Whitman College

Date: Jan 29 2007
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
I was thrilled about first coming to Whitman, and part of me still loves it here. I was convinced that this place was paradise, and that I couldn't have found a better place to be. All the ratings and what people said about it made it seem truly wonderful. Everyone is fairly happy, and everyone is fairly smart. Unfortunately though, I became incredibly sick of hearing every other person saying

I'm an Environmental Studies major from Portland/Seattle.

Being from Washington, DC with no particular interest in environmentalism (I mean, I wholeheartedly support it, but I sincerely don't care or know about it), it's hard for me to find common ground. Academics are good, but I was never blown away. Everyone says how hard it is here, and how

It's hard to get an A here

but I found it much easier than high school. I'm taking the maximum number of credits allowed, and I'm involved in at least 7 extracurriculars, 2 of which I have leadership in. I have a 3.6 GPA and I'm not really working very hard. I basically just don't feel satisfied.

Everyone is really friendly and wonderful and there are certainly people I would miss if I left. The school often sets up lectures and activities and there are things that are going on all the time, which is nice. There's usually parties on weekends but every now and again, there's literally nothing going on, usually around the time of Greek initiation.

I don't like that people with rather average high school transcripts, or even below average, can get in here. I find it pretty embarassing, actually. I want to not only be surrounded by brilliant people, but i want these people to be able to know how to apply themselves as well as take their futures seriously.

Right now I'm in the process of looking at other schools, especially ones closer to home because traveling is a huge pain out here. The isolation can get to you. Whitman still ranks higher than any of the other schools I would possibly want to go to, but I think they're rather deceiving. For example, The Princeton Review reported that the most popular majors here were Biology, Psychology, and English, which is FAR from true. Almost everyone I know is an environmental studies major and EVERYONE loves outdoor activities, which I would like to try but feel slightly intimidated in trying. Also the lack of geographic diversity is exceedingly frustrating.

If your favorite food is granola, your favorite activity hiking, your favorite academic subject is rocks and trees, and you are from portland or seattle then you should come here, no question. Other perks: People are super nice and great, and all are averagely intelligent. Dorms are sweet, food is good. Parties are fun and the school has a lot of activities to offer that many other schools don't, unfortunately, if you aren't that type of person, chances are you probably won't utilize them.