Claremont McKenna: The Big Picture
CMC is not for everyone. Students who attend CMC are very strong academically, but also know how to party and have a blast. During the week the formal dinning hall, the Athenaeum, brings guest lectures, which included Gore Vidal, Orhan Pamuk, Anderson Cooper, Bono, Julian Bond, Ishmael Beah, Mort Sahl, and Shirin Ebadi in the last school year. Students love to being involved on campus, whether cheering on our sports teams, participating on a debate team, or volunteering in the community.The small student body, only about 1,100 students, creates a tight student body, but the larger 5C community means that there is always something new going on.
Claremont McKenna Academic Life
Claremont McKenna College is know for its emphasis on economics, government, and international relations. More than 50% of the student body has a variation of these majors, but this does not mean that other departments aren't popular. Literature, Philosphy, Science, and psychology all come with very string departments. The 5C consortium also allows students to cross enroll at Scripps, Pomona, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd, meaning nearly 4,000 courses are offered every semester to roughly 5,000 students. CMC students generally rave about their professors. They are always available for office hours and willing to go the extra mile to get to know their students, both in and outside of class. Discussion and participation is always encouraged in class, often these conversations carry over in to lively debates outside class.
Claremont McKenna's Student Body
The 5 colleges come together to offer programs for people of all types of people, they are also open to students founding new organizations if they feel there is a need. Different social types do interact, CMC's student body tends to be rather homogeneous, but again the consortium brings a greater mix of students. 40% of CMC students are from California, either northern or southern. There is also a number of international students and almost every state represented in the student body. Students are very politically active, which comes with the focus of the school, with a solid mixture of Republicans and Democrats on campus that leads to constant debate on campus between the groups.
Students definitely talk about how much they will earn one day, many students go on to be investment bankers and economics is a requirement to graduate.
Claremont McKenna Student Activities + Social Life
Close to 50% of students participate on athletic teams and the rest actively cheer them on. The Athenaeum brings amazing guest lectures to school every day. Parties are very common on campus, most students love to party so much they can't even wait for Friday, so the Thursday Night Club (TNC) were created and hosted by a different dorm each week. The 5C community means that there is always a party going on and always a lot of alcohol, but there is no pressure to drink and there are always many ways of having fun. LA and the beach are less then an hour away if you have to get off campus, but there is always something happening on campus.
Claremont McKenna Naked Truth
CMC is not for everyone, but students and alumni are extremely passionate about the school. Alumni are extremely influential in keeping the open alcohol policy and traditions like Madrigal and Monte Carlo around. If you come to CMC, a must do before you graduate is attending a singing policy at Professor Elliot's house.
