores are not that important… of course my DS had high test scores but weaker grades. Anyway, he did get into UPS with a HUGE merit scholarship. It was down to UPS and St. Lawrence in NY, and SLU won him over, but we all LOVED UPS!! We also visited Willamette and L&C, but he wasn’t thrilled about either of those. He is a real outdoorsy kid who wanted a rural school by the mountains. I will keep my fingers crossed for your S this week… CC is SO awesome!!</p>
<p>Will be going through the whole thing again next year with DS 14…and UPS and Whitman will see another round of app’s from my DS#5</p>
<p>yours truly…fivesonmom:-))</p>
<p>Thanks, 5boys, for the info and the encouragement. I am doing everything I can to help him keep an open mind about which colleges might ALSO be great options. We did not really grasp how selective CC was until after we visited and he’d already fallen hard. Whitman, UPS for sure, possibly Western Washington, maybe Fort Lewis (don’t know much except public LAC, small-ish, geology program, Durango), and then eastward to Wooster, Beloit, Oberlin.</p>
<p>Silly me; I thought we had a solid backup safety in place. DS applied early - and I mean early, on August 1 which is the day the application opened - to the University of Arkansas. He was admitted to the Honors College, but then decided he wanted more of a geochemistry, hydrology, environmental science oriented geology program.</p>
<p>He was adamant that he didn’t want a college smaller than his (huge) high school, but after visiting some LACs he began to see it differently. He called the Hendrix dorms “early gulag” but the scale of three-story dorms and a walkable campus worked some magic.</p>
<p>I’ll just chime in here as my daughter has visited L&C, Whitman, and UPS. Of all of them, Whitman seemed the least isolated, since you are pretty much in town. Both L&C and UPS are somehwat isolated on hills in pleasant residential neighborhoods but not within walking distance of any off campus businesses. Well, I think we passed a pizza place just off UPS campus. Daughter, also very outdoorsy, loved L&C, but is also applying to UPS and Whitman. The deciding factor for us will probably be finances, with Western WA as a low-cost option.</p>
<p>Upstreaming–not sure what direction you approached campus from. 6th Avenue is 2 or 3 short blocks from campus, and is full of businesses of every description. A little further, maybe 7 or 8 blocks but still very walkable, is the North Proctor district, again quite a few restaurants and other businesses. My son is a sophomore, the proximity to businesses off campus is one of the things he loves about the school. I have never visited Whitman, but this–this being the proximity to businesses–is a distinction between UPS and L&C. L&C does feel isolated in a residential area (a residential area where L&C off campus students do not live, the houses are pretty nice) that is some miles from downtown. I understand that there is a convenient shuttle from L&C to downtown, but it is not a campus where you can really walk anywhere. Also, students living off campus at UPS live essentially right next to campus, as my son says the houses surrounding the campus are like an extension of the campus. He also loves that he is a relatively short trip to Seattle, and has pretty good access to places further away–Portland, Vancouver–via the I-5 corridor. I think this is one of the things that is a clear distinction with Whitman–Walla Walla may be a very nice place, but it’s pretty far from anywhere else. To the original poster’s question–the report I get is that while students at UPS are somewhat alternative and “chill,” they take their academics seriously and tend to be involved in campus activities. My son has 3 housemates, and the four of them are serious about their studies and involved in at least one extracurricular activity. For what it’s worth, my son picked UPS over L&C and other similar LACs. It has been a great choice for him, and I have been nothing but impressed. It is a place that knows very much what it’s about–supporting student success–and seems to be pretty good at it.</p>
<p>I checked the school web site, and if you follow the school’s directions from the highway you would not see any of the businesses near campus, they take you through almost exclusively residential areas to the North of campus, so I coulde see why you would have the impression that the UPS campus is isolated in a residential area. 6th Avenue is a few blocks to the South of campus, and the Proctor District is West and North, probably three blocks over from the North-South route the school’s directions have you follow. The school route also does not take you through Old Town or the Pacific Avenue area, which are further and not within walking distance, but pretty cool neighborhoods. When I have visited, I stay at a great hotel (Murano) near Pacific Avenue, and I am able to walk to some nice restaurants. North Tacoma, which pretty much encompasses all of the above, is a pretty neat place. Check out the school’s web site, the descriptions of the neighborhoods around campus are pretty accurate.</p>
<p>Our daughter is also a sophomore at UPS and happy with her choice—out of her seven options it came down to Willamette and UPS, both great schools. Same as Ruddy Duck here as UPS was just the better fit for her in several ways-surrounding area,location,size-- not to mention the incredible scholarship and financial aid. Loved Willamette the school but not Salem so much.</p>
<p>We do P****line bidding for downtown Tacoma hotels when visiting, and almost always get the Hotel Murano! The glass art in that hotel is amazing. Tacoma is the home of the Chihuly Glass Art Museum, very cool.</p>
<p>Great hotel, would not stay anyplace else in Tacoma.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m currently in my third year of undergrad at UPS, and as a whole, I’m really pleased with the choice I made. The truth is, there isn’t a cohesive attitude among the undergraduate classes. There’s too much diversity, interests, personalities, and attitudes. As a whole, I’d say we’re a reasonably outdoorsy bunch, laid-back, and opinionated. Nearly everyone I’ve met over the past three years has been very friendly, helpful, and has a diverse set of interests (“Hi, I’m x. I love travelling, 18th century German classical music, and cross country skiing”). Everyone here has there something, and they want to talk about it and share it with you, and hope that their something might become your something, too. </p>
<p>As with any liberal arts college, there is a wide variety of income backgrounds here. You have the kids who are on full-rides, and work their asses and balance work, sports, and academics. Then you have the “trustafarians.” The kids who came from privileged backgrounds, but pretend they didn’t. They’re a bit frustrating, but you’ll meet them at any university campus. Here they just tend to wear Birkenstocks and North Face jackets. </p>
<p>For some context: Lewis and Clark was my first choice school. I could have very easily fit in there, and I think I would have been very happy there–I didn’t get in. I also applied to Willamette. Loved the school–HATED Salem. Didn’t even bother applying to Whitman, because I need to be closer to a city. </p>
<p>All in all, I love UPS. I’m totally happy with my choice, and I’m enjoying my last 1.5 years here. If your kids can handle the weather (I’m from California, so it’s a bit of an adjustment), then I urge them to consider UPS. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>edit: While I agree that UPS can seem like it’s own bubble, it’s definitely not isolated from local businesses. I can walk to the grocery store, and anywhere else I could conceivably want to go is generally within biking distance (shopping, parks, food, etc.). The only thing that’s far away is the mall, cinemas, Seattle, and Mount Rainier. Besides Rainier, most of them are easily accessible with public transit, or you could take the weekend shuttle, or you make friends with a car. During the warmer months (or spring, which may or may not be warm) there’s a LOT to do in the Proctor district. It’s a cute neighbourhood with a lot of street fairs, farmers’ markets, and the like. It’s a lovely place to stroll around when it’s warm.</p>