Whittier College

Academics

This tiny pearl of a liberal arts school is home to around 1,60

Student Body

This is a “diverse community” that includes a sizable number of non-Californians, and most people are “very friendly, respectful of others’ different identities, and comfortable with people of different backgrounds.” There is “a good meshing” of all the students regardless of what their involvements are, and a real “community-based feeling” abounds. Whittier sees a higher transfer rate than many similar schools, so “it is very easy to know at least ten or more students who transfer after a year or two.” The majority of people here are involved in some form of sport, but are not looking to go beyond the collegiate or intramural level.

Campus Life

The campus is small, so “it’s easy to make friends” and there are typically “lots of events (academic or recreational) to go to.” Different clubs run the gamut from Anime Club to Fun Night Club to a larping group, but marauders beware: “RAs are required to put on events such as Assassins.” “There was once a Beowulf reading at night where you got a free dinner in addition,” says a student. Whittier’s version of Greek life comes in the form of the school’s 11 “societies,” and a majority of students have some form of involvement in a society or a sport. The school’s size naturally leaves enough time to for extracurriculars and outside interests, as “it is difficult not to get involved when everyone is.”

Whitter is relatively close to LA and the beach, so the weather is “mostly very nice” and students often “lounge around outside under trees and on the grass to do homework and socialize,” “play Frisbee, walk on slack lines, and play soccer for fun in the courtyards.” The pool facility is brand new and many “hang out on the decks to tan and cool off in the heat,” and there are hills behind the campus that are good for hiking or running. There “is always something going on on-campus and that makes students even more involved.”