Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for the responses. Good to hear encouraging things about both the academics at Lewis & Clark and the social scene at W&M. It's probably true that our DC has two great options (this is assuming, of course, that they actually get the Posse scholarship at L&C, which I believe they have a 50% chance of getting as a finalist). It's just stressful to have to decide this in such a short-time frame. And I have to keep reminding myself that college is more about the right fit for my DC than the school I think might be the best -- such a hard thing to navigate.

Lewis and Clark is fine, but it's the lowest ranked out of similar LACs in the area. Whitman, Reed, Willamette, and Puget Sound are all ranked higher. The L&C campus is gorgeous, but kind of isolated in a suburban neighborhood. IF you want a PNW LAC, all of those schools will offer comparable financial aid. Willamette has a better location (across the street from the state capitol building!) with better internship opportunities. Reed has a better reputation, but a more intense, grinding academic environment that isn't for every student. Puget Sound is in a better neighborhood and has a better campus community for students. Whitman is better academically but it's a long way from everywhere.

I don’t think this reflects current reality, if it was ever true. With respect to current admissions, Willamette was accepting new applications in May and have been on the NACAC list of colleges accepting late applications. So, the school has been looking for students for some time. Part of the issue is that Salem is a small city but with the homelessness problems of Portland. It’s disturbing to walk and drive through it. Willamette does the best with what they can, and it’s still a great school, but it’s a challenging environment.

Meanwhile UPS is in Tacoma, which has had sharp increases in crime in recent years, enough so that it’s a serious public discussion now. Also a great school, but I don’t think what you said about the neighborhood is accurate.

Reed is indeed academically rigorous but also has historically had a drop-out and drug problem.

Whitman is great but very isolated.

My son is a freshman at Willmette. He applied to all of those schools last year. Willamette does accept applications well into the summer, but it is ranked higher than Lewis and Clark (93 on USNews). And Lewis and Clark tried to get DS to switch schools by increasing our financial aid package in July, so they were still looking to fill their class as well. DS turned down Reed, for which I was grateful. Reed is ranked a little better than Willamette (67 vs. 75 in US News), but the campus culture of drugs and dropping out was concerning to me. I really liked Puget Sound and I really didn't find Tacoma a bad neighborhood, but we're coming from St. Louis. Nothing really phases me as far as a neighborhood goes, except maybe Hyde Park. The neighborhood around PS is great and safe enough. Salem is also safe enough.

For DS, Willamette was the best combination of ranking and location and overall financial aid of that group of schools. DS is very excited about internship opportunities at the state capitol.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love L&C, but I'm from the West so it is better known out there.

The one thing I'd say is that if your kid is in the Posse program, then it seems likely you'll get a lot of financial aid at W&M. Did you do their online calculator?

If your kid is in Posse due to a complicated homelife, then the Posse structure is a nice one to have. It's easy to access on campus resources and advice. That said, having them nearby might also be beneficial in that situation.

Posse students are not necessarily low income. The one kid I know in the program is the child of two lawyers. I was surprised but learned It's more about being an underrepresented minority. Questbridge is the similar program that is exclusively for low-income students.

The underlying philosophy behind the Posse project is that, to succeed at top schools, students from disadvantaged circumstances need not just a strong support group but people around them with some cultural currency--kids who know how to navigate the system, know when to seek help and who to call if they're having a problem (even if that person is mom and dad), etc. So the Posses always include some kids of that ilk--kids who were raised in middle or upper middle class families by college educated parents. They're allies, in effect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for the responses. Good to hear encouraging things about both the academics at Lewis & Clark and the social scene at W&M. It's probably true that our DC has two great options (this is assuming, of course, that they actually get the Posse scholarship at L&C, which I believe they have a 50% chance of getting as a finalist). It's just stressful to have to decide this in such a short-time frame. And I have to keep reminding myself that college is more about the right fit for my DC than the school I think might be the best -- such a hard thing to navigate.

Lewis and Clark is fine, but it's the lowest ranked out of similar LACs in the area. Whitman, Reed, Willamette, and Puget Sound are all ranked higher. The L&C campus is gorgeous, but kind of isolated in a suburban neighborhood. IF you want a PNW LAC, all of those schools will offer comparable financial aid. Willamette has a better location (across the street from the state capitol building!) with better internship opportunities. Reed has a better reputation, but a more intense, grinding academic environment that isn't for every student. Puget Sound is in a better neighborhood and has a better campus community for students. Whitman is better academically but it's a long way from everywhere.

I don’t think this reflects current reality, if it was ever true. With respect to current admissions, Willamette was accepting new applications in May and have been on the NACAC list of colleges accepting late applications. So, the school has been looking for students for some time. Part of the issue is that Salem is a small city but with the homelessness problems of Portland. It’s disturbing to walk and drive through it. Willamette does the best with what they can, and it’s still a great school, but it’s a challenging environment.

Meanwhile UPS is in Tacoma, which has had sharp increases in crime in recent years, enough so that it’s a serious public discussion now. Also a great school, but I don’t think what you said about the neighborhood is accurate.

Reed is indeed academically rigorous but also has historically had a drop-out and drug problem.

Whitman is great but very isolated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, to apply for the posse as a finalist and actually get the scholarship, you have to apply ED to the school that you've been matched with, which means that if you go forward with the L&C and posse, you apply ED.

Wait what? You have to commit to going to the school without knowing whether the scholarship is going to come through??

Yes, students selected as Finalist and accepting that spot for the matched school will have to submit an ED application and if chosen as a Posse Scholar following their third-round interview are committed to attending that school.

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in a similar situation, with his match being William & Mary, but he wants to go to NYC/USC/Rice.

If those are a better fit for your kid, they really rather go there and you spend the money without pain it is worth considering giving up the spot for the next kid (I think to remember they go down a list of candidates until they have hit the number of committed finalists for the last interview).

My DC is in a similar situation, with his match being William & Mary, but he wants to go to NYC/USC/Rice.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, to apply for the posse as a finalist and actually get the scholarship, you have to apply ED to the school that you've been matched with, which means that if you go forward with the L&C and posse, you apply ED.

Wait what? You have to commit to going to the school without knowing whether the scholarship is going to come through??

Good luck OP. I just came to say that my gay DC finds W&M very accepting. Direct quote was "everyone at W&M is gay" -- obviously not literally true but speaks to the overall LGBTQ-friendliness. DC also finds W&M very intellectually challenging and engaging. They go to some frat parties but did not rush and most of their friends are outside the greek system, so it's definitely not a major social force on campus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there really is a question here. The kid is a finalist for a scholarship. That may not work out. So apply to both schools (and at least 8 others) and hope it all works out. W&L has a lot of scholarships too.

You can't apply ED and Posse. The timelines do not align.

OK, but he's only a finalist. the other EA apps are due. How does he manage that?

Yes, to apply for the posse as a finalist and actually get the scholarship, you have to apply ED to the school that you've been matched with, which means that if you go forward with the L&C and posse, you apply ED.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there really is a question here. The kid is a finalist for a scholarship. That may not work out. So apply to both schools (and at least 8 others) and hope it all works out. W&L has a lot of scholarships too.

You can't apply ED and Posse. The timelines do not align.

I don't think there really is a question here. The kid is a finalist for a scholarship. That may not work out. So apply to both schools (and at least 8 others) and hope it all works out. W&L has a lot of scholarships too.

Lewis and Clark, hands down,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not really sure how/why our DC got this far in Posse. We are a super stable family, I and my spouse both have advanced degrees, we're doing fine financially (we're both feds/public servants, but definitely live within our means), we're white. DC is, as I mentioned, non-binary and has noted that in their Posse application (and presumably it was noticeable at the in-person interviews). DC has a speech impediment, but that's it for disabilities. We had assumed DC wouldn't get this far in Posse because we thought DC isn't the typical student in need of all the support that Posse gives. But, of course, we would love the tuition scholarship because we can't afford private colleges, but can afford W&M. We definitely don't want to take a spot from someone else, so that is why we are deciding whether to agree to apply ED to L&C in tandem with the Posse program.

Curious why you are selecting L&C vs. Lafayette, Bucknell, Rochester or Wisconsin?

When my daughter participated there was only a limited list for her to select her top 4 from, and even then, you can get matched to a college outside of those 4.
Funny thing, she had UVA and W&M in her top 4 got matched outside and got into both in RD.

Interesting. What school did she match with in Posse and what school did she end up at?

Matched to Cornell College (Iowa) and attending W&M.

Anonymous wrote:Listen to your child -- they know what is right for them. It is also truly odd to think there is any college where a curious, intellectual student will not be enriched and inspired.

--parent of similar kid who turned down W&M and is crazy happy and doing really well at the better fit school they chose (with significant merit).

If you don't mind saying, what school did your kid end up at?