Would appreciate insights from this group for a student choosing among these schools. As small LACs in the PNW, they have a lot of similarities. Curious about what may distinguish each one.
We visited all 3 of these with my D19. She applied to and was accepted at Willamette and Whitman. I really liked both! (Ultimately she found a home at another school which is a great fit for her.) One of her best friends is at Willamette and loves it. One of the things that stuck out to me was an administrator who said they try really hard not to say “no.” If a student has an idea for a project or a club or new way of doing things, they try to say yes. If a professor has an idea for a new class or an abroad, etc, they try to say yes. I love that approach! I also really liked Whitman! and it made it to the late rounds (fewer CA kids which was a goal). My one caution there is that we heard that it’s very outdoorsy and on the weekends can be quiet because everyone literally heads for the hills… and rivers… and forests. That could be a huge plus for your kid! It’s anecdotal - so maybe a question to ask current students. You’ve got some great choices! Look forward to hearing what your kid decides!
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We also visited all three. They are similar, but each has its own personality.
Whitman is a bit hard to get to, but it is a gem! It is blocks from downtown Walla Walla, which is s charming town catering to the winery tourism crowd. The campus is beautiful and both the campus and the students made me think of it as a Carleton of the West. Both are rural, pretty, snowy in the winter, surrounded by older homes. Both have students that are smart, welcoming, down to earth, unpretentious, intellectually curious, up for a hike, and maybe a tad quirky.
Willamette is smack in the middle of Salem, between the hospital and the Capitol. There is a creek running through the campus, but it still feels decidedly more urban than Whitman. Salem isn’t huge, but you will see more homeless in the general area (partly because of the proximity to a hospital, courthouse, and interstate freeway). We spent less time here than at the other two, but the students struck us as tending a bit more urban hipster/quirky than Whitman’s. Maybe because of the graduate programs, the school felt a bit more pre-professional relative to Whitman, which felt more pre-academia (although obviously students at either school could take either path — or neither). Also, maybe because of the law school, we got the impression that activism might be a bit more high profile there.
University of Puget Sound has a gorgeous campus that feels more like Hogwarts than the others, with ivy-covered brick walls. It also had the best athletic facilities, we thought. It is on a hill less than a mile from the Sound. We thought the school emphasized both sports and music more than the others. The students seemed a bit more straight-laced and less quirky than at the others. The immediate surroundings feel almost suburban, but it is quite close to downtown Tacoma and obviously convenient to Seattle, too.
Just our impressions based on the people we interacted with — we had generally positive impressions at all three, but think each one will resonate most with a slightly different kind of student.
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Following this thread! My youngest got into those 3 and is also considering Chapman, UN-Reno, Lewis and Clark, and St. Olaf for a music major. My oldest went to Willamette (which I can recommend as a great school but that makes it much less appealing to youngest 
). He has visited Lewis and Clark and Chapman and has plans to see UNR next week and the 2 WA schools the weekend after.
I’m trying to think of details to tell you about Willamette. My daughter was a psychology major and was involved in one of the choirs. She lived on campus for 2 1/2 years, did a semester abroad, and lived off campus her last year. Downtown Salem has some charm but the city overall seems like it has seen better days. But it’s not too far to Portland, and the Willamette Valley is quite scenic. I was impressed by their freshman orientation and by the senior internships/ projects (varies by major). It’s true that it’s full of Californians but we are part of that demographic ourselves so can’t complain too much ;-).
Will you be attending any of the admitted student days? Personally I have high hopes for Puget Sound being a great fit for my son … his current overall favorite is Chapman but it’s coming out about 2x as expensive as Puget Sound and Willamette, so there’s that.
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Thanks to all of you, these posts are very helpful. We are part of the California demographic as well! We are going to admitted students days at all three - April 1, 8 and 9 - busy beginning of April! She visited all three previously, but it is more real to her now. She liked but dismissed Whitman a bit because she didn’t think she would get in - it will be interesting the impression each of these places make now that she’s been admitted. Thanks again!
One note about Whitman — other than athletes bused out to play other schools, there aren’t going to be a lot of students leaving for the weekend EXCEPT for outdoors activities. I think that potentially makes for a closer campus community.
I suspect there are many Seattle area students at Puget Sound who may go home some weekends — or take off to explore Seattle. Likewise, despite the California contingent at Willamette, there will be more local students able to go home for the weekend at Willamette, too, and more students heading to Portland, Eugene, or the beach, I am guessing.
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Following the thread as Whitman is one of my daughters top choices. We are going to visit for a weekend in a few weeks. I’ll report back with our impressions!
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Just a quick clarification: when I said that D19 was looking for a school with fewer Californians, that’s because WE are Californians and she wanted something different. Nothing against Californians as a group! 
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I think finding that balance between a fun social life on campus and fun things to explore in the surround environs is ideal.
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Thought I would update to say my D has made her choice - she will be attending Whitman in the fall! Admitted students day yesterday clinched it. She is ecstatic and relieved. She immediately got that great gut feeling that Whitman is the place for her. On top of that, she made new friends from Colorado, Minnesota and Texas! My husband went with her as I am in FL with my mom (I am sad to have missed it); he says he made lots of new friends yesterday, too. The day made a great impression, all the way around. Walla Walla is a pain to get to, but at least D22 will be in the same time zone as her mama. I am ecstatic to hear her so excited and happy! Thanks for all of your input!
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That’s very exciting! My D is leaning towards Willamette. It’s in the top 2, anyway. Congratulations!
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Congratulations!
And we were also at the Whitman admitted student day yesterday… maybe we crossed paths. Which parent class were you in? I was in the Columbine one - very interesting seminar, I thought.
My son is still mulling over his options but his top 2 seem to be UNR and UPS. He liked Whitman but at 2x the price for him there wasn’t anything to overcome that. Seems like a great school though and Walla Walla is quite cute.
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@washugrad My husband brought her - not sure which class he was in, but he said he met a lot of really nice moms!
@Ally86 we really liked Willamette, but I am pretty sure Whitman was her favorite all along - she just wouldn’t admit it because she didn’t think she would get in.
On that note, she ultimately graduated with a 3.5UW, medium rigor (a couple/few honors/APs), TO, strong ECs and (I assume) LORs.
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