<p>I've heard that Whitman students sometimes have trouble getting to and from school for winter break because of the weather. Is that true? I've looked through the forum and I can't find anything specifically on this.</p>
<p>I live in Portland and it's a shame that this is one of the things my mother is worried about..</p>
<p>Whitman runs a charter bus at the breaks and it made it to Portland last year even in the middle of our record snowstorm (it did take around 7 hours though :-)). They even squeezed my daughter in the bus at the last minute when her ride from another student fell through from the weather.</p>
<p>Mothers will always find something to worry about but this should not be one of them. </p>
<p>Kids get back and forth just fine as far as I can tell (my data is based on 2 Whitties and their myriad Whittie friends). There is no place in the country that is exempt from winter travel delays once in a while…and between Portland and Walla Walla is along the Columbia Gorge and which is a relatively protected weather zone…</p>
<p>My daughter has encountered a few problems over the years related to weather when flying to and from Walla Walla in the winter months. If you are flying and there is a delay or cancellation, you might not be able to get in/out on the next flight if it’s fully booked. Or, sometimes, luggage is delayed because of weight issues during weather. It happens, but it’s been manageable. As Mmaah said, the drive between Portland and WW generally OK.</p>
<p>There are tons of kids driving to and from the Portland area for breaks, so it’s often possible to get a ride, if you don’t take the Whitman bus.</p>
<p>My daughter is on the swim team. The swim season is fall and winter, and they travel by bus to Seattle and Portland several times. I always worry when it’s Seattle (hey, I’m a mom, that’s my job!) because of the pass in the Cascades, but they always make it. Sometimes they’ve driven to Seattle via Portland to avoid the pass, which is a long trip… Before my daughter was at Whitman, evidently the swim team got stuck in The Dalles for several days due to a blizzard. But that was evidently a very rare storm.</p>
<p>Tell your mom that you get the entire week off for Thanksgiving, four weeks off for the holidays, and two weeks for spring. Any travel delays are more than made up for with the extra long time at home :-)</p>
<p>Cookie – I also meant to respond to questions you had on other threads about schools when you’re thinking of med school. My DS researched undergrad programs that med schools liked and Whitman’s BBMB major was highly ranked. That made a big difference in his decision to go there.</p>
<p>Yay! Thank you everyone. I showed my mom this thread so now she has one less thing to complain about. Now if only I can get into the school…</p>
<p>And thank you Indiana. Another reason for me to attend Whitman.</p>