Whitman is a great college for a well-rounded education and quality of life. The small town atmosphere lends well to cultivating meaningful relationships with professors, students, and staff that last well beyond college. These one-on-one interactions help students really discover who they are and can serve as excellent preparation for graduate school. I've even met some underclassmen doing graduate-level research with their professors (thanks to them being able to explore their passions and learn of openings in their preferred fields of study). They're innovating the curriculum to enable students to combine disparate interests into cohesive passions, so there's something for everyone. They're also building amazing dorms that I wish I had a chance to live in when I when to Whitman. Great places to live, learn, interact, and collaborate. They truly care about creating a place that's conducive to excellent quality of life. A great place to spend your formative years as an academic and as a person. read more

The Bowdoin Collège of the west! Semester in the west is one of a kind amazing! So many great things about this college. My daughter ultimately chose a different school in the end, but it was a tough choice. It is a great environment to genuinely grow and learn. Excellent springboard for grad school or a career. S'mores are a staple here. read more

Excellent facilities. Dedicated faculty and staff. The town has a great deal to offer including key architecture. The campus is beautiful and encourages learning. read more

Whitman is a highly over-rated liberal arts schools with mediocre instruction, poor course availability, sub-par facilities, and is located in a decidedly boring if not stifling location. Having earned a degree at Whitman and subsequently completing coursework at four other colleges, I can honestly say that Whitman tied for last place place, in spite of costing rougly 4x as much as any of the other colleges. If you want to spend way more money for some very bad professors and don't mind spending four years in a boring if not depressing town with a bunch of over-privileged Seattlites, you should definitely go to Whitman. If you'd rather receive instruction from enthusiastic professors who are motivated to teach, then do yourself a favor and do some research. Most state schools and most community colleges will give Whitman a run for it's money, at a small fraction of the price. And Walla Walla sucks if I didn't make that clear earlier. read more

Whitman is a great place to study and relax, but prospective students should beware: when relaxing, don't leave your beverage unattended. And don't drink anything if it did not come from a trustworthy source. Recent years have seen a dramatic rise in involuntary druggings at student parties. I don't think the problem is too serious or widespread, but some wits have dubbed Whitman the "Bill Cosby" of liberal arts colleges. read more

Whitman College touts its liberal arts credentials, that it has a "Great Books" program required all of freshmen. I sat it on a class about the Bible, comparing the beliefs of the ancient Israelites with the ancient Greeks. Very very basic. Even more basic than high school. The students were being told how the Greeks worshipped many gods, while the Israelites worshipped only one. What a big help. The campus is an oasis in the Nowhere Land that is Walla Walla. It's famous for the sweet onions, the endlessly rolling Palouse... and not much else. Downtown is pretty much dead after nightfall, seeming almost post-apocalyptic. Whitman College is an OK place. It didn't impress me much. read more

I believe Whitman College is of one of the best small colleges in the US Pacific Northwest. Here are some fun facts about Whitman: (1) It counts actor Adam West among its eminent alumni. (2) It supports alternative lifestyles such as polyamory and self-marriage. (3) Whitman tied Mills College for 2nd place in the category "Fondest memories for aging spinsters." Way to go Whitman! read more

I'll leave the description of current campus life to the youngsters, but it's important to say that while I graduated in 1982 with an English major, ostensibly unprepared for life outside college, I developed a creative, lucrative and rewarding career based on my learning at Whitman. Grad school wasn't for me, and I went right to work. Over the years, I've been grateful for my writing skills, the ability to evaluate and describe, a sense of social ease, and a network of Whitman grads, older and younger, who have become clients, friends and supporters of my professional aspirations. Since I've remained in the Pacific Northwest, I've enjoyed the full alumni networking advantage. And when I mention Whitman now, people are usually impressed that I attended such a selective school. I'm successful and happy, thanks largely to my experience at Whitman College more than 30 years ago. read more

I'm giving it 5 stars because they have an excellent debate team championed by an excellent dude, Mr. Jim Hanson. A finer beard will never be spotted in notoriously beard heavy Walla Walla. Also the proximity to the prison is key. read more

I wanted to write a review that balanced the perspectives of the previous two. I am an alum ('09) and even I will admit that Whitman does not specifically prepare you for success in the working world. But if you are looking for an education to challenge you, expand your perspectives, and give you a liberal arts background that will allow you to critique and analyze even the most abstract parts of the world around you, Whitman excels. I am eternally grateful for how Whitman's professors and students have collectively enhanced my ability to understand and appreciate the world. I majored in a humanities subject, gained absolutely no job skills whatsoever, but my rigorous education prepared me very well academically. After taking courses at several other 4-year institutions and dominating their grade curves, I can safely say that Whitman gave me a good education. Overall, I was able to find my niche in life and determine what I want my life to mean, and I am now pursuing a medical degree at a prestigious medical school on the West Coast. A few caveats, however: Whitman appeals to a VERY specific type of student. This school is all about fit. If you fit in here, like I did, then there probably is no better school in the country for your education. Whitman students are, generally speaking, idealists that love learning, are community-oriented, and are involved in many different activities. We have a high level of participation in student clubs and intramural sports. And of course there is a good, non-pretentious party scene, with no pressure to drink or abstain from alcohol. Walla Walla may be famous for sweet onions, but we are more famous for excellent wines. I swear we have the most wineries per capita than any other town in the US. I'm talking good wine, rated superbly all over the world. Walla Walla shares a latitude with, believe it or not, Burgundy and Bordeaux in France. It is a small town, but with intriguing aspects, and Whitman students make up for it by being unique and intelligent characters that know how to have a lot of fun with or without alcohol. I do not think I missed out on anything that my Ivy League friends from high school got in college, besides the regular limitations encountered from attending a school with 1450 students in the middle of nowhere. However, Whitman is a hyperliberal school, and there are few conservative or religious voices on the campus. As aforementioned, you will not be groomed toward any specific type of job (although Whitman has excellent 3 year-2 year linkage programs for engineering, law, etc. with schools like Duke, Columbia, and University of Washington). And our alumni network is not very strong, partly owing to how small the school is. I am disappointed and surprised that the previous poster had such poor experiences with the"Great Books" course (it is actually called "Core," at least when I attended). And it is a shame that they are reviewing the school when they were only visiting the campus and not attending as a student. Almost all of the courses are excellent and taught by PhD-holding professors across ALL disciplines -- humanities, sciences, even math. The section I was placed in was taught by an incredible English professor, and we really delved into the idiosyncrasies of the texts. I am now well-versed in Kant, Descartes, Marx, Homer, Darwin, and many other fundamental Western authors. My other courses went into intensive discussions on American hegemony, the intricacies of postmodernism, epistemology, and free will, how to write scientifically so that you can get published in major academic journals, how mitral valve regurgitation affects the cardiovascular system, and how to write fluidly and persuasively. Whitman gives a BROAD education, which is an excellent foundation for graduate or professional school, but a poor one for business or industry, as should be expected. read more

Whitman is all about the people. In such a small town, there's not much else to do but bond with your fellows. I miss my Whitman friends horribly, but the rest of the school is another story. The subject I majored in was supposed to be one of Whitman's main strengths, and the department didn't meet my needs at all. And I've heard it's gotten even worse since I left. I know Whitman is a liberal arts school, and isn't supposed to give you much career knowledge. But I think it's irresponsible to graduate people with absolutely no skills for making it in the "real world", which is what Whitman does. Other people may have been better-prepared than I was; I did fall through the cracks, but that shouldn't happen at a school of 1400. All I can say is, if you're considering Whitman (or any school, for that matter), make sure that you talk to a few people who didn't like the school, just to get a balanced viewpoint. You WILL find the majority of people loved Whitman; but the people who dislike it, I've found, all have valid reasons. read more