Whitman College Admission
Whitman College Undergraduate Program
Whitman College Application

The Facts

Whitman is located in the comically titled town Walla Walla, Washington which houses a state correctional institute. However, the town is also a budding wine town. The school is a tiny private college that houses a mere 1,408 undergraduate students. Despite its size, it still offers some 40 departmental majors. Some of its most popular majors include psychology, politics, biology, English, and history. Its music and theater programs are also quite popular. More students take part in research projects than at several major state institutions.

Admission to Whitman has grown increasingly competitive over the years; last year about 2,143 high school students applied and 1,196 were admitted while only 362 actually enrolled. The Class of 2004 had an average SAT score ranging from 1230 to 1430 and an average ACT score ranging from 26 to 31. About 90% of the students were within the top 25% of their high school graduating class.

The core curriculum consists of a diverse range of classes. During first year, all students take a two semester seminar entitled “Antiquity and Modernity,” where students compare great works of literature from various eras. They are required to take one course in six of the following seven academic areas: fine arts, history and literature, language, writing, rhetoric, physical science, mathematics, philosophy, religion, descriptive science and social science. With a student to faculty ratio of 10:1, students can be sure that they won’t feel anonymous at Whitman. The faculty are extremely attentive to the needs of their students, and encourage a spirit of cooperation and collaboration rather than the cutthroat competition that is often present at other small private institutions.

The Social Scene

Students are required to live on campus for at least four semesters, and after these initial semesters many students (over 70%) choose to join one of the many fraternities and sororities on campus. The Greek Organizations tend to govern most of the on-campus social life as well, and often throw parties to which many students attend. Students at Whitman often complain that Walla Walla is extremely boring, as it is primarily an agricultural town and doesn’t have much to offer in the way of social life. This may explain why most students own cars. There are many options off campus in the way of natural attractions such as rock climbing and water activities at the nearby Lake Chelan. The Cascade mountains are also fairly nearby, so many students like to ski and snowboard during weekends of the winter season.

There are over 10% more women at Whitman than men, so men, this might just be the college for you.

What’s Good

“The community here is really supportive of one another. I don’t really feel like I have to be better than the other students.”

“The academics are really comprehensive here. They make sure you come out as a well-rounded person.”

“The sun never stops shining. I think everyone in Seattle must be really jealous!”

What’s Bad

“There is nothing to do in Walla Walla. Just a bunch of cows and vineyards.”

“The on-campus housing just plain sucks. When it gets overcrowded, they just stick you in the common room of the dorm.”

“People tend to be pretty conservative here. Outcasts are not generally well-liked.”

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