Have you checked with both colleges to make sure that this outside scholarship won’t affect the aid package being offered from either school? Outside scholarships do not always stack with institutional aid! This may not be the case (I hope it is not!) but it would be good to clarify before committing.
ETA: Never mind! It looks you’re OK at both schools:
My son got $18,000 merit in ED1 this year, so it’s at least this high. I thought I read on another thread that others had gotten even more, could be wrong.
That’s good to hear! I was very concerned about $14,000 as the top achievement scholarship this year.
And for what it’s worth, CollegeRaptor lists Whitman’s 2021 endowment per student in at $392,040 (rank #50) and St. Olaf at $177,110 (rank #98). Because of this I thought Whitman was in pretty good financial shape. Hope so!
My son got $14k initially but we appealed last month after visiting and they gave him an additional $16k a year. So $30k a year total. $25k is listed as the highest on their website so we were absolutely shocked!
Based on merit or need? I called a few schools as we got no need. They weren’t wiling to entertain anything as we didn’t have anything new to report etc
Merit. We don’t qualify for need based aid. We’re full pay with a super high EFC.
Wow. That’s awesome. I tried at a couple that gave us merit and they were like that’s it. Maybe because they are bigger, more mainstream Awesome for you
What was the final decision with your girls?
St Olaf might be officially dry, but it is still a college. The kids are not all abstaining.
Well, it’s official! We have 2 future Whitties! Whitman College was the clear winner for my twins… they will essentially be paying their way, and although the financial stress of keeping the scholarship will be absolutely necessary to stay at Whitman, the girls just loved the school more! They wanted a school closer to home and really felt like it was their home away from home. Thanks for all of your advice, suggestions and support! Excited, and honestly, a little nervous too! Cheers to the Class of 2025!
Whitman! They’re so relieved to have committed and I’m really excited for them! Still a little financially nervous for them, but it was the right place in their minds.
Ahh, that’s so awesome! My son is super excited for Whitman too! It really does seem like a great hidden gem of a school. 
I’m sure if it was in western Washington it would be way more popular (and even more expensive)! Did you join the Facebook Whitman Parents group? Everyone has been super nice and helpful over there. Congrats to your girls! 
Should be a great 4 years. Congratulations! 
In your original post, you listed your daughters’ interests as “Environment, writing/journalism, psychology, education.” Assuming they are in that order (?), I’m amazed by how many different directions from which Whitman looks at the environment in the majors it offers:
Anthropology-Environmental Studies
Art-Environmental Studies
Biology-Environmental Studies
Chemistry-Environmental Studies
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Studies
Forestry and Environmental Management (BA/BS with UW)
Geology-Environmental Studies
History-Environmental Studies
Oceanography (bachelor’s/master’s with Duke)
Physics-Environmental Studies
Politics-Environmental Studies
Sociology-Environmental Studies
That’s more than a dozen different angles from which to study the environment. It seems to permeate everything they do. It seems to be who they are. In “Fast Facts” about Whitman, their website lists a 9:1 student:faculty ratio and a 1:1 student:tree ratio. If you’re an environmentalist, this seems like the school for you!
If either of them decides she wants to be a reacher (education being another stated interest), the Master in Teaching program at Evergreen State, which shares Whitman’s environmental focus, seems like it would be a perfect fit.
Happy trails to you and yours. 
Congrats, my son will also be a freshman in the fall!
Mine too! Congratulations!
Congratulations to you and your daughters! My son graduated from Whitman several years ago, he loved his experience there, and my husband and I LOVED Walla Walla. We visited every year and enjoyed it immensely, a small town with a cool vibe. We went to great performances by the theater and music departments, saw presentations by guest speakers, watched sports. It was fun and I miss it.
A complete change of college plans! Both of my daughters just were offered spots at their top choice college where they were waitlisted— Pomona College. The offer just was incredible! They just accepted at Pomona and withdrew all other applications. What a CRAZY year! And thanks again for the feedback…
Wow! Pomona and the whole Claremont consortium is the best of all possible worlds. Congratulations! So happy for you all. 
WOW!!!
Congratulations and what a surprise!
It also means that, even at the most selective colleges, the WL is still moving.