<p>there was recently a thread that asked posters to explain whether impressions of schools were better or worse, having researched and visited. one poster said about whitman...</p>
<p>"Down -- Whitman. On a visit, #7 sat in a core class where women were doing their nails and no one bothered to answer an easy "think" question from the prof. At lunch, the frat boys he was with talked about never cracking a book and how easy it is to nail the girls."</p>
<p>i was pretty shocked... any encouraging comments?</p>
<p>I saw that too and it really didn't match up with everything else we've heard. My S has visited twice, met with coaches, played with sports teams, and done overnight as well as classes and he definitely didn't have this experience. He wasn't with fraternity guys, though. I'd love to hear from some current students about the above comment.....</p>
<p>Anything's possible... I'm sure not every session of every class is off-the-chart stimulating, and I know not every teacher is fabulous, but this does not match my daughter's experience (particularly the part about the girl doing her nails in class), or what I've heard from others. If anything, there's too much talking in her Core class. She has a writing assignment due before every class, the students are graded on participation, and a manicure would not go unnoticed by her professor. Maybe you could get away with it in one of the larger classes (25-40 students) -- but Core has only about 15 students in it. </p>
<p>(The nail comment made me laugh. My D has become much less of a girly girl since being at Whitman. It's very casual there, the outdoorsy look is big.)</p>
<p>When my D was visiting schools, she sat in on classes every visit. If she felt students weren't engaged or worse, seemed dull, it was a big negative. It's difficult to set that impression aside and assume a bad class is the exception. So, it's too bad for that student. </p>
<p>Never cracking a book is definitely B.S. Students at Whitman do not talk about it being easy, regardless of the area of study. It is academically challenging.</p>
<p>I don't think girls at Whitman are any easier than at any school, based on what I've heard from my daughter. I suppose that could be an influencing factor for someone, but really?!?! According to my D, there is a consistent moderate level of sleeziness associated with some boys in some of the fraternities. But it's a minority of the members. Otherwise, Greek life at Whitman seems to bear very little resemblence to the traditional Greek experience. My D always thought she would want to join a sorority in college, something I had reservations about. On one of her visits to Whitman, she had lunch with 2 girls from the swim team who are best friends -- one in a sorority, and one not. She loved that. I also asked students about it when I had the opportunity. More than one boy I spoke with said he never thought he would join a fraternity, but it was "different" at Whitman. Her experience with the sorority so far has been great, all the good things associated with being in a community, and nothing that is limiting her from experiencing anything or anyone else. </p>
<p>Interestly, Whitman was not my daughter's first choice. But now she can't imagine herself in college anywhere else. And it's hard for me to imagine she could be happier elsewhere.</p>
<p>My impression is also that the posted comment is atypical of Whitman. And I think you could find a similar scenario on almost any campus anywhere and it would be dangerous to generalize unless you found other confirming evidence. I know 3 kids who are currently at Whitman that are very different and each very happy. The Greek system seems to be very inclusive and relaxed--there for those who want to try it out as a housing option mainly. If you go to the Whitman website and the prospective students section there are both student journals and a way to ask students questions so you could check out impressions there...</p>
<p>(Hi to rix and mmaah!) Just checked out CC on a whim after many months. My D is also very happy at Whitman. She continues to surprise herself and us by doing things she never imagined in a million years, like joining the girls' Club Rugby team which is going to Ireland during the spring break. Among other things she has been ice-climbing and played paintball in the tri-cities somewhere. I have not heard a word about sleazy boys in frats or otherwise; I get the feeling she spends little energy on things she doesn't care about, and seems very pleased with the friends she has made. She adores and is very loyal to her dorm, Lyman. It sounds like most of the kids in Lyman eat in their own dorm, and it's intimate and fun. She is also very fond of the RAs and SAs in the dorm, and finds them gracious and generous with help when needed. </p>
<p>She loves her core class. She does report that all core classes are not created equal and she says that some friends report their core classes are less than stimulating, with lack of participation. Her core class is lively, with everyone participating and with a teacher who seems to genuinely enjoy her students and care about them. Her teacher, by the way, is the wife of Pres. Bridges.</p>
<p>She was very cavalier about the work when she left, having heard rumors that college was easy compared to high school, but she never worked that hard her junior and senior years. She admits the work is demanding, but she is a kid who loads up her academic schedule and now has two jobs, one on campus and one off in addition to rugby. She is not alone: she says there are always kids working in the library long after midnight. I don't believe she sleeps a lot, which she made up for the first week of winter break. She also says that people are very helpful, including older kids who have taken the same classes previously and have volunteered their notes and all kinds of other helpful things. </p>
<p>My overall sense is that Whitman students are mostly unaffected and very nice, as they are generally rumored to be. When J got back to school in mid-January she called and said she didn't realize how much she had missed everyone. This is good!</p>
<p>"Down -- Whitman. On a visit, #7 sat in a core class where women were doing their nails and no one bothered to answer an easy "think" question from the prof." </p>
<p>The "Core" experience largely depends on your professor and your classmates. Most Whitties are happy in their Core class; if you are not, you can request a change after the fall semester. And let's be real, I wonder how well in core did the nail-filing women do...</p>
<p>"At lunch, the frat boys he was with talked about never cracking a book and how easy it is to nail the girls."</p>
<p>Boys will be boys at every college you go. Girls will be girls. Kids like to brag. Fraternities will be fraternities. College will be college.</p>
<p>I know of a couple frat boys who almost got expelled due to poor performance. I also know of a couple frat boys with grades close to 4.0s. I wonder who that person was talking to.</p>