College:  Whittier College

Location: Whittier, CA (about 20 minutes southeast of downtown Los Angeles)

Type of Institution: private liberal arts college

Size: 1,200 undergraduates, and a handful of graduate students

Admissions Advice:  Whittier is a fairly accessible college for students from a range of different backgrounds and academic profiles. They look at core academic courses in high school and will weight the GPA if a student is coming from a state (like WA) that uses unweighted GPAs. They are also a test optional university and have found that a significant number of applicants apply (and are admitted) without SAT or ACT scores. On the financial front, Whittier is a really great option for the budget-conscious family as they do a great job with need-based aid and provide large merit scholarships (regularly in the 20-30K+ per year range) to almost every applicant.

Most popular majors: Business, Kinesiology, Biology, Childhood Development, Psychology

Words to describe students I met: diverse, activists, practical, friendly, collaborative

Unique academic aspects: The Whittier Scholars Program (WSP) is a signature program where students self-design their academic major with a faculty mentor. Interested students can come in as a provisional WSP student, then spend a semester learning about the program’s expectations, followed by designing their own major, and then they have to present or defend their ideas to a faculty panel. This is great preparation for graduate level study! To graduate from this program, a student must complete one off-campus internship or community service experience, do a research project, design their major (+option for double major, minor either in WSP or usual campus offerings), and complete the college’s standard general education requirements. WSP is a fantastic individualized option for students who are comfortable with self-directed learning and those who benefit from one-on-one mentorship.

Another unique academic opportunity at Whittier College is the Childhood Development major, which prepares students for teaching roles or other work in education. They have a strong connection with an elementary school right across the street for teaching assistant and classroom experiences, as well as opportunities with their graduate program in Education. 

Unique social/cultural aspects: Whittier is a seriously diverse institution that reflects demographics of the surrounding area.  It is designated as a Hispanic Serving Insititution (HSI), as 51% of Whittier students identify as Hispanic/LatinX. Additionally, 40% of Whittier students are the first in their family to attend a four-year university, and 38% are eligible for Pell grants, meaning this school is also diverse in terms of the socioeconomic backgrounds of its students. For the student who seeks a diverse college experience where they will learn from their peers, I highly recommend Whittier.

However, this does mean the campus has a fair number of commuter students, students who live within 15 miles of the campus and primarily come in for classes during the day and head back home at night. The excellent student guide I had was a local student who commuted each day, and though she participates in a few clubs on campus and has done some weekend adventures with Whittier friends who have come from outside of CA, she did remark that the on-campus social life is more limited on the weekends. Only about 500 students live in on-campus housing, and my guide said that a good percentage of those residents are student-athletes in particular.

Colleges that seem similar: University of La Verne, California Lutheran University, Occidental College, University of Redlands

Concerns about this college: As mentioned above, the number of commuter students is kind of unique among small liberal arts colleges. This is not a school for a student seeking a wild and crazy on campus party scene, or a student who wants seven different dining halls to choose from each day. I’ll also admit that I had some concerns about Whittier’s financial situation prior to my visit, as the school serves a large number of students who require significant need-based financial aid AND they provide generous merit scholarships. However, they recently received a $12 million dollar grant from MacKenzie Scott, and just successfully went through a rigorous accrediation process covering the next 8 years, so I feel more comfortable recommending this school for the foreseeable future.

Overall impressions: I had a wonderful visit experience at Whittier College. The surrounding area feels like a classic Southern California town/neighborhood, filled with cafes, shops and, yes, lots of great Mexican food. The rolling hills and hiking trails around campus provide that unique blend of outdoors access but right in the middle of the sprawl of LA. The college is one of the most diverse out there, and they really live their values of providing opportunities for students from many different backgrounds. And the campus itself is gorgeous, filled with palm trees, sweeping views, and a handful of new academic buildings in the mix. Because of its size and the commuter culture, it isn’t a college I would recommend for every student, but it is a gem for those who align with the mission and values of Whittier.