<p>Cool, I’ll send you a private message with details.</p>
<p>UT32184: Don’t give up hope. I know Whitman values the alumni connection and I also know that last year was very tough in decisions about how to distribute grant money when need has accelerated for so many as a result of job losses, etc. Comparable kinds of schools often have way heftier endowments (having Warren Buffett as an alum, for example, doesn’t hurt your grant funds). </p>
<p>I think it may also be important for the kid to make very clear that they are applying to Whitman for their own good reasons, not as a backup or to fit a family tradition. When my daughter applied her interviewer asked some very pointed questions about her individual motivation for coming to Whitman, since her brother was already there. I think they want to be sure they are not just a “back up” or “safety” AND that a kid is a really good fit, not just following in footsteps. </p>
<p>Your second may have the chance to make the point that they lost a great applicant by not having enough funding available–and hopefully that won’t happen again. You also will demonstrably have more need with a second tuition and that should help too.</p>
<p>Darn, Whitman fell two spots to No. 38 in the USNWR rankings of liberal arts colleges. I want my money back! 
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<p>Oh well, two out of three top twenty rankings isn’t too bad, and even 38 isn’t bad, though I can’t see why Sewanee and Occidental, both good schools, are put ahead of Whitman. The rough treatment Reed gets for not playing the game illustrates the problem with ranking at all. In sum, rankings are pretty dumb, but gosh darn it, Whitman does fairly well anyway!</p>
<p>My daughter is a soph at Whitman this year and loves the school! Somehow, even with the rigorous academics, she had the time and energy to become a kayak Scramble leader, compete in intercollegiate athletics and play in a musical group. </p>
<p>As a scramble leader she headed to campus last week and tonight called to report she had already met three of her freshman scramblers (early arrivals) and was completely pumped by their energy, excitement and eagerness. </p>
<p>Our HS offered IB courses and my daughter found that she was very well prepared for Core at Whitman. She loved all of her classes, her profs, coach, band director and dorm RA. </p>
<p>Freshman registration for 1st semester can be an exercise in compromises, but don’t get discouraged, things work out. Have your student sign up for wait lists as necessary, there’s a decent chance there is more room in the class than shown during registration. This built-in flexibility might seem odd, but works out pretty well in the end. </p>
<p>In our experience, Whitman profs and admins want to find a way to get to ‘yes’. My daughter had a scheduling conflict 2nd sem and her prof made special arrangements so she could still take the course. Students are encouraged to nurture all of their passions - left brain, right brain, major, non-major, etc.</p>
<p>Whitman students are very open, friendly, accepting and generally unpretentious. The down-to-earth, but passionate and intellectually stimulating atmosphere were a great plus for my daughter. </p>
<p>However, even with all the wonderfulness above, by the time the October break rolls around, the kids will be very thankful for the down time.</p>
<p>Bogney, college rankings are mere opinions, not facts. They should be no more meaningful than listing the Top 20 vacation destinations. Tastes vary. I’m not going to agree with someone else’s list of the top 20 vacation destinations or the top 20 places to live any more than I’m going to agree with college rankings. Even college sports team rankings are nothing but some group’s opinion. :)</p>
<p>Come on Plainsman, don’t spoil our fun, we know all that. My kid chose Whitman because it fits him, and I presume the other students who are enrolled there did the same. Whitman College is certainly not a brand name that is on the lips of most college bound students, but it’s a great school and those who choose it love it more often than not. All the rankings are whacky and flawed, but there is something wonderful about Whitman showing pretty high up in all those whacky flawed rankings. </p>
<p>My S just finished a Whitman week long rock climbing “Scramble” and absolutely loved it. He’s moving into his dorm today. I think we’ll shoot Whitman to the #1 spot in our ranking system.</p>
<p>I sure would like to get my son interested ( he “never heard of it”). To be honest, it probably isn’t a good " fit", but he was invited for a visit. Any thoughts about how a bright enough (as measured by SAT’s) but not too intellectual (as measured by GPA), more sport oriented (especially soccer,but not recruited…yet…) Black male might do there? </p>
<p>What is up with the lack of Black folks in the PNW (Whitman, Willamette, Gonzaga, Whitworth)?</p>
<p>Whitman is doing its best to encourage diversity-racial, cultural and economic. Does he have a friend who would also be interested in looking? My kids enjoyed looking at a few colleges with their friends instead of us, and felt pretty cool flying on their own. Once he gets there, it’s a pretty appealing town, campus and vibe. Good luck!</p>
<p>Just dropped son off. The campus and facilities are awesome! I want to go back to college there. Ankeny (phonetic) Field is amazing, Anderson dormatory is nice, the new sports complex (Sherman, I think) is awe inspirng, the library is beautiful and first rate, and basically there is little to complain about other than the price. The diversity could be improved as well, though they say that strides have been made. In my son’s Section of Anderson, the RA is Asian, the SA from the middle east, and one of the students from Africa.</p>
<p>Shrinkwrap: I understand that grades are quite important at Whitman, so that might be a problem though the diversity angle may help get by that obstacle if your sons grades are decent and his courses very tough. While DIII, Whitman seems to be improving several of their sports and the athletic facities are top notch for DIII.</p>
<p>We just returned from dropping our second Whittie for her second year. Being on campus always makes me want to go back to college there too. And Shrinkrap, I’d second finding a way to get him to visit; it is just one of those schools that is hard to “get” until you get there. As to the academics, I think Whitman cares a lot that a kid will be able to succeed with challenging college level academics and they know that GPA is one reliable predictor. I think they also recognize that some kids “bloom late” or other factors effect the stats–and that they will listen to a well-presented case about why Whitman is the right place and why the kid believes they would thrive. Good test scores help the case of course. </p>
<p>As to the monochromatics of NW schools, I think some of it is distribution of demographics: (eg: lots of migration to NoCalifornia happened due to mining, agriculture and then WWII shipbuilding and was from the South; NW migration was more narrowly agricultural (at least away from the Coast and near all the colleges you list) and in E. Washington those tended to be be midwestern religious minorities (Adventists, Moremons, Mennonites, Russians) until the more recent arrival of Hispanics. I can certainly see why many AA kids might see urban settings as just more familiar and certainly easy to get to and get home again. But I definitely think if you can get him onto any of those campuses and linked to admissions reps/athletic opps he will see he’d not be alone and there is a kind of community that is diverse in many ways.</p>
<p>Thanks all, and I know Whitman isn’t “right” for him. Now I am “pushing” University of Portland, boasting 2 percent black students (most of the others are 1 percent)!</p>
<p>Ooops! Thats ^ not right.</p>
<p>Maybe you can send him on a tour to UP, Whitman, and one other options so he can see what the different communities offer?</p>
<p>I sure would like to, and I’m going to try, but he plays a fall sport, and getting him to go places in the fall is like some sort of heart breaking tragedy. One fall his team hadn’t lost a game until the one where HE was sitting on a plane traveling to see his sister. It would be great he could snag a soccer “visit”. We shall see, and thanks for the support!</p>
<p>He also LOVES boarding ( as in snow). THAT would get him up there!</p>
<p>Also, just to be clear, it’s not like he grew up in some diverse, urban environment. He is pretty much the only black kid among his friends, although he has a lot of Mexican friends. But most kids around here don’t leave California.</p>
<p>Like many LACs, Whitman’s doing everything possible to promote diversity. They’ve got a Hispanic leader in Admissions. Exciting times. Would love to have D visit campus–but she has her sites set outside WA. Going to encourage S (hs freshman) to entertain this great school, though!</p>
<p>I’m adding an update because I just returned from visiting my S at Whitman during Family Weekend. The campus was stunning with the autumn foliage turning amazing colors. I was impressed by all the facilities, many of the buildings are new, and all are well maintained. The old and new architecture is blended to create a beautifully integrated campus, which is enhanced by glorious landscape design. </p>
<p>Walla Walla is a great little town. It has all the things a student needs within walking distance; cool coffee shops, restaurants for every budget, a farmers market, clothing stores, grocery stores, art galleries, movies, thrift stores, etc. It’s true that Seattle and Portland are long drives, but I don’t understand why you’d need to go to either more than once a year. The campus is a hotbed of activity with concerts, improv, plays, sports, speakers, parties, etc. Walla Walla gets a bad rap. I remember visiting Colby and Vassar and Walla Walla beats Watertown and Poughkeepsie hands down.</p>
<p>We met with the faculty and president who talked of their ambitions for our kids. They said that teaching the students to communicate, verbally and in writing, at the highest level possible was one their main goals. They also expressed their commitment to teaching their students to think analytically and to use that ability to solve problems. This is liberal arts education in it’s purest form. With our kids facing the possibility that they will change careers several times in their lives, these are the skills that will help them succeed. Having now met numerous successful Whitman graduates, I do not doubt it.</p>
<p>My son loves it. I met a bunch of his friends and they are really nice, bright, involved, active people. Sigh…I wish I could go back to college!</p>
<p>Thanks for the update, bopambo. Just found out that I have to visit the PNW in April on business, so I’m hoping to be able to fit S2, a HS junior, in my suitcase for the trip. :)</p>
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<p>Everytime I’m there I feel the same way. I’m on my second Whittie and already thinking I’ll miss the annual chance to visit once the second one graduates. Son who has graduated and his housemates (all Whitties) have each found work too–so those liberal arts skills do lead somewhere, even in tough times.</p>
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This too. I think there is something in the water (Walla Walla means “water water”)…The kids across the board seem warm, friendly and to be doing interesting things above and beyond the classroom</p>
<p>Sunmachine, stuff him in. Whitman doesn’t fit every kid, but they need to see it to know. I know you’ve already been there and have a positive impression. If you can schedule an overnight visit for him, it’ll give him a better introduction. As mmaah says, the experience is about much more than the classroom.</p>
<p>mmaah, it’s really nice to hear about graduates who are out in the world, and that they stick together even after they’re done with school. After experiencing all the stress of getting into college, I’m so happy that my S is totally comfortable there. What a relief!</p>
<p>I truly believe that if Whitman was in the NE, it would be mentioned in same breath as schools like Amherst, Williams, and Bowdoin.</p>