<p>Thanks for the pipeline! Qs: how strong is music performance? Good orchestra? Any chamber groups? Do you still play piano and/or flute? If so, what are your instructors like?</p>
<p>Sorry for a slower response. Busy busy.</p>
<p>Boo. I’m seeing a trend that I don’t know all that much about Whitman anymore. I gotta find out more about these specific areas. I’ve been to a few big concerts, and I enjoyed them. We also have really fun intimate recitals - every Friday at four. There are some really fantastic musicians here. I do not believe I have met any of the directors, sadly. One person I saw might have been a director… but I’m not sure. She was lively and fun! I’m sure you could sit in on a class if you visited. Not until I choose to take music classes in later semesters will I know more, which I will for sure. But yes, there are chamber groups. We probably don’t have a large music program, which makes it close-knit, like every other thing I’ve mentioned about Whitman. </p>
<p>Lots and lots of people play music here - at least piano on their own time or with lessons. For now, I just play piano very casually. There are pianos all over campus! And there are so many practice rooms. Walking through that hall hearing all the music being practiced is just great.</p>
<p>In reply to momsings: As I said, I’m a freshman, so I haven’t declared…but I’m definitely considering majoring in theatre or double majoring in English and theatre. Hope the audition for the President’s Scholarship went well!</p>
<p>Hello! I applied to Whitman and am eagerly awaiting a response. I was wondering if someone could tell me how religious students are responded to on campus. I am a liberal Catholic and looking to continue my faith in college. Is it awkward to be religious on campus? And how are the spiritual support groups? Thank you!</p>
<p>When I told my friend I was planning to go back to church at the beginning of the year, she gave me a skeptical look. We then began talking about God and religion, and the discussion was just so open, rich, free. There was no judgement, no attempts on “conversion,” or any belittlement of any kind. It was a beautiful night. In my opinion, religious students are very accepted on campus. There is a fair amount of Catholics here at Whitman; when I do go to church, there is usually two to three students who would walk with me. There are also students of other religions. Whitman offers a spirituality room. And I think the one of the really cool, and eye-opening experiences in Encounters (a mandatory freshman class), is reading a few passages from the Qur’an, the Tanakh, the Bible, and other texts. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Hi I was wondering about the political climate on campus? I’m fairly politically involved and quite liberal… I would like to have diversity of thought on campus, but I don’t think I’d do well in a college where most people are strongly pro-life or anti-gay marriage. So, to sum it up, would you say there is much political diversity at Whitman? Are many students politically active? Would you describe most students as liberal, conservative, or moderate?</p>
<p>cookiemonster9, I think Whitman is left leaning. My son certainly has a liberal bent, for Christmas last year he wanted a subscription to Mother Jones magazine. I like to read the school newspaper, “The Pioneer” and there is much discussion of the rights of women, gays, and persons of color. Racial diversity is something that Whitman has worked hard to increase, and while they still have a way to go in that regard, I think they do a good job in attracting a very socioeconomically diverse group of students to campus. The prevailing feeling is of acceptance and cooperation.</p>
<p>cookiemonster9, I just remembered that Whitman has openly admitted and financially supported undocumented students, that’s a clear statement of the priorities of the school administration.</p>
<p>Seattlepaddler - Of course Whitman people are accepting of religion! I think there’s a really big religious diversity on campus, and yes there are Catholics here and there - and lots of churches around Walla Walla… on every corner. There is definitely a no judgment vibe all across campus. Not to worry about that at all. Seriously! 
Like jotran said, religion gets real interesting in Encounters. The religious diversity really helped the conversation in my class.</p>
<p>cookiemonster9 - Whitman is pretty liberal, though I think there’s a healthy dose of moderates and conservatives as well sprinkled across campus. Supporting LGBTQ is definitely really big on campus and the support feels unanimous. There’s much more diversity in the “pro-life” department, I feel. I find Whitman to be very politically active, though I spend a lot of time around debaters who are so vocal. I’m sure you’d find the political climate to be very comfortable, as everyone does. Even if someone found themselves to be very different, just like with religion there are no judgments.</p>
<p>just curious, what is the average amount of years it takes to graduate at Whitman? </p>
<p>I was on collegeboard, and it said that 85% graduated in 6 years? Does it really take 6 years to get a undergrad degree?</p>
<p>doublerainbow: well, it apparently it takes some people 6 years to graduate, but that statistic doesn’t mean that 86% of students DO take that long to graduate. Here is another place to see comparisons: [Highest</a> 4-Year Graduation Rates | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate]Highest”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate)</p>
<p>Whitman has a 4 year graduation rate of 80%, listed by US News as one of the top 100 schools in the country with the highest 4 year graduation rates, higher than Rice, NYU, Smith and Stanford. UC Berkeley’s 4 year rate is 69%.</p>
<p>6% of students take more than the standard 4 years to graduate, and the overall graduation rate is 86%.</p>
<p>Hi, thanks for all your help, Cookie606. I’ve been accepted to Whitman, and I’m trying to make up my mind as to whether I’d like to end up there. I really had my heart set up a small liberal-arts school back east (i.e. Amherst/ Vassar), but I was waitlisted at all of them that I applied to. So, that said, I do have a question for you. I’ve spent more or less the last five years pushing myself as hard as I could, so I’m looking for a school that will still feel challenging. I know that Whitman has amazing academics, but how intense is it? I don’t want cutthroat, but I do want difficult… Thanks!</p>
<p>Hey chloe2012-</p>
<p>Whitman is definitely not easy or cutthroat. I find my classes to be fairly difficult to get As in, being a straight-A student in high school. It was definitely a big leap for me. So Whitman WILL push you - every academic class will push you. It’s college! And you will get frustrated every now and then, but there is so much support, from your peers and professors. The atmosphere is not competitive so it almost comes down to how much you care about your GPA, in my opinion. It’s easy to breakdown over getting a B if it’s that important. Everyone has a lot of work to get done and nobody glides by, but I don’t think anyone would describe the academics as “intense” because it’s just not the vibe around here. Whitman is chill and many people chose to go here partially to avoid more intense schools we got accepted to (including me). The classes are still hard and they make you realize how much room you have to grow, but we’re here to enjoy our classes. :)</p>
<p>Just based off your description of the academics you want, I honestly think Whitman would be a good choice for you.</p>
<p>Hi! Question about the residence halls–do they each have a distinct personality, or are they all pretty similar? Also, you said you have a single in North–did that cost extra? If so, how much more? Thanks!</p>
<p>They don’t have their distinct “personalities,” per se. They kind of have reputations. Jewett being loud, Lyman being quiet, Prentiss being the girly castle, and Anderson being “cool”… I guess, kind of like Jewett. Obviously not everyone tends to fit into these reputations, but Jewett and Anderson tend to be more social, while Lyman and Prentiss tend to be quieter. So it’s not to say you’ll only make friends with people that live in a certain dorm, but Jewett is definitely louder than it’s neighbor Lyman on Friday nights. </p>
<p>Lyman and Prentiss have two rooms built into one for privacy, so it attracts people that like quiet study time. You can find more information about the room structures and stuff on the website.</p>
<p>Then there’s North… which feels kind of like a miscellaneous category. Everyone just kind of thinks of North as the “far away” place so it’s kind of isolated, even though it’s only two blocks away from Jewett. Other than that, because North is an old old hospital, it’s known for its annual Haunted Hospital we hold around Halloween.
But we have a nice community over here. Most of the rooms are singles - I actually got mine by accident. There were some misunderstandings so I got mine for the price of a double, like a few other people. But if you request one, I believe it costs an extra $610… or $630. Something like that.</p>
<p>I did have a question (on behalf of my D). She is not a partier. Are there a lot of social activities on campus for non-partiers? Would she be in one of many or one of a few non-drinkers if she chooses Whitman? Her overnight visit in the fall was on a Sunday night, so she doesn’t really have information on weekend social activities. Thanks.</p>
<p>Since it’s college, of course many people do go out and drink. There are posters all over Whitman that remind us that 32% of students have 0 drinks over the usual weekend. I personally do not drink and I don’t have trouble finding things to do with my friends. There are usually events or you can just relax and chill around watching movies and stuff.</p>
<p>It’s not hard at all to find people who do not drink - I would say about half of my section does not /ever/ on a typical weekend. Perhaps I also attract friends that do not drink, since I find that all my closest friends do not. Of course, the alcohol-consumption is a lot higher in a Greek setting but that’s easily avoidable. Drinking does come up in conversation sometimes, but I’ve never felt judged, left out, or pressured to drink.</p>
<p>can outside scholarships cover EFC? or does it replace institutional aid?</p>
<p>doublerainbow99, that’s probably a question you should get answered directly by the Financial Aid office, it’s too important to risk getting the wrong information.</p>
<p>thanks, for those who are wondering, it depends on your FA status, but for me they said it could cover my family contribution costs, which were about 7000. </p>
<p>Maybe you guys can answer this one for me?
Since inflation causes tuition and other fees to go up every year, are scholarships adjusted accordingly? or do they stay the same?</p>