1.) Transferring into Whittier
Whittier College is a Liberal Education College, meaning that the college requires that its students take courses that are outside of designated “major requirements.” These extra courses are intended to give students a foundation to help students develop into well-rounded members of society. However, this can pose a problem for individuals who transfer in as an upper class-man. These requirements are extensive and it may take extra time for the students to meet graduation requirements. It also might prove difficult to get into these classes because of so many people trying to fill the various requirements. This could mean taking extra classes in the summer, or having to finish a fifth year of school.
2.) Picking a major early
Whittier has extensive major and minor options for its students. I would recommend waiting as long as you can before declaring a major and allow yourself time to grow as an individual and a learner. In the time before selecting your major, you can fulfill the Liberal Education requirements. These classes need to be taken to graduate, and it will help buy you time before having to decide what path you want to go down. I have also found that if students do pick a major early, often times by junior or senior year, they have different ideas of what they might like to do for a career. At this point in their education, they can still switch, but it would take longer to complete their degree. This might result in additional time spent doing work in the summer or adding an additional year onto the student’s college education.
If you’re interested in Whittier College, check out our article on Friday Nights at Whittier.
3.) Campus Safety
Campus Safety is Whittier College’s “police” system. They have become stricter recently and have started random breathalyzing at school functions, a drunk tank (holding zone for individuals deemed “too drunk” to go to an event), ticketing for parking, and writing up for drinking in the dorms. They are also required to do room checks a couple of times a year, so make sure to hide things that are not allowed in the room (candles, alcohol, etc.). However, some of their rules and regulations are unavoidable due to the large amount of students who are under 21 years old. It is easy to avoid getting “written up” or getting into trouble with them by being respectful to them, not being overly intoxicated, and being smart about drinking in your dorm room. When a Campus Safety officer is around and you are intoxicated, make sure to maintain a quiet voice, don’t stumble and keep a low profile.
4.) Parking and driving
Parking on campus can be tricky as there are extremely limited spots for students and commuters. This has become even more limited in the past year because of a major construction project going on in the Science Building. If you are commuting or driving to class, it is a good idea to start looking for parking about 15-20 minutes before your appointment, class, or meeting. This will give you ample time to park and walk to your destination. Another thing to be cautious about are the city streets that border the school. The Whittier Police (city police department, NOT campus safety) have been known to wait in a parking lot and ticket students going too fast down the streets. This is easy to avoid by going slow on the residential streets. It is better to show up to class late than to be injured or to injure someone with your car.
5.) Spending money on food with a meal plan
Whittier College has two dining options. The Campus Inn (C.I.) is the typical college cafeteria offering breakfast, brunch on weekends, lunch and dinner. There are set times that the C.I. is open and they usually offer a couple different hot items, a specialty item, sandwich bar, and salad bar. The second is a café, The Spot, which can be accessed at times that the C.I. is not open. If you have a meal plan, eat on campus. Your food is already paid for and you can spend a lot of money eating off campus. The food in the C.I. can be mixed and matched to create very delicious options.
Katherine Van Allen, originally hailing from Portland, Oregon,attended Whittier College from 2008-2012. Katherine majored in SocialWork, graduating with membership in two honor societies and one socialsociety. Katherine played sports for three years at Whittier. Shecurrently resides in Los Angeles and enjoys her job as a geriatricsocial worker.