Last week, students at Whittier College registered for their fall 2021 semester. Incoming first-years will do the same this summer. How exciting!
I remember how nervous I was before I got the call to lead me through this process, which can seem daunting at first. Here's what to expect and some tips for picking out the right classes. Hint: there are no wrong classes to take!
You will be required to take an INTD writing seminar, which I wrote more about in this post. This course will count for three of the required fifteen for the semester, including JanTerm.
Whittier College has an array of different courses required for graduation that does not fall under your major. This is because of the school’s emphasis on a liberal arts education that values critical thinking and practical application in almost every area of study available. If you don’t know what you’d like to major in, which is completely normal, I suggest tackling some of these requirements. You may even find your passion in one of these courses.
You can look through the schedule of classes here. You will need your Whittier College credentials to view this page. These requirements are broken up into four categories: Community (which is fulfilled by your writing seminar), Communication, Cultural Perspectives, and Connections.
Communication
There are four different types in this category.
COM1: Quantitative Reasoning
COM2: Writing Intensive
COM3: Creative and Performing Arts
COM4: Senior Presentation
Of these requirements, I recommend getting your COM1-3 done before your junior year. This way you can focus all your attention on your major when you decide what that may be.
Cultural Perspectives
There are seven different areas to choose from but only four are required.
CUL1: African
CUL2: Asian
CUL3: Latin American
CUL4: North American
CUL5: European
CUL6: Cross-Cultural
CUL7: Languages
I accidentally fulfilled these requirements just out of general curiosity. Familiarizing yourself with different cultures is super interesting. Start with a culture you’ve always wanted to learn about or further familiarize yourself with a culture you already belong to. This past semester I took Introduction to Latin America and as someone of Latin descent it was really interesting to learn more about it.
Connections
There used to be two requirements for connections but the school recently nixed CON1, leaving CON2: Math and Science. If this isn’t really your thing, like me, try getting it out of the way as soon as possible so you won’t be stressed about it later down the road.
Breadth Requirements
You are required to take at least two different courses in three of the major academic divisions of the school:
Humanities/Fine Arts
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Get some of these out of the way your first or second year, especially if you’re unsure of what to major in. Exploring these areas of study can be really eye-opening.
You can search for all of these requirements individually using the Lib Ed code in the search criteria section of Whittier’s schedule of classes. Contact the Center for Advising and Academic Success (CAAS) at 562.907.4806 for further advice on the classes you should be taking.
Don’t worry too much about these requirements, as some you will naturally fulfill just by diversifying your course load. I wasn’t too informed on this as a first-year, so I think it wise to have an idea of what you’ll need to complete in order to graduate on time. Good luck!
