New Student Academics
At Whitman, you’ll be challenged to think deeply, write clearly and speak confidently. With small classes and supportive faculty, you won’t just learn facts—you’ll explore ideas, make connections and grow as a thinker. Whitman’s liberal arts approach gives you the freedom to try new things—to dive into what interests you—and the tools to take on whatever comes next.
What You Can Do Now
Fill out the Pre-Major Advising Questionnaire. It will help us get to know you better. It takes a few minutes, and no preparation is necessary.
What To Expect: Registering for Classes
Here’s a general timeline for how you’ll get registered for your first classes at Whitman. In the meantime, check your Whitman email regularly and explore myWhitman. We’ll walk you through the registration process later this summer.
Remember: We’re here to help and you’ll have guidance along the way.
We’ll email you about First Year Seminar courses, and you can submit your preferred learning communities. (See more on First Year Seminars below.)
A Summer Registration Assistant (SRA) will reach out to you by email to schedule a virtual meeting. They’ll help you plan your Fall 2025 semester schedule.
If you’ve completed your SRA meeting, you’ll be assigned a registration time to sign up for classes online.
During New Student Orientation, you’ll meet with your Pre-Major Advisor to review your fall schedule. You can make changes if needed. Your Pre-Major Advisor will advise you until you officially declare a major at Whitman.
First Year Seminars
The First Year Seminars—Exploring Complex Questions (GENS 175) and Making Powerful Arguments (GENS 176)—combine a fall course that emphasizes inquiry, interdisciplinary exploration and intellectual community with a spring seminar that features in-depth investigation of a focused topic. Both seminars will help you improve the reading, writing and discussion skills you will rely on throughout your time at Whitman. Course descriptions for fall seminars will be sent to you over the summer. We will do our best to assign you based on your choices.
Transfer students with fewer than 58 credits will take GENS 175 but may receive equivalent credit for GENS 176 for a comparable course taken at another institution.
You will receive information about the required First Year Seminars and descriptions of the different learning communities on Monday, June 10. You will need to submit your four preferred learning communities by the following Monday, June 17. You will learn which course you have been assigned to in July.
Have Questions About Registration?
The Registrar’s Office and Helen Kim, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, are available to answer your questions about registration, course selection and advising.
Registrar’s Office
Phone: 509-527-5983
Email: registrar@whitman.edu
Pre-Major Advising
Phone: 509-527-5187
Email: Helen Kim at kimh2@whitman.edu
Other Resources
- Whitman College Catalog—your primary source of information about current courses, general college policies, and requirements for graduation, majors and special programs
- Placement Tests—for chemistry, computer science, foreign languages and math