Why Whitman? A Short Trip Home for WA Students

When applying to colleges, some students want to move far away from their home state. Others want to stay right where they are. I’m from the Seattle area, and for me, choosing Whitman College in Walla Walla was a perfect middle ground. Living away from home has been hard sometimes, but I’ve gained so much confidence and independence through the experience.

Walla Walla is about a four-hour drive from Seattle, and less than an hour by plane. This short travel time means I’ve been lucky enough to travel home for a long weekend or two, on top of academic breaks. My family (and my pets) have appreciated this! A few weeks ago, I went home for a weekend to surprise my sister and got to see a performance she was in. I’m grateful that I chose a Washington school so that I can still show up for her.

Being close to home means that my family was able to move me into my residence hall. I appreciated my dad’s help with figuring out all the extension cords! I also got to show my family around campus. Now, when I call them on my walk back from class, they have an idea of what my walk looks like. Plus, they are able to visit when they miss me.

To make things easier for the long breaks, Whitman offers shuttle services to Seattle and Portland. 

These are perfect ways to get to the SeaTac or PDX airport if you’re flying home. The Grapeline bus also offers transportation to the Tri-Cities, and Kayak offers trips to Pendleton.

Last year, my roommate flew home for winter break, so I had the job of taking care of our shared plants. I felt very silly bringing a potted pothos on my lap, but at least I wasn’t the only student with a plant on the bus. 

Bonus: Since I’m still in state, Walla Walla shares a lot of the plants I am familiar with back home. For me, being able to name the brush plants lining the paths on campus (salal, wild huckleberry, and more) does a lot to make Whitman feel like home. Some things still surprise me, though! I had never seen a locust before, and was very startled when what I thought was a summer grasshopper started to fly.

Even though I’m still in state, the little bit of space has helped me become much more independent! Since campus is in the heart of the city, I can walk over to the farmers market or grocery store which are both just steps away from campus! Doing laundry is easy (and free!) since each resident hall has its own laundry facility. And sharing a living space with someone makes me more aware of when it’s time to reorganize. I already had some of those skills before coming to Whitman but it’s been good to have a low-stakes environment to practice taking care of myself. 

It’s the simple things that go a long way in building my confidence and independence. I hope that living at Whitman will do the same for you!

Pan Deines ’26 (they/them) is from Vashon, Washington and is majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. Pan’s favorite type of tree for climbing is Western Red Cedar; they have low, springy branches that can hold weight all the way up to the top.