Whitman College Top Questions

I would advise those trying to choose the right college to not only visit the schools you're interested in, but visit your top choices multiple times at different times of the year. For example, a campus can seem alive and happy and wonderful in the spring, and can be completely the opposite in the winter; dead and beige and so depressing you just can't stand it. I advise students to talk to their parents extensively about their experiences, because, believe it or not--they know a lot and have been through the same experience. Learn from them if you can. Make a list of important aspects a school needs to have for you to be both successful AND happy--for example, big time sports, school spirit, great class size, really great extracurricular opportunites, location, major options, class options, etc. And don't forget--follow your gut; it's usually right.

Students (and parents) should never settle or be preemptively afraid of the application process. Many potential undergraduate students are scared away by SAT scores, GPA, and the like, while most schools actually place these quantitative values very low on their admissions priority list. Most schools will actually look first at the submitted essays, a student's involvement in their home community, and many other qualitative characteristics. Especially when applying to a smaller liberal arts school, admissions officers are looking for students who will nurture the schools creative, intellectual environment. Students at undergraduate schools should never be afraid to approach professors. When students take genuine interest and passion in any field of study, professors become invested. Most professors will go to great lengths to accommodate a student's intellectual growth. Students should never feel like--or tell themselves--that they are incapable of learning about things for which they are passionate. Parents should know their children, and be able to encourage them to grow: pursuing avenues they may not have even known existed, for at the end may be a passion for knowledge previously undiscovered. When a student is open to their own creativity, there is no stopping their intellectual exploration!

I think the biggest thing in finding a school is going to visit it! Walking around the Whitman campus, talking to faculty and students there made the biggest impact on me; so much so, that I applied early. I don't think there is *one* perfect school out there for each person; I think some schools are better fits though and once you're there, you have to be able to go about doing things yourself that will make the experience the best for you. Get involved in things you're interested in, even if you're nervous to do so at first! Go to your professors for help; they are usually more accomodating than you might expect. Keep up with your work, but make sure you are leaving time for other activities, friends, eating (!), sleeping, and other things that are not academically related. College is NOT just about academics and getting good grades!!

It's critical to find a handful of schools that you can really imagine yourself going to. Be realistic: don't dream too much about the Ivy Leagues and the Stanfords, because you're most likely not going to get into one of them! Find schools that are more attainable prospects and learn everything you can about them. You'll find that there are dozens, hundreds, of colleges that probably suit you much better than any "Reach School." It's not all about the name. Take a good look at yourself and decide whether you really belong in a school with a bunch of stuffed-shirt, legacy types. If none of the aforementioned applies to you, then maybe this will: don't just apply to the one state school that you're guaranteed to get into, just because you don't know where else you'd go. Do some research. Find the school that really speaks to you and your interests. Then go visit that school and talk to everyone there!

To visit colleges before making a decision. You can only experience a college by visiting and talking with current students.

Come to this college with an open mind because there are so many different personalities that one will come across. There will always be someone that is able to debate an idea one might have and chances are they will if given the opportunity. It is truly an intellectual, yet simultaneously happy college.

Think about what you want out of life, think long and hard, and then pick a college or colleges that fit that description. then you will be happy.

I know that this option isn't always a possibility, but, I would highly recommend visiting the schools you are considering before you attend the school. Several of the schools that were my first choice after reading about them turned out to be totally wrong for me when I visited. They just didn't feel right. As for making the most of your college experience, my words of wisdom would be : try new things and manage your time wisely. Really try to make time for social activities in between study sessions. It is very important to make time to de-stress during the week and social activities are a really good way to do that. Also, everyone I know who has good social connections seem happier than the more introverted people.

College is all about finding the right fit for you, and sometimes that takes some self discovery. While I thought I was destined to be a SoCal college girl, fate found a way to guide me in the right - and opposite - direction. After being rejected from my first and second choices, and after some prodding from my mother and the soccer coach, I reluctantly came out to Walla Walla - and within the first hour I knew I was going to spend four years there. Sometimes, you just know, and have to go with your heart. Other times, you find out along the way. A friend of mine transferred three times in four years, each time with high hopes, and his final choice has been the reward he was looking for. While difficult, the courage and foresight that it took him to keep trying was not only impressive but character building. Once you've found the college for you, maximize it by throwing yourself into campus life. Homesickness can be an early distraction, but the best cure is building a new home at your new school. It will happen before you know it.