Despite being relatively unknown on the national stage,
Claremont McKenna is a small school with a great reputation among those savvy enough to know where it is. One of the Claremont Consortium's 5C schools, CMC is known as the college with
“
a bunch of jocks that party hard.”
Sporting an undergraduate class of a little over 1,000 students, CMC is small enough to fly under most people's radars. But according to students, the
education does not suffer for the lack of recognition. “
A CMC degree can compete against any other institution's, including the Ivy League,” says one
recent alumnus.
CMC students take small classes in
which discussion is not only encouraged, but is practically required. "
CMC's approach to education is very pragmatic and practical," one junior writes. Collaboration is also a key CMC value: "
The atmosphere here is extremely cooperative—many classes even have group presentations, papers, problem sets, etc. as a large component of the class grade. I have never been asked what my GPA is or what I received on a test...[this is] definitely something unique among schools of such high-caliber students." CMCers take their schoolwork
quite seriously, and often talk about political and economic issues everywhere: in the dorms,
the cafeteria, at parties, wherever. Professors are known to give students personal attention and often serve as valuable resources. Political science and economics are two of the more popular majors, perhaps giving rise to the stereotype that CMCers “
all aspire to be investment bankers or politicians.”
With a lot of attention given to those programs, some students feel that the
"arts are being overlooked". However, most are generally pleased with the quality of their educations, even within smaller departments.
Many would expect a small liberal arts school like CMC to carry the typical
pot-smoking, far left student stereotypes, but the reality is quite the opposite.
CMC is known as the most conservative of the five Claremont schools. Students are thought to be on the jock-y
side, generally coming from upper-middle-class families. These
labels lead many to believe that CMCers are extremely career-oriented and
ambitious. Indeed, writes one alum, "
Students are extremely politically aware, even those who are not government majors. We're also obsessed with financial success, to the point that the president of the Alumni Association had to remind the class of 2008 at a recent class dinner that there are other ways to measure success in life." While most college stereotypes do not represent a majority of
the student body, at CMC, many students agree with—or even embrace—their school's reputation. “
A recent class T-shirt sums it up: 'Claremont McKenna: We'll do whatever it takes for a keg and an internship,'" writes a sophomore. But there's always room for rebels—in fact, a lot of room, according to a junior: "
For every one person chasing a banking job and a flashy party, there are three people who think that's lame."
As for the social life, one student sums it up bluntly: "
Social life at CMC is the bomb." "
Drinking is a huge part of the culture at CMC,” claims a junior majoring in biology. The lack of organized Greek life on campus hardly stops students from bonding over beers. "
There are no fraternities, but because the campus is so small and alcohol-friendly, it's kind of like one really big frat," says a recent alum. There are notable distinctions between the campus' geographic regions, according to one sophomore: "
Keep in mind that living is divided into rambunctious North Quad, somewhere in-between Mid Quad, and silent South Quad (although I now live in North Quad and had a wonderful time as a freshman in South Quad)." There
are even events at which the alcohol is sponsored by the school
itself. This gives students the freedom to get creative in their partying without fear of an administration-led crackdown. "
You can always expect there to be a keg at a party, and last semester our school sponsored tequila and sake parties. When seniors are done with their theses, they have a party in the school fountain where they drink alcohol in bikinis and swim trunks. Mind you, this is in broad daylight at the center of campus," a freshman explains. "
There's always someone playing beer pong at CMC. I've seen some students playing at the oddest times, such as on Sunday night or Monday morning." CMCers are commonly found partying with students from the other 5C
schools, which can involve a soiree under the stars, afternoon barbecues,
countless theme parties, and the like. Occasionally, students will go out into
the Village, an area of Claremont that is home to a number of student-friendly bars and restaurants. Of course, not everyone drinks
and parties all the time, and there are plenty of campus events to entertain students sans alcohol. Guest speakers at the Athenaeum are often a big draw, and Bono, Antonin Scalia, Gore Vidal, and Salman Rushdie have all made recent appearances.
Even though CMC is a Division-III school, athletics are also quite popular among students. One CMCer says that the school's small size belies its big athletic pride, especially when the Stags match up against fellow D-III rivals: "
I was afraid by choosing the smaller D-III experience, I was going to miss out on a lot of the rah-rah sports pride that characterizes larger colleges, but I almost prefer this experience, where the whole school turns out for the Pomona basketball game, for example." Many students participate on the varsity and intramural level. ASMC, the
student government, is another popular campus pursuit. The small student body leads
to serious elections and legitimate races. “
Chances are that you have personally met all the candidates and may be good friends with a couple,” says
a junior psychology major.
