BBMB major at whitman

ardenatwhitman
Fri, 15 Nov 2013 22:44:06 +0000

Hey everyone, I’m moonrise’s daughter and I’d be happy to speak to a few concerns. I lived with 3 BBMB majors over the summer (two rising seniors, one who had just graduated on time), and I have multiple friends who are pursuing the major currently.

It’s true that some courses are offered in alternate years, but those are typically elective courses or courses in disciplines other than science. Required classes (for example, general chemistry, biology, physics, math) are offered every year without fail, and many are offered every semester. There are some exceptions (for example, Calculus I is offered only in the fall, a fact which first-years are made aware of early on). Some higher-level bio/chem classes which are electives for the BBMB major are offered in alternate years, but there are BBMB electives offered every semester regardless. All of this information is available in the Whitman catalog if you’d like specifics.

Registration is a difficult process, but from what I’ve heard from friends at state schools Whitman’s system is far, far less problematic by comparison. It’s true that sometimes you don’t get all the classes you want. Last semester I had the latest possible registration time, and I still got into classes I was vaguely interested in this semester. And even when I couldn’t get into classes, I emailed the professor and asked to be put on the waitlist–I have successfully gotten into closed classes twice by this method. Professors are very understanding, and I’ve never heard of any professor turn away a student who needed to be in their class.

Frequently the College will open up new sections of classes to accommodate more students. Last semester an entire new Gen Chem class was added, and next semester they will be offering Calc I–a class usually only offered in the fall. This semester they couldn’t add a new section, so they’re offering it again next semester. I don’t know any BBMB majors who have been forced to take summer classes or use AP credits. I do have friends who have been unable to get into classes, but have had no setbacks because of that. For example, one of my BBMB-major friends couldn’t get into Biology 111 last semester, and he’s just taking it this semester instead. Another friend couldn’t get into Genetics Lab, and took it a different semester than when he took Genetics. I don’t know anyone who couldn’t graduate on time because they couldn’t get into classes. Whitman administration and professors are very accommodating, and really want the best for their students.

And finally, the BBMB major is not very large on its own. It’s true that many students come into college wanting to be BBMB majors, then decide against it. The overlap between Bio, Chem, and BBMB majors is what causes courses to fill up, and while I don’t know for a fact if the department is looking into hiring new professors, I would bet that it’s high on their priority list. There are currently five visiting professors and three adjunct professors total in the combined departments of BBMB, Biology, and Chemistry, and most of them teach either general introductory courses or occasionally higher-level courses which they are experts in. From what I’ve heard from friends, some of those professors are their favorites. I’ve even heard talk that the administration is planning to expand the Hall of Science to accommodate the recent influx of majors.