Whitman College

<p>Does anyone know anything about Whitman College? I know it has a 3-2 Oceanography program with the University of Washington (B.A. from Whitman and B.S. from UW Seattle in Oceanography), and that it is one of Loren Pope's "Colleges that Change Lives." If my dream school was Bowdoin, would Whitman also be a good school for me to apply to? I'm looking for a safety that I would actually like to go to (lol College Park)... and Whitman also looks like it has some nice scholarships. </p>

<p>Here are my stats, so you can judge if Whitman is really a safety or not:</p>

<p>3.95 UW GPA, 4.71 WGPA</p>

<p>CR: 670, M: 720, W: 720 (1390/2110)
Chem: 780, Bio E: 750, Math II: 750</p>

<p>AP Exams
5: Chemistry, World History, English Language, Environmental Science, Calculus AB (all taken in one year)
4: US Government</p>

<p>Whitman is an excellent school, but definitely not a safety for you. It may be a high match. It has a 45% acceptance rank, but is becoming increasingly selective.</p>

<p>Do you still think I would be able to get a scholarship? That would be my main reason for applying.</p>

<p>I forgot to mention in my original post... my ECs are really, really good (as in, independent research project at the NIH, building a boat, volunteering as a juror) as well as my essays.</p>

<p>Also, do they consider geographical diversity as a factor? I do live in Maryland...</p>

<p>I really want to go to Whitman to, but the acceptance rate makes me nerrrrrrrvousssssss</p>

<p>They value geographical diversity and have some good scholarship support for well-qualified students so go for it if it feels like a genuine match.</p>

<p>Yeah, Whit is expensive but has great financial aid. </p>

<p>More so than many other colleges, Whitman values the essay A LOT! Like, they wont even LOOK at your grades and courses until they read your essay. Also, GPA and rigor are very important. If you are of a certain ethnicity/race, that is important too (not so much "geographical" diversity, but just whatever your ethnicity is- an African American from WA state has a better chance than a Caucasion from Lower Slobovia)</p>

<p>Also, SAT's and EC's are quite important</p>

<p>ironmetal, my son had a slightly lower gpa (w 4.5) and a slightly higher SAT (2250), a great interview, a great essay, some unique extracurriculars and received a $10,000/yr. merit scholarship if that helps you at all....</p>

<p>Your numbers indicate that you'd be among your Academic peers at Whitman.</p>

<p>The sticky thing about Whitman is the geography. Walla Walla is not for everyone. I loved it and found it to be a charming small town with affordable living, great weather, and adventure nearby.</p>

<p>But Whitman is definitely a top notch liberal arts college stuck in a conservative farm town. Be sure to go VISIT after you're accepted before you make this important decision.</p>

<p>Ah, thank you, guys. Whitmanalum, are there any actual cities near Walla Walla (say within 30-45 minutes)? Everything else you said about Walla Walla is cool, but I don't think I'd be able to visit (money)</p>

<p>I agree that it's a good match for your profile, and that geographic diversity should help you. If you're talking about merit aid only, it was capped at $12,000 last year (unless there was a diversity scholarship that wasn't need based, which wouldn't have been available to my son). The kids I know who got the scholarships generally had lower grades (but from a highly competitive school) and SATs in the 2300+ range. No doubt there were others with lower SATs, but I can report only what I know.</p>

<p>I recommend you spend some time with google maps and see how far it is to whatever you consider actual cities. Distances are big in the West! But Whitman is a great school, and worth the drive.</p>

<p>It is at least 3 hours to any good sized city--but kids seem to get to Portland or Seattle on weekends and breaks if they need to. Mostly, life on campus (and outdoor program outings) seem so engaging that most kids I know don't miss the city and rather enjoy the rural outback beauty. The town is good-enough sized and friendly and there are so many events on campus that kids who like the community to begin with certainly seem to stick. And they run buses to the airports in Seattle and Portland for the major breaks.</p>

<p>As to seeing the campus without visiting: The admissions page has some Ask a Student pages that include video tours that give some sense of the place so I'd thoroughly check out the website, including department pages that show labs, etc.</p>

<p>My cousin is currently attending Whitman with full-ride. He graduated with around a 3.8uw, 2100 sats, and average extracurriculars (4 yrs orchestra, tons of ap classes, volunteered for one summer and member of chess and gaming type clubs). </p>

<p>I have to agree with Whitmanalum about the location. I stayed there for 2 weeks (debate camp) last summer and it has a "small town, almost rural-ish" feel. My cousin loves it though and the people are really friendly. There are several restaurants, a Starbucks, Subway, Macys, a movie theater, all walking distance away. Some other things too, I'm sure. I stayed mostly on campus during that time. </p>

<p>I'd say you have a pretty good chance at getting a scholorship and you will get at least 7k if you are a racial minority.</p>