FEATURES
APRIL 09, 2009
WHITMAN COLLEGE PIO NEER
what it takes to get into Whitman College
BY CJ WISLER As Whitman College approaches the end of the year, the future class of 2013 has just begun their college journey with the arrival of their acceptance letters. This prompts some Whitman students to ask themselves: what does it take to get into Whitman? What qualities do admissions officers look for that are not included in brochures sent to prospective students? One specific quality that admissions officers look for, according to Assistant Director of Admission Victoria Lidzbarski, is a “fit” student. “This is a cloudy idea. There’s not really a specific definition,” said Lidzbarski. “Test scores and involvement are looked at, of course. This extra element often includes a cultural fit. Are they passionate and active community members? Are these students going to try and make a difference or are we not going to even notice they are here?” “Fit” does not have a specific definition. Students who are considered “fit” have made a difference in their high school, whether that means starting a club or making a current program better.
However, according to Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly, “the vast majority of our applicants are academic and meet those bars. The question remains if the students can remain active in the community as well – if they can both work hard and play hard.” “One thing I look for is if students are participants and givers rather than takers,” said Bruce J. Jones, Assistant Director of Admission: New England Regional Office. Officers take a close look at unique voices as well as the ability to convey passion for a particular subject in order to determine if a student can add “cultural spice and diversity” to the Whitman community. Beyond the ‘Whitman-ly’ qualities of passion, involvement and the notion of “diversity,” officers also watch out for “red flags”: particular personality traits that are huge turn-offs for admissions officers. Aside from students who do not fit the academic mold, officers typically look out for students who have a history of plagiarism or legal issues. One particular area officers pay attention to when looking for “red flags” is the essay section. “On rare occasions, students will write essays that come WHAT IT TAKES, page 18
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FEATURES
APRIL 09, 2009
Contributed by
guide, overnight host, classes they visit,
always tell my tours that there is more than
down freshman year, and until you’ve had
my experience day in and day out is much
how nice the receptionist is when they
one right college for everyone, and that it’s
that experience, how could you possibly
more indicative of what the Whitman expe-
I’ve been working for the admissions office
walked in, how the weather was the day
50% choosing a college and 50% attitude
know what to look for? Whitman isn’t just
rience is really like. I tell students there are
for three years. There’s no formula for why
they visited…it’s impossible to know. Most
once you get here. I honestly think the at-
school—it’s an experience that has to be
three things they should do at every school:
a person chooses a school. I recently did a
of them can’t really pinpoint it themselves
titude part is more important.
lived and breathed, and how can one possi-
read the newspaper, eat the food, and talk
survey for current freshman and found that
but use words like “feeling” and “fit” to de-
I think the most difficult thing about ad-
bly articulate that to a prospective student?
to the students. The daily stuff is the stuff
the overwhelming majority of them cited
scribe their visit experience. For the typi-
missions for prospective students is this:
Working for the admissions office, I always
you’ll be dealing with for four years, so get
their visit to campus as a key reason they
cal liberal arts student, I’d say that it makes
how do you know what you want from a
try to talk to students one-on-one and be as
a feel for it. Statistics can only take you so
chose Whitman. The confusion therein is
sense that “fit” comes to mind more easily
college when you don’t really understand
honest as I can about my individual experi-
far.
that there are so many factors—their tour
than, say, academic or athletic programs. I
what college is? Your life is turned upside
ence. My statistics and facts are helpful, but
Alex Thomas ‘10 an interview with Patricia Xi, ‘11 as told to Gillian Frew Pio: What’s the most common question prospective students ask? What’s the most common question their parents ask?
Xi: Students always ask me what is there to do and what I specifically do
WHITMAN COLLEGE PIO NEER
on campus. Parents will almost always ask one of three questions: “Why did you choose Whitman?” “What’s student life like?” and “What’s your major?”
Pio: What are some of the strangest questions you’ve received? Any bizarre experiences with tours or overnight stays?
Xi: Most of my strange questions haven’t really been all that strange and they’ve just made me feel slightly uncomfortable because it’ll be something personal like, “do you party a lot?” so I don’t think I’ve had any bizarre incidents, but I have had plenty of friends who have. I have two favorites. A male was hosting a prospie and the host went to shower and specifically told his prospie not to go anywhere while he showered. His prospie decided to run away, get completely trashed, and pass out in the hallway. A female tour guide I know was asked by a father of a prospective student, “have you had sex on campus?”
Pio: How do you think most prospective students view Whitman? What’s a common concern? How do you approach that?
Xi: A lot of prospective students respect Whitman’s academics, however, they are afraid of its specific location. I usually approach that by the honest truth. Walla Walla isn’t as large as Seattle. We bring stuff to campus to do because there isn’t a ton to do out there in the city. And I also point out what we do have in Walla Walla.
Pio: Is the admissions office offering you guys any new advice on how to talk to students/parents concerned about finances?
Xi: The admission office offers the tour guides information about Whitman finances during the a-team meetings, which is fantastic. It doesn’t necessarily prepare us for the really tough (and completely awkward) questions, which are always about our own personal finances. The best piece of advice given to me as a tour guide is that if I’m not comfortable talking about something, I really don’t have to. I can just refer the student/ parent to an admission officer.
Pio: Anything else you’d like to share about the admissions experience? Xi: I have been really surprised by how much the admissions office actually does try to be honest. If an officer really doesn’t think that Whitman is right for a student, they’ll try to direct them to resources a prospective student can use. I’ve always assumed that admissions offices really market the school and yes, our office does that, but not to the extent you’d imagine. Whitman really is a pretty self-selecting school.
students employed by admissions overall budget
for admissions
applications recieved
top 10 BEST things
about Whitman 1. Friendly, laid-back student body 2. Small classroom sizes and professor accessibility
3. Free events and activities on campus 4. IM sports on Ankeny 5. 24-hour library and health center 6. T-Sports! 7. Strange statues and installation art 8. Academic Resource Center 9. George Bridges’ bow ties 10. Vegetarian options at Bon Appetit
top 10 WORST things
interviews on the road per day college fairs annually
about Whitman
Visitors Days
1. Isolation of Walla Walla 2. Homogenous student body 3. Rising tuition costs 4. Separation of greeks and indies
number
of new students
Sarah Colton, ‘11, tours a prospective student around campus.
5. Alcohol use and repetitive party scene 6. Hookup culture and lack of eligible partners
number of high schools Whitman visits
7. Town-gown tension 8. Thin walls in Anderson, squeaky floors in Prentiss
9. Missionary origins
compiled by Gillian Frew
compiled by Gillian Frew
mailings Whitman sends out annually
10. Duck rape
cost to recruit each student KLEIN
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FEATURES
WHITMAN COLLEGE PIO NEER
APRIL 09, 2009
Tony Cabasco, Dean of Admission & Financial Aid As told to Cindy Chin ALDEN
THE INTERVIEW: “A student who was a perfectly good student but in the interview, as she’s walking in, her cell phone rang and she proceeded to talk for 15 minutes and the admissions officer waited politely.” “Another person was really sick and threw up during the interview. It didn’t affect their chances at all, but still. The person … apologized a lot for it, but that person got in.” “About 15-16 years ago, a student who was visiting campus was caught shoplifting at Safeway. That student was not admitted. The ironic thing was that the student worked at home at Safeway.” “Another staff member was interviewing a student was holding a Styrofoam cup, and whether it was out of nerves or what, began nibbling at the Styrofoam and soon enough he was eating the Styrofoam. The so was just watching and freaking out, like, he’s eating Styrofoam!”
WHAT IT TAKES, from page 15
THE ESSAY: “I remember one essay, where someone wrote about Shakira. I can’t remember, after the first sentences I was just like, what?” “A student came out in his essay, and it was something the student hadn’t told family or friends but was writing an essay talking about the difficulties of being gay in high school.” “I remember a few years ago, this student didn’t have a graded paper so they wrote about Beowulf. But wrote ‘Bearwolf’ all the way through the essay.”
across as extremely negative or aggressive writing,”
“Students need to match the rigor of Whitman in
With the application process becoming more and
MEET THE CLASS OF 2013:
high school,” said admission officer Joshua Smith. “It’s
more competitive, Whitman College has raised the
not easy to get into Whitman if students go from taking
bar for academics, student involvement, creativity and
five AP classes their junior year to no AP classes their
personality. Even with the lowest acceptable GPA for a
senior year.”
prospective Whitman student at 3.89, “about 85 to 90
“We get to know people fairly well in the application process.” “We had an applicant who survived cancer in high school.” “We’ve had an applicant who is currently homeless who will be admitted, and we’re going to do our best to help them. They don’t have an address, how do we deal with that situation?” “This guy from New York City who founded a nonprofit with a few students to provide shoes for young students at a sister school in Kenya. Another student [he] started a nonprofit to help homeless Romanian orphans.” “You hear inspiring stories like that, with students who overcome so much and are still amazing students, involved and engaged. This person’s going to make a difference.”
creative, but after three turns I put it down.”
said Lidzbarski. “We try to watch out for people who
Since admissions officers go through over 60 to 100
seem really non-community. They may be academically
applications each week, spending up to 30 minutes on
qualified and be involved, but students who come across
each of them, officers lose interest in looking at “cutesy”
that way I don’t think would really fit in to Whitman.”
or “gimmicky” essays.
While high school seniors tend to slack off their last
“If a student’s essay seems really shallow we don’t
year, officers pay close attention to how much students
really look closely,” said Smith. “We don’t disregard ac-
slip not just grade-wise but how what courses they give
tual talent, though, and we do look over applications
up during their final year.
holistically.”
Furthermore, students who go overboard with their application and add “creative gimmicks”, as some of the officers called them, the application is likely to be glossed over. “I had one prospective student turn in a three-ring
percent of applicants are academically qualified” according to Cabasco. The question remains, when every aspect of the application is weighed in, what happens to those rejected?
binder that was a 130 page application which included
“Some of our favorite prospective students don’t get
every award or certificate the student had received
in because there is just not room,” said Cabasco. “It’s too
since kindergarten,” said Jones.
bad because we do try to accept as many as we can.
“One prospective student turned in an essay written
They go on to do well in other schools because they
in a circle so you had to turn it to read it,” said Dean
are talented kids. It’s a difficult process, and we really
of Admission and Financial Aid Tony Cabasco. “It was
do care.”