<p>Does anyone know anything about the area or university? I'm considering applying to a graduate program here next year.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I just bumped the "Pacific Northwest Road Trip" thread back to the top for you to peruse. There is discussion of the town of Walla Walla and Whitman College, which is in Walla Walla. There is also Walla Walla University, which isn't actually in the city of Walla Walla but in the sort-of suburb named College Place. WWU is a Seventh Day Adventist school. Whitman College is a liberal arts school (with a strongly liberal student body) and no graduate school. Did any of that help?</p>
<p>I don't know WWU beyond it being an Adventist school, which means it will be socially conservative and may have some excellent health science programs. It is definitely worth checking out and not letting the religious affiliation be a deterrent unless you decide it would interfere in some way for you personally after learning more about it.</p>
<p>Walla Walla is has a population of about 30,000. Among the major local employers are agriculture/viniculture, the Washington State penitentiary, and Whitman and Walla Walla U.
It is socioeconomically diverse and still has lot of the feel of a "small town in the West", in part I think because it is a 2-5 hour drive to any big city. At the same time, it has a nice downtown, all the basic amenities, two accessible airports (Walla Walla and Pascoe) (and Amtrak but not daily I think). Walla Walla was the county seat I think and the "cultural center" for the region (mostly dryland wheat farming until winemaking took off and now there are many vineyards) and so has many churches and the oldest symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi. My kids also commend the thrift stores and Sweet Basil pizza.</p>
<p>I am responding as an alumnus of the school, but I am also an employee to share what I know. Walla Walla University is a Seventh-day Adventist University that offers more than 100 areas of study in a Christian environment. We're located in southeastern Washington state in a quintessential American community that is becoming quite well known for its tourist industry. We have 1800 students. Our student/faculty is currently 13 to 1, and 66% of our students are from out of state. The average freshman entering GPA this year is 3.41. Our 10 largest areas of study are (largest first): 1) School of Social Work and Sociology, 2) School of Nursing, 3) Edward F. Cross School of Engineering, 4) School of Business 5) School of Education and Psychology, 6) Communications and Modern Languages Department, 7) Technology, (automotive, aviation or design) 8) Biology, 9) Health and Physical Education and 10) School of Theology. Other facts and figures to know:
- Our biology department operates on two campuses, our Walla Walla campus and at our Rosario Marine Station near beautiful Anacortes, Wash. Hands-on research is a significant part of our curriculum.
- School of Business graduates scored 90th percentile on their major field tests for three years in a row. Finance students score 95th percentile.
- School of Nursing graduates scored 90th percentile on their major field tests--better than the national average.
- 100% School of Engineering graduates were placed in desirable jobs or graduate schools, and Boeing is one of the many industries seeking our graduates. See doyouthinklikeanengineer.com for more details.
- Last year's only physics graduate was accepted to Stanford University's aeronautical engineering graduate program.
- Just recently a mathematics graduate was chosen for a 2-year fellowship with T. Rowe Price out of hundreds of applicants for only two available positions.
- A 2008 Communications graduate took 3rd place in a national short film competition.
- 100% of history majors applying were accepted to graduate schools, most received significant fellowships and teaching assistantships.
- Our School of Social Work operates on three campuses, one in Walla Walla, one in Billings, Montana, and one in Missoula, Montana.
- WWU is a service-oriented university: 94 student missionaries represented WWU around the world this year, we are working to support a hospital in Africa, community service days and trips are a tradition, worship opportunities on campus are too many to count.
Please visit wallawalla.edu for more information.</p>
<p>The worst thing we observed regarding the town are the local police. Washington is a traffic ticket happy state but the local cops either have standing orders to write as many speeding tickets as possible or they are bored out of their mind. Either way, we went there for a BBall tournament and both my wife and our friends were pulled over during the short time we were there.
Also, unlike other Adventist universities, they do not give full tuition scholarships for National Merit Finalists.</p>