<p>Hi! I'm a potential english major looking for advice on Whitman vs. Pitzer. I'd love to hear any opinions on the schools, academics social etc. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi cfisher396, let me qualify this by saying that I know nothing about Pitzer except that it’s well regarded and is part of the Claremont consortium. When my son was applying to schools, my husband refused to let him consider schools in southern California because he’d just read a bunch of science articles about all the heavy metals in the air down there and especially the air quality of the communities that are close to the mountains where the bad air is held in place by inversion layers for extended periods of time. This doesn’t seem to concern most people, but my husband kept saying that it would like sending our kid to work in a mine with no ventilation. That may or may not be something you want to consider, my husband is an air quality zealot.</p>
<p>My son did end up at Whitman. I just answered the thread asking for info on 4 colleges, including Whitman, so I’ll quote myself and tell you what I told them, I’m a tireless advocate for Whitman because I think it’s great place. The academics are strong, that’s a certainty, so I’ll tell you more about atmosphere.</p>
<p>My son liked the idea of Whitman’s outdoor program, and went on one of their freshman pre-orientation outdoor trips known as Scrambles, since then he’s become a Wilderness First Responder and has led 3 Scrambles himself. Not all Whitties are interested in the outdoors, but many who didn’t think they would be have discovered through the Whitman Outdoor Program that they like kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, etc. There is also a lot of participation in club and intramural sports. I love that all are welcome to participate, no matter their skill level or experience, and they seem to have a whole lot of fun. In fact, I’d say that the majority of students at Whitman are open to try new things and tend to be joiners. They are a pretty friendly bunch.</p>
<p>Walla Walla is charming, but small and that means that the students become very closely knit. There is a real sense of academic collaboration and study groups are the norm. There are some jocks, some hipsters, some hippies, some preppies, loads of musicians, and they all seem to get along. The sciences are strong and good writing is mandatory, everybody writes in every class, even math.</p>
<p>I hope you can visit both campuses and spend the night there as well, visits really help when you’re comparing schools. Congratulations on two great acceptances!</p>
<p>Well, the air in Claremont is definitely worse in the summer than the school year, but even in the summer, I don’t think air quality is a concern these days. I have never visited Whitman, but am very familiar with the Claremont area. The town of Claremont is fantastic, and full of fun things to do, even though it is on the small side. Nothing much else in the area, but you can easily hop a train to downtown LA area. But I think Claremont and nearby Montclair Mall will keep most students occupied.</p>
<p>I love the Claremont College campuses. They are gorgeous. Pitzer is fortunate to have some new and quite nice dorms. I don’t have any children at any Claremont campus, but I did look at Pitzer with my son. Some concerns…I think most kids are psych majors, so you should ask if that fits with your son’s interests. I am also very concerned about the drug use at Pitzer, which seems pervasive, but I have heard the same about Whitman. It was not a good fit for my son, even though I would have loved him to be at Claremont. The new admissions director at Pitzer is great, and was formerly at Cal Tech, where I thought he was a great asset, so possibly the school is undergoing some changes. Students we met at Pitzer were very enthusiastic. Having the assets of all the other Claremont colleges is a big deal, and almost swayed us to apply there. Honestly, there is a lot of prestige at being at the Claremont Colleges, and I don’t see how Whitman could compete with that. But look into the “vibe” at Pitzer and see if that agrees with you.</p>
<p>I think Pomona has national recognition, but the other colleges in the consortium have more of a regional glow and are not household names everywhere. The reality is that the vast majority of people just don’t have liberal arts colleges on their radar, especially if they fall below the top 10 in the USNWR rankings. Whitman and Reed are the best known LACs in the northwest, so if you come from there, Whitman is more prestigious than Pitzer. Of course, graduate schools are well aware of the good academics at both schools.</p>
<p>I know that college kids like to drink and Whitman isn’t any different in that regard, but I’m unaware of widespread drug use. Are we talking about pot smoking? If so, yes, there is some. Are we talking about heroin, meth, oxycodone? If so, then no, I don’t believe there is much drug use on the Whitman campus.</p>
<p>Both are great schools, but the vibe is so different at both that I don’t think they really compete with one another. If you visit both, it should be fairly obvious you like one over the other - all other things, especially price, being equal.</p>
<p>Can you give us (tuition+ R&B) - (grants+scholarships) = ?
What’s your parents’ budget?</p>