Whitman College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Politics
Minor: Geology
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Male

Summary

I’m involved with the newspaper on campus, I play intramural sports, and I’m in a fraternity.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public high school in Trout Lake, Washington with a graduating class of about 20 students. About 50% of students attended a four-year institution.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Politics
Minor: Geology

Extracurricular Activities: I’m involved with the newspaper on campus, I play intramural sports, and I’m in a fraternity.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I’d say Greek life is a pretty big thing, especially for a college this size. It’s a really positive community-building asset that a lot of people take advantage of, especially in the first two years of their time here. People have friends within the Greek system and outside of it, it’s not exclusive.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
The Politics major is very discussion-based and reading and writing involved. It progresses as you advance in the major, but at this point, I probably read one to two books a week, which could be as much as 400 pages. I’m probably writing at least one thousand words in responses or essays per week.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
It centers around political theory and is guiding disciplinary mechanisms. We spend a lot of time reading political theorists and understanding political theory, rather than classical political science analysis with data sets. It’s intellectually challenging and we read lots of complicated literature. Ultimately, it provides a unique education.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
My experience has been that the learning environment is entirely collaborative. Professors are really accessible and generous with their time. That’s huge and is one of the biggest reasons I’ve been successful at Whitman. This, as well as student to student collaboration, is widespread and there is no hyper-competitiveness.
How accessible are your professors?
They have listed office hours for probably six hours a week. I often can’t make a lot of the times, but I’ll email them and almost every time they’re willing to accommodate.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Not particularly. I’d say a lot of the discussions and critiques are very left-leaning. I know a lot of people have felt alienated because the more centrist or right-leaning views have not been accepted well either by other students in the class or professors in a few different fields, especially politics. I also think that has something to do with how those points are articulated.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I choose politics because I realized I hated general chemistry and didn’t want to be a scientist. I was in a politics class and was going really well, so I went with it and I’m excited with where it’s taking me. My reading and critical writing skills have improved substantially. I feel like a more well-rounded student as a result.
How is managing both your sport and your coursework?
I think it’s doable. It’s just making sure you know what environment you can do your work in and just make it happen. You get locked into a routine and if you’re dedicated to it you can make it work. I don’t find it to be especially difficult.

Reasons to Attend

1) Challenging academics.
2) Accessibility to professors.
3) Proximity to outdoor recreation.
4) The relaxed learning environment.
5) Healthy and positive Greek life.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The small social scene.
2) If you’re trying to major in something particular or don’t want to take certain general study classes, it’s a liberal arts college.
3) Harsh winters.
4) There’s a small student body and it’s not very diverse. [The undergraduate population is about 1,500 students, and it’s 64% White.]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Jewett Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Fraternity house with one roommate
Junior & Senior: Off-campus house in a single
How was transitioning from your hometown to Walla Walla, WA in terms of location?
Walla Walla is a little different. it’s a small and rural area not close to a big city center. For a lot of people that transition is difficult because there isn’t immediately a lot of options in many different realms of life. I think it’s a bustling town and businesses are popping up. The wine industry is really big here, which is fun for a lot of people.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I think campus security does a good job of making it a safe space for people to learn and grow. They do a lot of patrols and have their phone number posted around campus. Whitman is sort of isolated from the broader community, so it’s pretty safe because of campus policy and campus enforcement agencies.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I try to split it pretty evenly by getting outside for some portion of the weekend. I’ll usually go to a party or play games on the lawn for some portion of the weekend. There isn’t a huge party atmosphere, but people definitely try to do something on Friday and maybe Saturday, and then a lot of people will go outside on Sunday. You can go skiing, or biking in the fall. Saturday nights are usually when Greek organizations have campus-wide functions. It’s usually a Greek-only event then the party opens up around 10 when the whole campus shows up. Fridays are more low-key and there might be a house party with live music.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I think Greek life has a monopoly on the party scene. A lot of people are involved in it and on Friday or Saturday there’s always a Greek function. There’s also a lively scene in the off-campus houses. Some more artsy houses will have live music, and sports houses will have something too sometimes.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Whitman? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I think it just gets down to the size of the campus. For a campus this size, I’d say it does pretty well in terms of the party scene. If that’s something people are going into college really looking for, I probably wouldn’t recommend Whitman because it’s not going to be as good as a larger institution. I think it’s pretty good, but it’s not great.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
We all rushed and pledged together. Other friends I’ve met have been through a shared preference in outdoor activities. The backcountry skiing community is really big within Whitman.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Whitman?
It’s acceptable, but not popping. There’s always something to do and a place to go, but the parties aren’t particularly amazing or diverse. You see the same people every weekend. For freshman and sophomore year it’s fun and you see new people, but the latter two years of your time it gets a little stuffy.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I wouldn’t say there’s a distinct divide in that regard, but Whitman as a whole has had a problem with admitting diverse classes. I think the student body is [64%] White. The students of color are involved in many things, but as a result of there being few people who aren’t White, there isn’t a whole lot of representation. [The undergraduate population is about 7% Hispanic, 2% Black, 6% Asian, and 64% White.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
There’s a lot of overlap. A lot of people are in or have been in Greek life at some point during their time at Whitman.
How would you describe the student body?
Most people here are pretty smart and academically motivated. They are also usually interested in outdoor pursuits in some capacity. They’re open to and are excited about parties. Academics come first, but they are pretty sociable people interested in recreation.
How do you like the size of Whitman in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 1,500 undergraduate students at Whitman.]
I think it’s perfect academically, which is why most people are here. The accessibility to professors is huge, and the classroom environment is great. I haven’t had trouble getting into a class. In that regard, the small size is nice, but socially is less than ideal for sure. You meet everyone in your first year and after that, there are fewer people to meet and fewer things to do.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I had an internship my sophomore and junior year with an alumnus I met. He was a biology major and I met him through the Alumni Relations Department.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’re really helpful in reviewing resumes, cover letters, and job applications in general. I’ll usually run all my materials through the career office before I send them in, and they have trained professionals to work with you there. Their database for finding opportunities isn’t great. A lot of my friends and I have run into trouble using Handshake. The career center is really good for developing resumes and cover letters, but not really helpful in finding good entry points to a career.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Through the Geology department, I’ve used Excel at an advanced level for statistical analysis.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I have financial aid. They’ve been fairly transparent during my time here, although not necessarily as consistent as I wish they had. Sometimes numbers are changes, not necessarily on the basis of an equal change in income or ability to finance my education. They do a good job and are receptive to working with people if they feel the aid they have is unfair.