<p>Let's talk about the Admitted student day that
happened on April 17th.</p>
<p>Here is what I saw as an admitted student of a color
Personally, I was impressed.
Atmosphere of the campus was very positive.
Students were generally very polite and looked happy!
Although I believe this would not be a problem in a such place,
I was shocked by lack of diversity.
However, I left the campus with the impression that the school
can provide an excellent academic programs and tight-knit community.</p>
<p>Whitties are an uncommonly happy and healthy group of college-age young adults I think. And that observation has held up over 4 years as a Whittie parent and with 2 kids there. It is an amazing community. It does lack visible color in a numerical sense so your observation in that regard is also accurate. There has been steady progress in this regard over the last decade, but compared to more urban campuses there has just not been the desired speed of change on this issue.</p>
<p>However, I’d strongly encourage you to reach out to some students of color (and faculty too)about those concerns before letting it dissuade you from choosing Whitman. The website can lead you to links to information about a variety of campus student groups and there is a link on the admissions page to talk connect with students as well. I’d also look up some of the profs like Shampa Biswas, Helen Kim, and Gilbert Mireles. With some networking I bet you could get in touch with students/faculty on campus now who could talk about your concern. The school has done a remarkable job, I think, it developing students’ attunement and enagement with issues of diversity (in many forms) and their advocacy for how these issues matter both in campus life and in the world beyond college. In any case, congratulation on your admission and good luck with your decision making</p>