<p>Hey, I am a current first yr. whitman student, visiting this old website as a glimpse of the past (spring of senior year). and if any of you have questions for me!</p>
<p>How do you feel the workload is at Whitman? And how is Walla Walla as far as off campus entertaiment? My S loved the campus but we visited in the summer. Any thoughts on your first year experience would be helpful.
thanks</p>
<p>Workload is tough. Yet it also depends on the classes the student takes. I am taking fairly hard classes, so I have a lot of HW every night. We are on the "students never stop studying" list for Princeton review, but there is time for fun and people get into all types of other activities. We are a happy student body too. Off campus entertainment? Downtown walla walla is a few minutes walk, so were close to anything downtown, but most activities happen right here on campus. Last night was a "death cab for cutie" on-campus concert; ask your S if he knows them, they are a famous band. And there's music at the coffee house on fri nights. Most activity is centered right on campus, which is great. You don't need to leave campus to get involved.</p>
<p>How would you describe the campus culture?<br>
Were you originally from Washington, and if not, how have you liked the area so far?
How would you characterize the type of student that Whitman admissions is looking for in their applicants?
Thanks.</p>
<p>I just have to tell you, your screen name is hilarious. LAC Operon. That's a good one :D</p>
<p>I am from SF bay area in CA, so W. WA is quite a change. Hopefully there will be snow, for which I am very excited! Season changes are important to me. We are isolated in Walla Walla, therefore the towns lack of "ethnic food"/diverse cultures is a change (i am used to such a variety in culture coming from the Bay Area), but the student body is similar to home: Caucasian, liberal and open. There are also a good number of international students thrown into the mix and people from states like Alaska. People play Frisbee golf (so Frisbees hitting trees, sides of buildings, and large rocks is common place), flag football, go to speeches, coffee talks over books for our freshman class, called core (we read western lit like Plato, Socrates, and other works that formed western philosophy on up to modern times). Whitman admissions are looking for a highly motivated student that is INTERESTED in the school. Show interested in the school itself, visit if you can, get an off campus interview, go to info sessions held in your town, get to know the admissions staff! At a small private lib arts, we all have the great grades and ECs, awards and all that jazz you put into your app, but the key is that Whitman knows you really love Whitman (and its not just another school on your list) and want to come here. Whitman is a fabulous school with great academics and I highly recommend you apply!</p>
<p>Did you visit before you applied? If so, did you fly in by yourself, or did your parents come, too? Son and I went to an info session and he is very interested, but visiting is going to be difficult (and expensive), unless he can do it after applications are in. By then you may have snow, and the campus will look very different.</p>
<p>I visited twice, once with my mom during the summer before senior year, and once after i was accepted in the spring by myself. It is great to visit, but if you can't, that's ok. show interest by off-campus means, alum interviews are great (have your S call the admisssions office to set up one now) and attend anything in your area about whitman.</p>
<p>Thanks, LAC operon. Good advice.
Do you find flying home difficult? Do you fly into Walla Walla, or do you drive from Portland?</p>
<p>flying into walla walla can be expensive, so spokane, pasco, portland, seattle are other options - you just need to find someone with a car that lives nearby to one of those cities</p>
<p>Do you find a lot of drinking on campus??? And since it's remote, are you limited without a car?</p>
<p>Can first year students have a car on campus?</p>
<p>yes, having a car is really easy here - anyone can have one, no parking permits required i believe - drving is really unrestricted. But you don't need a car - I don't have one and it's not a big deal bec most things are within walking distance.</p>
<p>How's dorm life, and how's the food?</p>
<p>Dorms are great, there are 4 options for first yrs: two all freshman dorms (jewett and anderson), one all female dorm (prentiss, which also houses sororities) and lyman (which is where I live, it's the only co-ed all grades dorm). Each dorm has its own characteristics and within dorms there are sections with their own inidiv. repuatations. Sections can become bonded, have section pride. There are upper classmen (meaning non first yr) dorms too and interest houses. Food is good, lots and lots of pasta, salad bar, soft serve machine. Brunch in prentiss on the weekends is fun - i make a waffle in the waffle iron every sat/sun brunch. All in all, dorms and food are a plus for whitman.</p>
<p>there is drinking on almost every college campus, so whitman is no exception, but i dont feel pressured and if you don't want to take part in it, you will find people like you.</p>
<p>Hi. I am an older, non-traditional student who has struggled with a (non-physical) disability for quite a few years. I have gone to community college off and on during that time and racked up a good number of credits, although I'm not sure how transferable they would be. My father lives in Walla Walla and I am moving back there to stay with him. My ambition has always been to complete a four-year degree and it seems Whitman is the only game in town. From what I read, it sounds very compatible with my abilities and interests. But my academic record isn't that good, because of my disability. Do you think I have a chance of getting in? </p>
<p>I was frustrated at the community college level because the classes weren't challenging enough. I know Walla Walla has a community college but I don't want to be stuck in another junior college where there is a casual attitude about the schoolwork - I long for really intensive work and lots of intellectual stimulation. I know I have the ability to succeed at a college like Whitman, I just don't know how to get them to overlook my academic record and appreciate what I have to offer. Do you have any suggestions for me?</p>
<p>Don't forget about Walla Walla College (yet, truth be told, I never hear anything about the school - I don't even know where it is in Walla Walla - see, there's this thing called the "Whitman bubble"; Whitman students live in a blissful, peaceful world separate from the common troubles of the world and nation)
Depending on the classes you take, you can get the intensive workload you want. And studies aren't casual. (Yet you can come to class without shoes - yet preppy, popped collar is fine too, but i digress) The library is open 24 hours, and the last person in the reading room each night gets to sign a black book that sits on the fireplace mantle, but the library is still full at midnight, so you better plan on being in the reading room till the wee hours of the morning if you want you john hancock in the book. Whitman is hard to get into, but I have meet a lot of transfers (yet mostly from other Whitman like schools). Transfers seem to fit in well. The admissions staff is personal, and you could explain your disability to admissions in your app in an essay (from what I have seen, we have great learning disability facilities, if you so need them). I hope this helps and good luck with applying!</p>
<p>How close are you to concert venues?</p>
<p>funny you should ask, bec my hallmates were just talking about how the dicemberists (spelling?) are playing in spokane (couple hrs away) tonight and that none of them have a car to get there, so they are sad :(. Death Cab for Cutie just played on campus maybe two weeks ago, so bands come to Whitman. And theres local concerts/party things too i hear of, but I am not a big music person, so I really dont know too much about them. And people go to seattle/portland for things (but they are many hours away). We have jazz/classical music performances on campus about every week (theres a thing called "Fridays at 4" were profs and students play violin, string quartets, choir concerts etc) the a cappella groups are really good too (every LAC, private schools says that, i know). so i dont know what type of music you are refering to... but walla wall is waay out here, so we dont have a big concert venues with big names (tours usually dont go, San Fran, New York, Chicago, LA, and... Walla Walla). we also have college radio! which my friends have shows on.</p>