<p>We brought my D up to Walla Walla to visit Whitman this weekend. Last night she spent the night in the dorm, and today is off to two (!) classes, an interview, etc. I am curious to hear her impressions. I probably will have to wait to find out until we head out to fly home. </p>
<p>I am going to meet up w/ her for the college tour later this morning - although she did get an unofficial one the day we arrived when she met up w/ the one and only Whitman student from our home town. She had the opportunity to meeet and talk about Whitman w/ the current Whitman student over the summer, and they hit it off. After that meeting, my D was really excited to visit Whitman - and it sounds like they had an equally good time together during the unofficial tour. My husband and I took both girls to dinner Saturday night, and I got a chance to ask lots of questions too :)</p>
<p>Anyway, at the point we dropped D off yesterday afternoon, she liked Whitman, so hopefully that is still the case after she has spent almost 24 hours on campus experiencing it for herself. This is D's first college visit that went beyond the regular tour/info session. I am not sure I will suggest she do quite as much at the other colleges on her list unless she is accepted, but due to Whitman's remote location, since D wanted to do so many things during her visit, I figured why not...</p>
<p>Let us know what your daughter thought! My daughter is going to apply without managing a visit before apps are due (we’re on the east coast, so it’s a logistical challenge), so it will be interesting to hear your impressions.</p>
<p>Yes… please let us know how it went… my s is applying this year too. Don’t think he will get ot visit either, we are on the West coast, but it is still hard and expensive.</p>
<p>Well, I can honestly say my D LOVED Whitman! She really clicked w/ the kids she met - during her overnight stay in the dorm (which included attending a dorm section meeting), in the classes she attended as well as during the “lunch w/ students.” She said everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I can vouch for that as several of them saying hi to her when we walked to the bookstore together at the end of her visit. She really enjoyed the Environmental Science class she sat in on - and even took notes (she is taking APES, so besides being interested, she said she thought it might come in handy). She did think the Encounters class she sat in was a little confusing since they were discussing a chapter midway through a book she hasn’t read. After lunch, one of the students she had lunch w/ took her to see a “cool” tea room after he learned about her interest in Japan during lunch! </p>
<p>As far as the inteview, she was expecting it to be intense as she had been warned about that by the girl from our hometown as well as some of the kids she met in the dorm, but her interview ended up being w/ a brand new Senior (she told my daughter this was her first interview, and my daughter told her it was hers too), so it was a friendly, low-key experience. One thing that caught me off guard is they said I needed to sit in on the last half of the interview. I wasn’t aware of that until I asked about sitting in on an informational session, and was told I could only sit in on the first half as I would need to go join D and the interviewer… Glad I asked about the info session or I might have been off-campus or something! Anyway, it turned out my participation was only needed so I could ask any questions I might have It sounds like the interview might have been different if it was w/ an admissions officer as my daughter was told by some of the current students that their interviews here had been the most intense but most thought provoking they experienced. Given it was her 1st interview, I think she was glad for the low-key approach of the student interviewer.</p>
<p>And for those of you wondering about the campus, it is very pretty. I was impressed w/ the services and the close knit community that was evident during the tour. I can honestly say everything I have read appeared to be true! Although it is very isolated (geographically), I think that makes for a very amazing college experience as the kids stay on campus. It seems like they do a lot of studying, but they do find time for other activities. My daughter said the next organized study break included some type of paint fight (she loved that idea). We also heard about freshmen piling in a fountain to see how many could fit - and she ran across students playing some game called “zombies versus humans” that she thought sounded like a blast. It sounds like there are lots of opportunities for tutoring (if needed), participating in sports or clubs, internships, taking very interesting classes, ETC.</p>
<p>I asked my daughter if there was anything she disliked or was concerned about, and she said no. She really liked her visit; we both thought it would be a great fit for her if she is accepted. </p>
<p>By the way, my husband came up w/ us from Sat. to Sun. D and I stayed on through Mon. During my husband’s portion of the visit, we had a chance to visit a few of the wineries and sample some of the local wine (and even met a Whitman professor as well as several locals who talked up Whitman). That was an enjoyable diversion for us while my D was catching up on some homework… so although the location is remote, we enjoyed our visit (both on and off campus). </p>
<p>We took ds for an interview and tour just after classes started. We were impressed by the school. Pretty campus and friendly students. We walked past a beginning tennis class and the instructor was having the students warm up by walking like zombies, so there seems to be a common thread there!</p>
<p>My son also enjoyed his interview. It was actually rather relaxed and fun for him. Everyone in admissions was helpful and seemed to really love the school. They asked us to join in for the last part as well. My husband and I had to quickly think up some questions. We’d spent lots of time prepping ds about questions but didn’t think we’d be asking them as well!</p>
<p>We were also pleasantly surprised by Walla Walla. We hadn’t been there in years and the wine industry has certainly changed the place.</p>
It sounds like the interview might have been different if it was w/ an admissions officer as my daughter was told by some of the current students that their interviews here had been the most intense but most thought provoking they experienced. Given it was her 1st interview, I think she was glad for the low-key approach of the student interviewer.</p>