@TJGCHG Thanks for this very helpful information. The more we have learned about Willamette, the more DH and I have decided it’s our top choice for DD. We are impressed by the accessibility of the professors and the friendliness of the students. But while DD feels she would be content at Willamette, she is still holding out for Lewis and Clark. We haven’t received their decision yet. I think what appeals to her about L&C over WU is she feels the L&C student body will be more liberal and environmentally aware. She has the perception that students at WU are all business majors and she is concerned about athletes and Greeks dominating the campus culture, even though I have told her I have read that they don’t. I am encouraging her to attend admitted student days at WU, but she doesn’t want to talk about a trip to OR until she hears from L&C.
My daughter is a freshman at Willamette and loves it. She is a student athlete, but I looked it up and only about 25% of the students participate in varsity athletics: http://willamette.edu/intercollegiate-athletics/index.html. Also, less than 30% of the students are in the greek system: http://willamette.edu/offices/ir/cds/by_year/2016/student_life.htm. My daughter has friends that do and don’t participate. She has decided to not join for now. As far as majors, here is the breakdown:http://willamette.edu/offices/ir/factbooks/by_year/2016-2017/fall/undergraduate_enrollment_by_major.htm It looks like biology, econ, politics,and psych are the top majors.
I had a son that graduated from L&C in 2013 and he enjoyed it very much. WU and L&C campus settings are different. WU is next to the Capitol building and downtown Salem. She likes being near the smaller city to walk over and grab some food or shop, with the ability to catch a ride or a bus/Amtrak to Portland if she wants the Portland experience. My son frequently used the public transportation to go to downtown Portland or for shopping around L&C. There weren’t any stores right next to the L&C campus.
Also, both universities are very liberal. I don’t have a feeling about environmental awareness, but I know that Willamette’s grounds facility won a Willamette Valley green award http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2017/03/12/mid-valley-green-awards-honors-businesses-individuals-demonstrating-sustainability/99043490/
Attending an admitted student day was the final piece of the puzzle that swayed my daughter to attend Willamette. The admitted student can stay with a WU student overnight, meet other WU students, attend a class, eat in the dorm, and learn about the school. My son also attended an admitted student day at L&C and had the opportunity to meet with some different professors and students which helped sway him to go there.
@mylast1 Thank you for this information. It’s interesting that you have had a student at Willamette and Lewis & Clark. Your S’s and D’s experiences have confirmed my feeling that either school would be a good fit for my D. She did get admitted to L&C but she got more merit aid from Willamette. She says her preference of L&C over Willamette was slight, so she will be commiting to Willamette. DH and I are very excited that she is going to be a Bearcat. Maybe she will meet your D when she arrives on campus in August. Thanks again for your helpful perspective.
@NolaCAR, it’s great that your daughter is close to or has made her decision! I wanted to respond to your other recent comments above. Willamette actually doesn’t have any undergraduate business majors (it’s only an MBA program), so that concern can be reduced :-), and the Greek system is likewise very small with only 4 sororities and 5 fraternities. It’s really sort of invisible to my son, although the young woman he is dating is a member of one and he has a friend from last year who is living in her sorority. As for athletics, it appears to be fairly low-key DIII program, although depends on the sport. My son considered running XC/track briefly, but decided to devote more time to theater interests; he does go to the occasional soccer or basketball game but he’s more likely to play intramurals or pickup basketball or just go running. Reading the Willamette Collegian newspaper (online @ http://willamettecollegian.com) provides a window into campus priorities. BTW, my son is a visit host, so if she wants any perspective from a sophomore, we could probably find a way for them to message/talk.
@TJGCHG yes, D is committing to Willamette! She is really excited. She had joined the admitted students FB group a while ago, but I noticed she spent a lot more time on it this weekend. Yesterday she baked scones and wrote thank you notes to all her teachers and counselors who gave her letters of recommendation and she told all of them that she is going to Willamette. She was wishing she had a Willamette shirt to wear to school today. It was like the Lewis & Clark acceptance barely even registered. She took one look at their scholarship offer, which was less than Willamette’s, and that was it, she was over L&C and was ready to fully embrace Willamette!
Thanks for your offer to put her in touch with your son, and I will pass that on to her. However, she’s the introverted, independent type, so she probably will decline. She likes theater and English, though, so it sounds like they have some common ground. She plans to major in biology, but a few years ago she was considering majoring in theater lighting design. She has been on stage crew for some children’s theater productions. And when I suggested we skip attending our nearby summer theater this year as a cost-savings measure now that college tuition is looming, she balked and said that was one thing she did not think we should cut out of our budget.
@NolaCAR That’s wonderful to hear - also, I believe you can participate in theater productions as a non-major, and they have a great facility.
Many years ago I was a chem/bio double major and my roommate was a theater (costume) major and yes, anyone could get involved in theater, either backstage, or on stage. In fact one of your GE requirements can be met with a theater class.
My D17 is still trying to decide, down to 3 choices and Willamette is still in there.
@VickiSoCal out of curiosity if you don’t mind me asking what are her other choices? Always interested in schools that have cross over appeal.
Her choices are eclectic, to say the least. The other two are St. Andrews in Scotland and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
I’m familiar with both of them. I can see she has a really tough decision!!
@VickiSoCal Were you able to complete your chem/bio double major in 4 years at Willamette? D is planning to major in bio w/ a chemistry minor. I can’t wait to hear where your D ends up. From her list of schools I’m guessing she’s interested in a science major, too?
Yes she plans to major in chemistry.
I was able to double in 4 years with 6 AP credits. Im sire requirements have changed!
Just walked around campus because I was in town for another reason. Nice location for poli sci/pre law/pre med students – right across the street from state capitol and hospital. Pretty campus, more “town” in Salem than a lot of LACs I have visited. It is alumni weekend, and there are a lot of alums walking around who clearly love the school. Seems like a school my D1 would have liked.
We visited Willamette this past week and liked it very much. D19 hopes to major in bio, biochem or exercise science. Anyone have thoughts on science education at Willamette? @VickiSoCal did your daughter end up there?
No, she is at St. Andrews.Was very sad to miss Alumni weekend for my 25th reunion, but kid move-in in Scotland came first.
Yes, the town is very accessible from campus and the state capitol and the hospital and the local schools provide so many opportunities for volunteer and internship experience.
@Acersaccharum My DD is a freshman biology major/chemistry minor pre-med at Willamette. A couple of things that have impressed me so far: her colloquiam class is on medical ethics and the professor who teaches it is one of the pre-health advisers. He will be her adviser until she formally declares a major. He met one-on-one with all of his freshman students the first week of class. I was impressed that WU evidently took the trouble to match her with a colloquiam topic and an adviser in her planned major right from the start. Also, during freshman orientation my husband and I took a tour. Our tour guide was a senior chemistry major. She has had great internships and has been very happy with her WU education. She took us through the chemistry department. We love the “hearth” concept where there is a study area for students in the middle and the professors’ offices encircle the perimeter and the professors keep their doors open so as to always be accessible to the students. One professor was there and he seemed very friendly and open and answered questions from other parents. Our guide also pointed out that there is a room dedicated solely to tutoring for the freshman chemistry class. My DD’s chemistry teachers for both lecture and lab are both professors. For biology, the same professor teaches her lecture and her lab. She has also joined several science/health related clubs: Burning Bright which works with critically ill children, WEMS, Chemistry Club, and Pre-Health Club.
Thanks so much, @NolaCAR! This confirms the positive aspects of WU that we felt on our recent tour. My D19 would be a lot happier in college if she is able to start working on her major right from the start. It sounds like WU spreads out its core curriculum over the 4 years so that your first 2 years don’t feel like you are just filling requirements when you already know what you want.
Hello! Current high school senior tagging onto this thread. Is there anyone I can pm about their experiences?
@heyitsnaynay My daughter is a freshman at WU. If you want to PM me, I can put you in touch with her. She’s not on CC.
Hi, good thread, thanks for all the input @NolaCAR and @mylast1 . Wondering if anyone has an idea about how Willamette’s small class size works for very introverted types who do not enjoy “the spotlight” during small class discussions? Are they always expected to pipe up with an answer?
My kid typically has an answer quickly but needs more time to get it out of his mouth. He’s in CC now and enjoys larger classes for that reason (though sits in the front row and usually closest to the prof!). But he also doesn’t want to be at a large uni where he’d have to fight for professors’ office hours.