<p>H! I had a few Qs about Whitman college. Please feel free to answer any or all of them. Thank you so much!!</p>
<ol>
<li>How is the strength of its sciences and math depts? Any specific examples and/or statistics would be especially helpful.</li>
<li>How artsy is it? To give you an idea... Oberlin, hampshire, and bard colleges are a bit too artsy for me. I am more in line with for example, Haverford, Hamilton, Bryn mawr etc.</li>
<li>What is a "typical" Whitman student like? Obviously there really is no typical student. But if you had to describe one. </li>
<li>How liberal is Whitman? I am an extreme democrat.</li>
<li>How is Whitmans location?</li>
</ol>
<p>I am the parent of an English major, so I can’t help you on the math other than his roommate and best friends were math / science geniuses. Moreover, as a parent, I simply view from afar and have impressions from what hear, and so make no claim to accuracy. With that disclaimer, I’ll give your questions a shot. It was obvious to my son that Whitman attracts some math talent but others will have to respond about the department.</p>
<p>There are creative and talented musicians, thespians, artists, and performers of various types, but Whitman does not match Oberlin in the arts and does not have a conservatory. “Dabbles in Bloom” was the most noted campus musical group last year, and you can check out their recordings. I seem to recollect that Whitman had recently built a new art building. My impression of the student body is that there are artists and athletes on campus, and that the student body is well rounded with neither artists nor athletes dominant.</p>
<p>While there is a spectrum of political beliefs, yours will not be unusual. The prevailing political winds tend to blow left, but tolerance is the norm. Whitman students have a reputation for being bright, social, and often somewhat quirky - interested in some particular skill or hobby. It has the reputation of being a friendly and welcoming place, and it seems to have lived up to that so far.</p>
<p>The location is beautiful but remote. The campus is a like a park with outdoor art enhancing the visual appeal. The facilities are attractive, and many of them quite new. A creek runs through it. It is near downtown Walla Walla which is quaint. If you are from the south, the winters might take some adjustment. It gets cold and snows sometimes, and there are fewer hours of sunshine per day than where we are from - though there are regular sunny days in the winter unlike some areas of the mid-west.</p>
<p>If you can manage a visit, you should go. The visit convinced my son that it was the right place. I wanted to go back to college there once I saw it.</p>
<p>I am a parent of a science major that graduated in 2010. The science programs are very strong. Lots of chances to do meaningful research with professors (actually involved in planning and directing the research). The teaching is also strong and class sizes small. Whitman does a good job getting funding for the science research also. Check out the individual department pages for funding announcements.</p>
<p>Past students have had good success getting into top PhD programs and winning NSF grants for grad study. The senior thesis and exams are a wonderful preparation for graduate school.</p>
<p>I can’t speak highly enough of the education my daughter received at Whitman.</p>