Admission to the Whittier Scholars Program takes place in two stages: (a) provisional admission and (b) full admission.
This two-step process ensures that the WSP is the best curricular path for the student, as determined by both the student and the members of the Scholars Council. Provisional admission provides a testing and learning period during which students learn more about the WSP, draft an Educational Design (ED), and determine if the WSP is the better fit for the student of the two curricular options offered by the college. Because the purpose of provisional admission is to ensure that all students who are admitted into the WSP complete it successfully, the Council comes to know the individual students and can assess whether the match of individuals to the Program is optimal.
Provisional admission for first-year students
First-year students learn about the WSP during the first semester through a series of open meetings. These meetings, generally scheduled in the late afternoon or early evening, offer information about the Program and provide a forum where students currently enrolled in the WSP can share their experiences about the Educational Design process and the Senior Project. Some meetings introduce current and prospective students to alumni who can share the ways their WSP experiences have helped them in their careers. This important networking opportunity gives students a head start in finding internships and/or jobs after graduation.
Provisional admission for transfer or second-year students
Students may enter the WSP after the first year, but the sequence of course and scheduling will differ from that of first-year students. Any student who has completed the first year and who wishes to apply for admission to the WSP must enroll in WSP 101: The Individual, Identity and Community and WSP 201: Designing Your Education concurrently in the fall term. During that semester, the student must apply for provisional admission and does not have the option of waiting a semester to apply. In this way, students can enter the WSP after the first year; however, there is little time for delay should the Council request that an application be resubmitted for any reason.
Full admission
All students will be fully admitted to the WSP upon the successful defense and revision of the Educational Design.
Career goals, however, are only a part of an Educational Design. People are human beings, not just professionals, and we expect students to design a curriculum that will educate them as whole individuals. Coherence and range are both important, and since it is not possible to plan a detailed schedule several years in advance, the Educational Design should also indicate alternative ways of fulfilling various goals.
