Whitman vs UPS/L&C/U of O: worth the extra cost?

[lamseydivey]

Hi,

My daughter is an Oregon HS senior and about to apply EA to University of Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, and University of Oregon/Clark Honors College. She’ll apply to Whitman at the regular decision deadline since we’ll have to consider financial aid packages before she commits, and Whitman doesn’t have an EA option - only ED. We have visited each school, and each one has its allure for her.

I think Whitman would be her favorite except that it will probably be the most expensive for our family by far, based on the college cost calculators and the fact that it also appears L&C and UPS will credit her enough for her dual credit classes and AP scores that she could graduate from those schools in 3 years, while Whitman is less generous/permissive with those credits so it would take 4 years.

Meanwhile 4 years at U of O would cost about the same as 3 at UPS and L&C. (I think she could finish early there too but might feel squeezed if participating in the honors college program because those transfer credits would have to apply mostly as elective credits only and then she would have to enroll almost exclusively in required/core courses if trying to finish early. With the variety of courses and programs at U of O, and the reasonable cost, I don’t think she would want to rush through. So let’s assume 4 years there.)

So based on best estimates for now, let’s assume total price tags like this:
U of O/CHC: 4 years, $135K
L&C, UPS: 3 years, $150K
Whitman: 4 years, $240K
I’m keeping fingers crossed there will be some other scholarships/grants but we can’t count on that for now.

But of course, cost is not our only consideration. We could afford Whitman at that level, but it would be uncomfortable and make retirement plans a bit less secure for us. (She’s an only child so at least we’re just doing this once, phew.)

Here’s where I’d love some input from the community:

1. It seems like quality of education/intellectual environment and community would be best at Whitman but I don’t know how the other 3 would rank in that regard. Thoughts?
2. For setting: They all have their charms, but she seems to favor the physical environment (campus + surroundings) in this order: 1 Whitman, 2 U of O, 3 UPS, 4 L&C. Or maybe 2 & 3 reversed.
3. Her main interests are history, political science, art/art history/design, music and theater. UPS’s theater program and facilities were disappointing, so for this interest UPS is ranking last right now and L&C moves up. What does this group know about these departments?

Thank you for your input! I’m also happy to share impressions about our visits to these schools if you have specific questions.

[Buckythedog]

I just wanted to let you know that Whitman has an early financial aide/merit scholarship read so you could know how much Whitman would cost for you before applying. And it’s a minimum, my son got 4K more per year than the preread. Here is a link:

Early Financial Aid Guarantee | Whitman College.

[CMA22]

First, it may not be as easy as you think to graduate early from UPS or L&C. She may find that it is difficult to get all the classes she needs in three years because they are not offered every term and she has to fit in prerequisites. Sometimes it can be challenging at a smaller school that doesn’t offer many of its courses as many times a year. And if she switches majors, that can slow things down, too.

My D22 applied to Whitman, UPS, and U of Oregon. She visited but decided not to apply to L&C. We are not Oregon residents and Whitman and U of O ended up about the same cost for us, except she could get a U of OMaster’s in four years, so it was kinda a free year (similar to your 3/4-year analysis). UPS was about $10k a year less, if I remember correctly, and I am guessing L&C may be the same.

What are her long-term plans? Because I think that affects the decision. If she wants to stay in the Pacific Northwest, all the schools have decent name recognition. If she is considering grad school, Whitman might give her a leg up in some areas (or possibly U of O). U of O will have the most name recognition nationally and Whitman will have the most national recognition among the LACs within academic circles.

It is a really tough decision to decide if extra tuition is “worth it” when you don’t have a crystal ball into the future. Regarding what your kid will do or your own financial future (ups and downs).

Did you ask Whitman for a financial pre-read? If they are still offering it on their website, it will give you a more precise estimate that the net price calculator.

Having gone through the process, I can say I am very happy my child selected the less expensive public school option. But her interests were more pre-professional and she was drawn to the larger school. If my child had felt most “at home” at Whitman and, frankly, if she were more like me (which I would describe as more cerebral-minded with a less practical bent), I think the calculus may have been different.

Do you think your child will make friends in the Honors College at U of O? Or will she feel lost at a big school and thrive somewhere where everyone eats in the same dining hall and attends the same parties? Or could that feel too stifling after a year?

Some other considerations:

• A lot of students at U of O may go home on weekends. Whitman students will largely stay on campus or go on outings together. UPS and L&C will be mixed, but probably draw more from the local area, so less bonded to the campus community.

• Whitman students will have outdoorsy options but less to go see and do around town. No going into the city to see a show.

• U of O will have huge school spirit, athletics, greek life, which can be good /bad. UPS has that on a much smaller scale, but more than the other LACs.

• It may be more competitive to participate in desired clubs and activities at U of O. But the Honors College will offer some special opportunities that could offset that.

After mulling over those considerations, does it make you lean one way or the other?

[blueberriesforsal]

Echoing Buckythedog on the Whitman financial pre-read; you’ll receive a concrete answer of the minimum amount of guaranteed need and merit money—and based on where you are in the application cycle (i.e. you’ve got these basic elements ready to go at this point), it will take you mere moments to fill it out and you’ll hear back within weeks. You can still apply RD, but you’ll have this necessary information quickly, rather than waiting to hear back at the RD acceptance time in March.

All that said, do not overextend yourself financially to a degree at which your “retirement plans would be a bit less secure.” If it’s possible for her to graduate debt free, that’s a wonderful gift! But not if it means your life aquires stress and worry for your years ahead.

(My S23 is a first year student at Whitman).

[lamseydivey]

I appreciate the quick replies! Yes, she has received the financial pre-read for Whitman and I’m basing my projection on that. CMA22, you are right: The crystal ball is what we really need, but you pose really good questions for her to ponder. Thank you!

[CMA22]

A few more thoughts based on our experience:

• After D22 elected to attend the less expensive state option, we became aware of developments that will likely result in us retiring earlier than originally planned. We are very grateful we don’t have to budget an extra $60k or so for college before that happens. I concur with the post above to be very conservative with your retirement money. No one loans you money to live on in retirement.

• Regarding the intellectual/education, environment, D22 said the students at her state university are like the top 20% of her large public high school. She recently accepted a competitive internship at an international firm and met other new hires. She said they were like the top 10% of her university. I suspect the student body at Whitman would be in between (and closer to the top 10% of the public university), with UPS and L&C just a small notch below that.

Nonetheless, D22 may not have landed her internship if she had gone to an LAC because she was able to take advantage of the career fair/internship pipeline available at a large school. That said, I think the LACs can offer some more personalized research and internship opportunities.

And it isn’t like the large national opportunities are out of the question; it just may take a little more initiative to seek them out and get noticed from, say, Walla Walla, where there isn’t a corporate recruiter assigned to and regularly visiting your campus. I just think as a practical matter a Whitman student would be more likely to intern locally and/or assist with a professor’s pet project. Both approaches are avenues to a great career, but they are different.

[coolguy40]

Personally, I’d avoid paying that much unless the degree says M.D. next to it. There’s plenty of name recognition at U of Oregon or Oregon State at a fraction of the cost. This is a bachelors degree. I would find it very difficult to justify that unless she won a big scholarship.