<p>Any thoughts on Whitman? My S is interested in Whitman along with Reed. But I would love to hear your impressions of Whitman if your child attends.
thanks</p>
<p>I've talked with many Whitman parents and current students - our school sends at least 1-2 kids to Whitman every year.
They are all very, very happy with the school. I hear repeated comments about the personal attention and caring provided by both faculty and the administration, and lots of wonderful comments about academic quality.</p>
<p>However, on the flip side, I have heard some comments from people who had children get into Whitman but in the end didn't attend - main reason cited is disappointment with financial aid, followed by a perceived lack of diversity, both economic and racial, on campus. </p>
<p>But, overall, Whitman is a fantastic school and deserves much more recognition than it gets.</p>
<p>Do the students ever leave campus? Walla Walla seems a bit sleepy. Coming from Los Angeles via Dallas, I'm concerned he'll go crazy with such a small town. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Texasmom,
These links might help:</p>
<p>Comments from a parent of a current student:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=58645&highlight=walla%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=58645&highlight=walla</a></p>
<p>Trip report on Whitman, including a good description of Walla Walla from Concerneddad:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=44756&highlight=walla%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=44756&highlight=walla</a></p>
<p>The kids/parents I know at Whitman all say that Whitman does an excellent job of bringing activities and events to campus. One junior I know told me there's almost too much to choose from every weekend. Main off campus events seem to be outdoor activities - skiing is big. Seattle is still four hours away though. A better bet for someone who needs to be near a city would be Lewis & Clark in Portland (easy to combine a visit to Reed with a visit to L&C) or the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, within an hour of Seattle.</p>
<p>Thanks, I read the other posts and they were very informative. We took a trip up to Portland and Walla Walla this summer and both Reed and Whitman were his top choices. L&C felt like a country club to him and he's more interested in the Reed learning environment. DO you think Whitman seems more well rounded than Reed? I like the idea of graduating in 4 years, which Whitman seems to profess! So the more info we have, the better.</p>
<p>Reed is probably the more academically intense of the two. Whitman also strikes me as having a student body that is a little more middle of the road. Both are excellent schools, but as you said, the graduation rate at Reed is something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>My D is at Reed; a close friend's D is at Whitman. I would say academics are equally rigorous, although Reedies seem more intense about learning. Whitman does offer merit money; Reed does not. Both are not exactly known for financial aid. Portland is WAY cooler than Walla Walla, and I gather than drinking is a fairly large portion of the social activities at Whitman. Since friend's D is not a drinker, nor particularly social, that comment may reflect her particular experience more than that of others. </p>
<p>As for Reed's graduation rate, while it appears low, it should be considered in the light of Reed's junior year qualifying exams and senior year thesis requirement. These two factors both ensure that Reed is demanding--and lower the graduation rate. It is possible to flunk out of Reed. </p>
<p>If you want a good LAC with a high 4-year graduation rate, consider Carleton.</p>
<p>There is also Willamette in Salem, OR. Somewhat similar to L&C, but different enough to visit.</p>
<p>This isn't about Whitman- which has a very good reputation albeit in a smaller town than my daughter was interested. But I know several people who have left Reed- not because they didn't like it, but because they were burned out- it can be very stressful and intense. It is also smaller than other colleges- and some after sophmore year find that their field of interest is something that could be better explored at a larger school. Money is also a factor- while our finaid package is relatively reasonable, others have had difficulities and decide to attend somewhere with merit aid. All my daughters friends from her freshman dorm have graduated on time however, except for one girl who transferred to U of O. ( she is planning on medical school and her parents decided it made more financial sense to attend a cheaper school for undergrad)</p>
<p>emeraldkity4-I should probably ask you this on the Reed thread but... Do you know if the FINAID packages are smaller for ED students at Reed? I guess I have the same question regarding Whitman as well.</p>
<p>I don't know about ED for Reed- Finaid SAYs that aid is reserved for returning students- then ED students then RD.
My D was hesitant about applying ED anywhere so she applied RD. Aid was very important and even though they say aid is reserved for ED, since that is opposite of what many schools offer it was easy to be suspicious. D package was fairly good, however- since they have gotten more competitive in admissions, but since they still are looking for Reedies and not just students who didn't get into Yale, I think ED is probably worth it, if the interest is that strong. They actually are giving D more than what her EFC requires this year ( not much more and some is subsidized loans- but still)</p>
<p>This is an interesting thread because I was just talking to a girl who transferred out of Whitman her junior year and is now at Reed (I'm a Reed freshman now). This is just one anectdotal case and I've never visited Whitman, but I thought it was interesting.</p>
<p>She transferred out of Whitman 1) because the drinking was too much for her and 2) because she said it was "very easy" to graduate from, even if it was hard to get into. She added she had easy A's in her classes and felt it was not near academically challenging enough. </p>
<p>Of course... hearsay.</p>
<p>Whitney! How's it going for you at Reed! I do hope at some point you'll update us on your adventures --- I still remember all of the angst you went through last spring and I'm sure other parents here would also love to hear how you are finding Reed.</p>