BBMB major at whitman

Colleges and Universities A-Z Whitman College
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<p>How difficult is it to get the courses required to graduate in four years with a BBMB major at Whitman? I noted in a recent Pioneer article that there was quite a bit of discussion regarding the difficulty of getting classes required by the major. What do the students do when they can't get the classes they need for their major? </p>

<p>The following is an excerpt from Feb. 18, 2012 Pioneer article: </p>

<p>Biology is one of the most popular majors at Whitman, and overcrowding is a perpetual problem. Even as a junior, Jamerson said she wasn’t able to get into required classes this semester.</p>

<p>“I couldn’t get into cell biology just because of my registration time. It put me in a position where I’m not taking any classes that count towards biology this semester,” she said.</p>

<p>Sophomore biology major Daniel Zajic echoed these concerns.</p>

<p>“There were a lot of scheduling conflicts that inhibited me from taking any more than one biology class this semester, which is unfortunate because of how big the biology major is,” he said in an email. “As a second-semester sophomore, I felt as if I were behind in the requirements.”</p>

2

<p>My daughter is seriously considering Whitman next year. We have been told repeatedly that Whitman prides itself on the fact that 96% of students graduate in 4 years. That is lovely but only if they are able to actually take the classes they want and need to fulfill the requirements of their major. D has good test scores, grades, etc…I think she will have lots of choices. I am going to do some digging. Is Whitman really what they say they are? Parents. students, administrators - please chime in.</p>

3

<p>That is a good question FullPayParent. I realize that many kids switch intended majors after a semester or year in college, but you would like that switch to be made based on the kid’s interest not his/her ability to get the classes needed to complete the major. It really would be nice to hear back from someone who is currently at Whitman or former student to get some more information on whether this is truly a problem or more of an inconvenience.</p>

4

<p>I have made a number of inquiries since my original post. I really don’t want to go into too much detail since it is all second or third hand information. However, I heard enough stories about registration nightmares that I am really quite concerned. My information indicates that the issue is much more than an inconvenience.</p>

5

<p>My D is a freshman on a Biology / Environmental Studies track right now. She had a pretty bad registration time but was able to get all the courses she needed. I cannot speak to how it will go as she progresses, but I do know that Whitman is trying hard to ramp up the Bio department to handle the unexpected shift to this major. In general, my D is loving it at Whitman and I would urge you not to just dismiss it because of some potential difficulties in getting a class now and then. See how they address the issue going forward and see if the college in general is a fit for your kid. It is a great place and offers a great experience for those that want a rigorous yet collaborative and fun environment. It is in a beautiful but remote region, so take that into account as well.</p>

6

<p>A related question is whether Whitman is poised to hire outstanding tenure track faculty to meet the current and future demand for these courses or whether they will be relying on adjuncts. Does anyone know how the school is addressing these issues?</p>

7

<p>My daughter has blossomed at Whitman. She has pursued and been offered many great opportunities to excel in different areas. I feel she would have been swallowed up at a larger college. It has proven to be the perfect school for her. She is not a BBMB major, but I can give general info.</p>

<p>Many of their classes are rotated on an every other year cycle, so they may not get the class they want this year, but should be able to get it the next year. In general, freshmen will get the last pick of classes as would be expected. I am not sure about the adjunct vs. tenure track professors, but I do know that they do not have TA’s teaching their classes. The largest class my daughter has had was maybe 30 students. Her freshman Encounters class (required) had 16 students. </p>

<p>My son is now applying to Whitman, and their grad rate is actually 86% not 96%. He is the complete opposite of his sister, but sees value in the excellent education they offer. We hope they are both there next year!</p>

8

<p>My s is a current student at Whitman and older child is a Whitman grad. They will both graduate in 4 years (8 semesters) without problems, and were also involved in many activities - sports, working a job, study abroad, community service, clubs, an internship, etc. They haven’t had trouble getting classes they had to have, but sometimes did not get classes they wanted most, or at the times they preferred. Neither have had adjunct professors, however they both had visiting professors that they were less than pleased with. Whitman has recently been awarded some large grants to establish new professorships - but I would definitely get all the info you can about the availability and profs for your particular major. We’ve been happy and felt the money spent was well worth the attention and opportunities - but my name isn’t “fullpay” either . . . . Kudos to you for doing your research.</p>

9

<p>I am having problems with the CC website. I apologize in advance if I suddenly have 3 posts saying effectively the same thing.</p>

<p>Thanks for the correction on the graduation rate in 4 years being 86% not 96%. That makes so much more sense.</p>

<p>The BBMB major is one of the things that really caught our attention at Whitman. Whitman may be in the odd position of offering a major that they cannot properly support. If this is the case, the positive will quickly turn into a negative. When I hear that some courses are offered in alternating years, huge alarms go off in my head. This is something that has been done at our high school but only for very unusual electives. There is a huge difference in ELECTIVES vs. COURSES NEEDED IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER to fulfill the requirements of your major. Please excuse the caps but this is an important distinction. Perhaps the number of students allowed to enter into the BBMB major needs to be restricted. </p>

<p>These schools are all spending fortunes on marketing to potential new applicants. In our case, at least 99% of it goes unopened. Colleges are businesses like any other. They need a constant stream of new customers each year. Therefore, I am much more inclined to listen to the opinions and experiences of current and previous parents/students at Whitman. Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful and informative posts. I hope they have been helpful to more than just me. Based on the number of views, I would say that probably is the case.</p>

<p>Please keep the posts coming.</p>

10

<p>I wanted to add that most of my daughter’s friends are BBMBs and they are all on track to graduate on time. Hopefully Whitman can sustain this if this major continues to grow in popularity.</p>

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<p>Moonrise I love that the school has the BBMB major but have the concern about student being able to complete the major in 4 years. Have your daughter’s friends managed the BBMB major all through Whitman or did they need to take some classes during summer or use AP credits to skip classes. Whitman sounds like such a great place - the posts I read generally sound so positive about the experience at Whitman. But, college is so expensive these days that having to pay extra by taking courses over the summer in order to stay on track for 4 year degree is a real concern for us.</p>

12

<p>Hey everyone, I’m moonrise’s daughter and I’d be happy to speak to a few concerns. I lived with 3 BBMB majors over the summer (two rising seniors, one who had just graduated on time), and I have multiple friends who are pursuing the major currently.</p>

<p>It’s true that some courses are offered in alternate years, but those are typically elective courses or courses in disciplines other than science. Required classes (for example, general chemistry, biology, physics, math) are offered every year without fail, and many are offered every semester. There are some exceptions (for example, Calculus I is offered only in the fall, a fact which first-years are made aware of early on). Some higher-level bio/chem classes which are electives for the BBMB major are offered in alternate years, but there are BBMB electives offered every semester regardless. All of this information is available in the Whitman catalog if you’d like specifics.</p>

<p>Registration is a difficult process, but from what I’ve heard from friends at state schools Whitman’s system is far, far less problematic by comparison. It’s true that sometimes you don’t get all the classes you want. Last semester I had the latest possible registration time, and I still got into classes I was vaguely interested in this semester. And even when I couldn’t get into classes, I emailed the professor and asked to be put on the waitlist–I have successfully gotten into closed classes twice by this method. Professors are very understanding, and I’ve never heard of any professor turn away a student who needed to be in their class. </p>

<p>Frequently the College will open up new sections of classes to accommodate more students. Last semester an entire new Gen Chem class was added, and next semester they will be offering Calc I–a class usually only offered in the fall. This semester they couldn’t add a new section, so they’re offering it again next semester. I don’t know any BBMB majors who have been forced to take summer classes or use AP credits. I do have friends who have been unable to get into classes, but have had no setbacks because of that. For example, one of my BBMB-major friends couldn’t get into Biology 111 last semester, and he’s just taking it this semester instead. Another friend couldn’t get into Genetics Lab, and took it a different semester than when he took Genetics. I don’t know anyone who couldn’t graduate on time because they couldn’t get into classes. Whitman administration and professors are very accommodating, and really want the best for their students.</p>

<p>And finally, the BBMB major is not very large on its own. It’s true that many students come into college wanting to be BBMB majors, then decide against it. The overlap between Bio, Chem, and BBMB majors is what causes courses to fill up, and while I don’t know for a fact if the department is looking into hiring new professors, I would bet that it’s high on their priority list. There are currently five visiting professors and three adjunct professors total in the combined departments of BBMB, Biology, and Chemistry, and most of them teach either general introductory courses or occasionally higher-level courses which they are experts in. From what I’ve heard from friends, some of those professors are their favorites. I’ve even heard talk that the administration is planning to expand the Hall of Science to accommodate the recent influx of majors.</p>

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<p>Ardenatwhitman, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough answer. As I read your post, I am struck by the fact that you seem to be very happy ay Whitman. It seems like a wonderful place to spend four years. My daughter will ultimately need to determine which factors carry the most weight for her when balancing the pros and cons. I will admit that I cannot fathom taking a science class at a different time than the corresponding lab. That just seems illogical to me. I am also bothered by filling up a schedule with classes a student finds only vaguely interesting but perhaps I am being too literal. I totally agree that issues such as these are small in comparison to those encountered at large state schools. Then again, large state schools are not something she is even considering. I think she is getting a better sense of both tangible and intangible issues at Whitman. Will she apply? The jury is still out on that one. I hope she does though. There seems to be something very special about Whitman.</p>