<p>So I am having trouble deciding between these schools...does anyone want to help sway my decision...</p>
<p>If I decide to transfer out would it be good...(grade inflation) or which school will get me a better grad school...econ major but going pre-med...(or if i change my mind and don't want to go pre-med)...</p>
<p>Which schools ranking will be the highest after 4 years!</p>
<p>You are looking at the wrong criteria: rankings won’t be much different in 4 years, looking at where your grades will be highest if you decide to leave is such a strange criterion…
did you visit each campus? Where did you feel most at home? Is location a factor? My D at Whitman has a close friend at Oxy. They have decided the two schools are very similar except Oxy doesn’t offer snowboarding and Whitman doesn’t have a beach nearby.</p>
<p>My son is trying to decide between Whitman and Occidental College. He has visited both schools, and he sees himself fitting in at either one. Oxy is a little bigger (2,000 students) and has a more diverse student body. Also, going to school in L.A. appeals to him. He thinks Whitman is a great school and really likes the feeling of community. The Semester in the West program intrigues him.
DS is likely a science major and is currently looking into the number of courses offered by each school and the frequency of it being offered (some courses aren’t taught every year). Does anyone have additional input relative to the strengths and weaknesses between the two schools? Thank you.</p>
<p>I say he should go to Whitman, but I’m biased and don’t know anything about Oxy. At Whitman science is big, academics are challenging, and fun is alive and well. Whitties are a talented bunch of nice kids. If your DS likes the outdoors, then Whitman wins by a long shot. I wish my S had gotten involved in Semester in the West, what an incredible opportunity to study all the major environmental/policy issues facing the west in real time. </p>
<p>Blatant lobbying aside, your son has two great choices that are similar, yet different. I suggest an overnight at both places. It was after spending a couple days on the Whitman campus that my S decided it felt like home. </p>
<p>Congratulations to your S, I don’t really think he can go wrong either way.</p>
<p>Pitzer has the claremont consortium!</p>
<p>First of all, OP, these are all really great schools that will take you to good places. When the schools you’re considering are all so great for academics, you should be concerned less about the ranking of the school and more about the feel of it and the specific ways it can contribute to your education.</p>
<p>But besides that, I’m quite surprised to see Oxy being compared to Whitman ITT. My best friend went to Oxy her freshman year and then transferred, and from what I’ve heard, the culture is VERY different. </p>
<p>My friend told me that she loved Oxy’s research opportunities and academic setting, but that was about it. Being in L.A., the style is a lot more preppy, people frequently went out (either clubbing or to large house parties), and the campus was legitimately in the ghetto. This is extremely different from Walla Walla, which as a more hippie-outdoorsy culture in a small town. </p>
<p>I think if you’re choosing between these two schools you should really consider what sort of environment you want to be in-- a big town with a night-life, or a more outdoorsy, homey town.</p>
<p>I went to Oxy, visited Pitzer with one of my kids and know current and former students, and have 2 kids who went to Whitman. They are all good schools. For pre-med Whitman seems to be great; wonderful preparation and good acceptance rates. Don’t know the current stats on other schools, but think the Whitman community, setting, clean air and overall education tops the others. Definitely don’t do the ranking prediction thing; it is pretty meaningless, especially when moving on to the graduate level from among these schools, all of which are well enough regarded and give strong liberal arts preparation.</p>
<p>Just want to add that (as a parent living vicariously through my kid) all are great school choices. My D is seriously considering Whitman right now. We live in the LA area so she did not apply to Oxy or Pitzer, but I just want to say that Oxy is not in a “ghetto.” Eagle Rock is getting pretty “hip” these days and is an up and coming area of LA. I used to live there many years ago and it was a working class neighborhood without much to do (though not a ghetto), but it has changed a lot. However, without a car, it is hard to get around (true of most places in LA). </p>
<p>Looking at these choices it seems to me that it is about location mostly. If you are outdoorsy, I would think Whitman the best choice. Also students in general seem a bit “happier” there. But I have a friend who’s D went to Oxy and loved it and is at Duke for a PHD right now. It is close to downtown LA, Echo Park and Silver Lake which are hopping these days as well. Oxy is also a bit more diverse ethnically, if that is of importance to you. Pitzer has the other Claremont Colleges resources to draw from, but it is the least “prestigious” of all those schools. It is pretty far out in the burbs and about an hour to the hipper areas of LA. But Claremont is nice and relaxed and near the mountains.</p>
<p>So, happy outdoors “towns and gowns” life at Whitman, diverse city life at Oxy or suburban life with multiple campuses nearby to choose classes from at Pitzer is the tradeoff I see.</p>
<p>My D’s first choice was Oxy and she let them know this in every possible way. She didn’t get in and was devastated. She couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. She had liked Whitman, but it wasn’t Oxy. After the denial from Oxy, she got serious about evaluating her other choices. She fell in love with Whitman, chose it, and had a spectacular experience. Whitman and Walla Walla are now part of who she is and she (or I) can’t imagine who she would be and what her life would be like now if she hadn’t gone there. Not to say that she wouldn’t also have had a great experience at Oxy… but there is something very special about Whitman.</p>
<p>My son has been accepted at Whitman, Grinnell, and Lawrence so far. He prefers Whitman but has large merit scholarships from Grinnell and Lawrence. Any opinions on pros and cons of these schools would be helpful (not counting geographical differences). thanks.</p>
<p>These decisions are so hard. All three schools are academically strong, and give the small classes and alumni networks that liberal arts schools are famous for. Unless there is a clear winner based on major, I hate to say it but it all boils down to fit and money; large merit scholarships are nothing to sneeze at. Our S had several choices of LACs with varying degrees of merit and need based grants. He also was accepted to a tippy-top ranked school we couldn’t afford, that had to be removed from consideration. He picked Whitman based on the people and the place and the merit aid. As much as I love Whitman, and I really do, I wouldn’t pick it if financial hardship ensued.</p>
<p>If financial hardship is an issue - contact Whitman. Schools will often come up with money. I have two kids who are Whitties - it is an amazing school with excellent programs.</p>
<p>Don’t short Pitzer – it is a fabulous school. I don’t know how it is for pre-med specifically, but Pomona and Harvey Mudd are right there too for any extra math and science stuff. I went to Pomona myself, but worked for Pitzer on one of their study abroad programs (they have some very innovative ones). I thought the Claremont colleges were an unparalleled place to go to school. </p>