It sounds like she wants to write her own story, and not follow her brother’s. Does she like UofO? We liked the honors college when we were looking for D22. The campus is so lovely. We visited during Covid so we didn’t get a true sense of the place filled with people, but D22 liked it quite a bit. (She ended up at UC, we are in-state in CA)
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Just adding that Whitman has the following environmental studies majors. In addition to Environmental Studies, there are the following dual/combined possibilities, which might be compelling:
Environmental Humanities, Anthropology-ES, Art-ES, Biology-ES, Chemistry-ES, Economics -ES, Geology- ES, History-ES, Physics-ES, Politics-ES, Sociology-ES
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This brings up a good point.
The thread title says Environmental Science but we are saying Whitman has environmental studies which is very different.
One is more science. The other more social science / policy.
OP - what is your students actual interests ?
If it’s science it might require looking into a dual.
U of O has an env science major.
You might compare curriculums of the Whitman Studies vs Oregon Science major to ensure you know what you are getting.
U of O has both.
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Environmental Studies is interdisciplinary in nature, but does not necessarily focus on policy unless that’s the chosen area of focus (ie, one could choose to focus on geology or chemistry). But yes, it looks like the major requirements include sciences, social sciences and even a few humanities classes. I haven’t looked at the U of O course catalogue. I agree it would be worth a comparison look.
ETA: Looks like Environmental Science at U of O is also interdisciplinary 
“Work alongside world-class scholars and researchers, develop concrete skills and analytical abilities, and gain real-world experience with the environmental science major. You will learn from an interdisciplinary approach to the natural sciences—including biology, geology, chemistry, physical geography, and data analysis—and gain an understanding of how social sciences, policy, humanities, and design inform our approaches to solving environmental issues.”
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Ok but U of O has studies too. So both majors. Looks like social science-y from the description
Says more than 600 students in either Science or Studies at Oregon and 100 faculty. So it sounds like it will be a large program.
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Oregon grad here (did not do honors college). The honors college is great!! Your daughter will have small honors classes and no big lecture halls. The actual honors college is right in the center of campus. Eugene back in the day was an awesome place to go to college. Many things to do on campus and off. Only an hour from the coast or skiing. So many benefits of both a big and small school in one. I would much rather be in Eugene than Walla Walla for college, but that’s just my opinion. I did grow up in the PNW.
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U of O is about 12 times bigger than Whitman. Of course every program at Oregon will be large in comparison, but at a school with 18,000 undergrads, is 600 is a large, small or medium size program? And does it matter?
The real question is does OP’s daughter prefer a small LAC or a large public university, and does she want to forge her own path, or attend the same college as her older brother, even though he graduates before she’d matriculate. In my mind, this is a fit issue, as both schools have strong environmental programs.
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I am so very grateful for this very insightful input. We are going to UW on April 15th but we hear all the things you just listed. UO surprisingly seemed quite nice-- not sure what I was expecting but definitely exceeded my expectations. Whitman is a known entity and was great for my son, but, like your daughter, mine is starting to say that she wants something bigger now. Really appreciate your experience and honest appraisal.
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Good point! Thank you!
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You might have guessed I live in the PNW too, which is why I’m so interested in this thread! We know lots of kids who are happy at UW, have several alumni in the family, and my father-in-law was on the faculty as well as a department chair for years. For kids who want a big school, and who are directly admitted to their requested major, it’s a great option. I’m not sure I’d pay OOS tuition over Oregon though. I will say that I agree with CMA22’s impressions. For in-state tuition, some are wiling to put up with all the issues that go along with a big urban school.
Enjoy your campus visit, the cherry blossoms are stunning right now. It really is a beautiful campus.
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Yes - agreed - but this also depends. Some like a large school but not such a large program at the school. IU Kelley is an example. But it appears UO has the faculty to support a large student body. Simply pointing out the info.
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Adding that UW undergraduate population (36k+) is twice the size of Oregon’s (18k+).
I think anyone considering Whitman might want to note how much smaller Oregon is.
The other thing I’d add is the amount of money being poured into UO in recent years. The new $1b+Knight science campus just opened a few years ago as just one example.
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