The students were "very preppy... wore hams tweed jackets, chino trousers and a shirt and tie,, because you couldn't get into the dining hall without a shirt and tie," he recalls.
Policies were different too.
"The shopping period was longer and I frankly liked that," he says, "Some of the best experiences I had were classes I never would've taken, but that I shopped with a friend."
White said he has enjoyed being both a professor and an undergraduate but misses the "pure pleasure of someone who doesn't make a living at it" that he experienced as an undergraduate.
"There's a lurch as you move from enjoying it to selling it," he said.
White, who is married and lives in Newtonville, has two grown sons. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, reading, painting and sculpting.
"When I was an undergraduate, I was a violinist and I was addicted to chess," he said. "Part of growing up is that you leave part of yourself behind when you have time and the opportunity to pick them up again."