Colorado College v. Whitman College

lr4550
Mon, 24 Nov 2014 22:52:12 +0000

Hi @bbrowne, you can’t go wrong with either school, that is the good news! If you are undecided apply to both, see what happens, see which gives you the best FA package, because they are two truly exceptional schools. The only way you’ll ever be sure- if there is such a thing- is to visit so you get a feel for the campus, students, and classes.

I am biased as I am a CC grad. I graduated a while ago- my oldest D applied to CC this year EA- but I can speak to both the sciences and history department since I was a history major and pre-vet (went to vet school post CC). I’m just a huge fan of the block plan. Two blocks in a row of Organic Chem was pretty brutal, I won’t lie about that one. But it was manageable, and it was over in 7 weeks as opposed to spread out over an entire year! Personally I think the sciences are fabulous under the block plan. I loved the history department (which is why I chose it for my major) and found the workload reasonable. You get used to the ebb and flow of the work load pretty quickly on the block plan. Some classes are just plain more demanding than others. And that goes for any department, whether your class is in the humanities or the sciences.

One aspect of the block plan that I hadn’t fully reflected upon before embarking on the many college visits with my own D this past year is that the block plan attracts a certain kind of special professor that thrives teaching on the block plan. Imagine these professors preparing for and facilitating 3-6 hours of lecture/discussion/lab daily, 5 days a week, for 3.5 weeks. It is intense for them as well as their students. But their passion really comes through in the classroom, and that classroom experience is yet another element of a Colorado College education that is so phenomenal. I warned you I am biased :)

Best of luck on your college search, I have heard only the best reports regarding Whitman. Like i said, you simply can’t go wrong with either school!