This is a follow up to my post #10 upstream. Recently finished our PNW trip to Whitman, Lewis & Clark, Willamette and Puget Sound with D18. She loved Whitman, we had a great tour and were lucky to have the dean of admissions for the information session. Talk about someone who can sell the school well! He catered to the questions and interests of the visiting students (it was a small group) instead of giving a programatic “overview” so the session felt very personal. She loved what she saw on campus. It was too bad the students weren’t in school yet but she’ll likely go back in the spring or next fall to take a closer look etc.
Regarding location, Walla Walla is of course a lovely large town with lots to do. And, at the same time, it felt undeniably regionally isolated. that’s fine that it has it’s own airport but on weekends for college kids it’s a commitment to get to the mountains. It’s far away from a real city (specifically an urban cultural hub such as Portland) as the drive was a solid 4 hours. But that isn’t a problem for D18, at least not yet, she was neither here nor there about the location. Not ideal and yet certainly not a deal breaker. She liked the school, liked Walla Walla, and it won’t surprise me if Whitman winds up on her short list even after she visits another 10+ schools. We were impressed!