<p>Thanks! Agree that this is pretty good reporting for a college newspaper ( or any newspaper, especially these days).</p>
<p>DadGummit-- I’m sorry, but I have basically no information about athletic recruitment, since I’ve never played a varsity sport in my life! But I hope the answers that others gave helped you out :)</p>
<p>amillz13-- Back to Greek Life. Greek Life is quite prevalent. Honestly, you can’t argue otherwise, since almost 1/3 of campus is Greek; compare this to a state school, where Greek Life is at about 10% of the campus. But on the plus side, Greek people are plenty nice! As stated in that other person’s quote, the frat parties do open up at 11 P.M. for everyone (though don’t expect there to be any alcohol left; also factor in that most Whitman parties slow down around midnight or one). And, of course, there are tons of talented, wonderful people in Greek Life just as in other places in the Whitman community. Any separation between Greeks and indies is due mainly to the fact that the Greek people are bonded through their community and just haven’t spent the same amount of time outside Greek Life getting to know people. (Though this isn’t true of everyone-- I know people who grew tired of Greek life and then focused more on making friends through other activities, though they remained a member of their Greek group.)</p>
<p>But also, there are plenty of non-Greek parties. You can often find dorm parties or house parties happening, as well as group specific things going on like frisbee parties, rugby parties, bio vs. geo keg-offs, astronomy parties, Ren faire parties, etc. These parties are awesome, and usually only differ in the amount of dancing happening. (Frat parties= people might be dirty dancing in the basement, house party= probably hanging out in the kitchen playing drinking games.) </p>
<p>Sometimes, I feel like (even when with indie friends) the night turns to “Wanna go over to TKE?” As someone who is pretty much over frat parties, I usually decline this invitation, but there’s usually something else going on anyway. Additionally, after freshman year, “going over to the frats,” might just entail hanging out in someone’s room who just happens to be in a frat, in which case, the environment is a lot more chill and just hanging out with friends. </p>
<p>For you, if you decide Whitman is the place for you, I’d honestly recommend living somewhere other than Jewett. Literally at least one person in each room on my floor joined Greek life (and a lot of the time roommates would join the same one). At times, if you (an indie) didn’t feel like going over to the frats, this made social life kind of stagnant, since tons of people would go over, and there would be no room parties or anything going on. I suppose one could venture over to other dorms, but it is a little intimidating to go try to find something happening when you don’t know anyone in that dorm. On the plus side, though, I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older (woo somehow I’m a junior now), I’ve made a lot more friends based on my major and the activities I do, so there’s no longer that need to make friends in the place I’m living, or to retain shallow friendships that might’ve happened in the past. Basically, I’m saying that I’ve found my place, and you can too :)</p>
<p>CJaneRead: Oooooh touchy topic: debate. I’m glad someone referenced the Pio article; I just read that and was happy to finally have some information on the subject. There has been a big stink on campus about the subject, since everything was so hushed up. Debate kids had no idea what was going on, and they were frustrated and worried about the team. It was just such a shock for Jim to resign with no head coach lined up, since Whitman debate has been at the top of the nation for several years. As someone not involved in debate, I was shocked to read about the apparent sexism on the team; I feel that most of Whitman’s men are quite sensitive to women’s issues. (Example: On the night of beer mile, there was a weird townie hanging around, saying strange stuff and hanging out with a young woman. One of my burly male friends drunkenly told me, “If he hurts that girl, I swear I will go over and punch him in the face!” He then referenced that he took Gender Studies.) </p>
<p>I really couldn’t tell you anything about the future of the team, since it’ll probably end up being dependent on how the new head coach does, and whether the other team problems are resolved. It’s a shame that there have been these issues all along, since, yeah, Whitman has had a reputation for the best debate in the nation.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, that information was incredibly helpful! And I’m sure I can thank you on behalf of everyone here for taking your time to answer our questions in detail!</p>
<p>Bumping this excellent thread.</p>
<p>I am an international student from China, and now choosing between UW and whitman college. </p>
<p>If many Chinese student studying there? I used studied in a community college 6 months for high school program, and half of students there come from China, which makes me feel I am not studying in U.S. </p>
<p>If students in Whitman college friendly to international students( I am not very fluent in English)?.(or can international students there get involved?) There is definitely more Chinese students in UW, and may be UW will be more “international”</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>Please explain the Green Dot program. Also we were with our D visiting the campus last week and did not see any security, where are they?</p>
<p>lsweng, students don’t hang out here very often. Here is a link to the Whitman Pioneer article about the Green Dot Program: <a href=“http://whitmanpioneer.com/news/2009/04/30/be-the-green-dot-whitman-launches-new-sexual-assault-program/”>http://whitmanpioneer.com/news/2009/04/30/be-the-green-dot-whitman-launches-new-sexual-assault-program/</a></p>
<p>Here is a link to some info on security, also from the Pioneer: <a href=“http://whitmanpioneer.com/feature/2012/10/04/night-staff-of-the-security-office/”>http://whitmanpioneer.com/feature/2012/10/04/night-staff-of-the-security-office/</a></p>
<p>Hi turtlejv, I suppose you’ve already made your decision, but I thought I’d respond to this anyway since it may be useful to others. It seems as if the international students are well-integrated into the social life at Whitman, and in general, students love to meet new people and the international students are no exception. I do know a few Chinese students; however, I don’t think there are a significant number of Chinese students since the school population overall is so small. I also think the location may be less attractive to international students since Walla Walla isn’t exactly an international hub (like Seattle is). I don’t think anyone would mind socially if it takes you a bit longer to converse in English, but you might have a harder time in classes. Many classes are small and discussion-based, especially humanities courses, so you would be expected to talk in class fairly frequently. That being said, I’m sure professors would be understanding and accommodate your background and skills.</p>
<p>Isweng, the Green Dot program is essentially a group that gives seminars regarding consent and advocates for preventing sexual violence on campus. When freshmen arrive, there is a mandatory talk regarding things like “No means no” and the role of alcohol in sexual consent. Additionally, they describe things that everyone can do to prevent “red dot situations”-- sketchy situations where a friend might have had too much and is making a bad decision, etc. While Whitman has had a couple of issues regarding “red dot situations,” any university is going to have occasional incidents. Overall, Whitman feels very safe in this regard, and I’ve never felt harassed or in danger, even at things like frat parties.</p>
<p>That’s interesting that you didn’t see security. We actually have a very strong security; you might not have seen them because campus is already so safe that there wasn’t much to do! In general, their presence is stronger at night. A lot of students are friendly with security guards and will chat with them on a first name basis (shout-out to Gabe for being awesome!). Additionally, the security office employs many students-- I actually worked with them for a bit! There are “escort” shifts that run at night (7 PM-1 AM) where students can call for the two security students on shift to escort them around and near campus. At other hours, I’m sure an official security guard would provide escort if requested. However, I’ve only heard of one person ever calling in, because the campus is well-lit and secure. I feel perfectly safe walking around drunk and alone at all hours of the night with headphones in, it’s that safe (although obviously probably not recommended, ha). Security is very easy to call and they are quick in response. Their main concern is student safety above all. Also, they play an important role during events like “The Naked Mile” (people get naked and run around the quad before finals). They make sure that no strange people are taking pictures of/filming students, and they generally keep the peace and keep naked people out of buildings. Overall, there is a wonderful relationship between students and security, and they really make campus safe.</p>
<p>Hello there! Whitman15, your response have been absolutely stellar from what I’ve been reading! Thank you so much for the help! </p>
<p>I am a prospective high school student. I am currently looking at Whitman as a first choice. As you may have figured, I have a TON of questions to ask you. Sorry if I repeat some questions. I’ll begin with one:</p>
<p>I live in a big city in the Bay Area, I was wondering if going to a school like Whitman (small, not a lot of people) would be a good thing to do? I am used to having people and a lot of noise around, but I’d like to get a new vibe. I remember when I went to Yosemite for camping I was a little scared of the silence and lack of “civilization” there the first few nights. I was homesick when I was there. I am wondering if that would be the same experience going up north to practical quiet town? </p>
<p>If boredom is ever a problem up there from lack of people, what do you all do up there to keep from getting bored? </p>
<p>Is the crowd there culturally diverse? I am interested in going to a school where I won’t be the only person of my race there. I also don’t want to be the only “ethnically diverse” person on campus! Please tell me what the ethnic population is like there. It might not inflence me so much in my choosing, but it would be a really good way for me to get a mental picture of the campus. Speaking of diversity, what’s the political scene like there? I am personally more interested in a liberal-minded set of folk. Is LGTBQ accepted there? The research I’ve done seems to suggest that Whitman is quite the open-minded campus, but what do you think?</p>
<p>I have kind of weird grades. I kind of screwed up my sophomore and Junior years by getting C’s in my Honors classes, but they were for personal and environmental reasons. Are academics a huge part of admissions there? If so, what do you suggest I do to make myself more appealing to Whitman admissions folk besides academics? Current Senior btw. </p>
<p>I keep reading that Whitman doesn’t prepare it’s students for the “real world”. What does that mean? Does it mean I would not have a very good chances at getting a job if I went there for college? Does it mean that I would not be able to keep a job?</p>
<p>As mentioned before, I live in a big city. I also attend a “large” public school (it’s the size of Whitman, but that is considered large in my city). I know that I learn best in small, nurturing environments where the teachers have patience enough to answer every question. It helps me figure out things when I know that I can talk one-to-one with a teacher who genuinely cares about their students and their field in general. Would you agree that the academic setting at Whitman is like this, or not? Why?</p>
<p>Lastly: test scores. The general average they seem to admit to this school are students with “up there” ACT/'SAT scores. I got a 1590 on my SAT (but am in the process of retaking it) and a 22 on my ACT. Would you say that I’d thrive academically at Whitman? Would I even make it in? </p>
<p>One more: weather. I prefer moderate weather. I like rain, and have never been in snow. As a Californian, I can assure that in recent years, we have not had any other seasons besides sunny moderate weather. Honestly, to me that’s scary since we’ve been in a drought for a few years. I’d like to experience rain again, and snow for the first time. Would you say that Walla Walla has real seasons? Does it always rain there or is there predicting weather whatsoever? I’ve never been out of California besides to Washington DC, so I am very curious. I care much about weather and environment and preserving energy and solar panels. Blah. I don’t know if that was a question. </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
When are grades available to the student?
The academic calendar identifies the date that “grades are due” (from teachers, I assume). Are grades immediately available (electronically) to students, or is there a lag before students can see their grades?
I wonder if our Whittie host has moved on–this thread has been very slow since September 2014. As parent of a sophomore from Santa Clara County, I’d like to respond to three questions from MooCowPoop.
- Weather. Walla Walla gets much colder than Santa Clara. Each winter in Walla Walla my child gets a bad cold that lasts for too long. Based on this experience, I will encourage my younger child to look hard at schools in central and southern CA (for the weather and proximity to home).
- Walla Walla is a small town. My child misses the “entertainment” opportunities of his home town. I’m not talking about SF opera, but choices of places to hang out with friends.
- IMHO, Whitman is struggling to become a more diverse, inclusive community. Go to the Pioneer (newspaper) for information about demonstrations and steps that the administration has taken to address ethnic tensions. Whitman publishes student demographics at Admissions > Learn More > Entering Class Profile. My child believes that his colleagues tend to be open-minded and politically quite liberal.
DadGummit, our son also got protracted colds at Whitman his freshman and sophomore years, but so did his friends at Sonoma State and UC Berkeley. Our friend who is a family practitioner pointed out that this is very common among college students who live in dorms. People from all over the country congregate in close quarters bringing with them the viruses that are particular to their home area and then pass them around. If one has never been exposed to that virus, they don’t have immunities and contract the cold or flu. Stress and over-tiredness can also lower one’s immune system. By junior year he stayed pretty healthy, and wasn’t living in a dorm. Cold weather isn’t the cause of illness, but may be a psychological factor for discomfort if you are used to a milder climate.
Is your son enjoying his time at Whitman? It’s hard to tell from your posts.
Hi I am a prospective international student from Bangladesh. I am curious to know about the financial aid packages that international students receive on average! I got a 2090 in my SATs and all As and A*s in my IGCSE and A’levels. I have been debating for around years.So, what is the average scholarship+financial aid that I am likely to receive?
What is the typical international student profile( test scores, scholarship, grades, ECAs etc) in Whitman?
What is the deal with the Economics majors and the University of Chicago?