Current freshman--any questions?

bopambo
Wed, 22 May 2013 13:14:07 +0000

Well, in academic circles both are highly regarded, but among regular folks it is more of a regional thing. If you’re a Californian, then your family and friends have all heard of Santa Clara, and therefore think it’s better, and visa versa if you’re from Washington state. A degree from Santa Clara might mean more if you’re going to be immediately looking for a job after graduation in the Bay Area. If you end up living outside the west coast, it’s likely that most people haven’t heard of either of them. Graduate schools all over the country are fully aware of Whitman’s excellent reputation.

There are differences in the types of schools they are, which may also be concerning to your parents: Santa Clara offers many pre-professional majors; Whitman is a liberal arts school, so it’s more concerned with a broad general education instead of a more specific one. Whitman will want to make sure that you graduate with good verbal, writing and critical thinking skills as well particular knowledge of your major.

They are both very good schools. I happen to like the liberal arts model better, but it’s not for everyone. Since your parents are concerned with reputation, you might want to point out the USNWR rankings: Whitman is listed as #43 in Nationally ranked Liberal Arts Colleges; Santa Clara is not nationally ranked, but ranked #2 in the Western Regional Universities. So, according to US News and World Reports Whitman has a better national reputation that Santa Clara does.