* Though most of the student body is white, racial integration is a non-issue. I have observed, however, that Asian students tend to stick to their own. A lot of rich kids go to CMC, but they rarely talk about their money, and it's hard to tell who's rich and who's not. Religions run the gamut, though the Christian and Jewish groups have a particularly strong presence. The LGBT community is quite small relative to other campuses in Southern California, but that is not a reflection of the level of tolerance for queer students. Gay CMC students tend to be on the slow end of the curve in coming to terms with their sexuality, and the possible reasons for that are manyfold. If anything, the CMC community is judgmental against closet cases, not those who are openly gay, because these individuals are perceived to be deceitful and deluded. There has been a notable phenomenon of gay students coming out to their friends/on Facebook and then crawling back into the closet when running for class office or graduating.
* You might feel out of place at CMC if you: prefer off-campus lifestyles; are not either intellectually or politically astute; identify more with the "artsy" crowds; have claustrophobia; wear all black; need to go home a lot; prefer to live in the middle of a big city; don't care much for computers or cell phones; have kids/a job/a spouse/any semblance of a life in the real world
* Most students wear sandals to class.
* Pretty much everybody interacts with everyone at some point. There is a stereotype, however, of Asian guys living on their own floors and playing lots of video games. Whether this is true is a matter of debate.
* Four tables of students: male atheletes, female atheletes, freshmen who huddle together in groups of 20, and everyone else
* Most CMC students are from California. Many also come from Washington, Texas, Hawaii, and the Eastern Seaboard. There are a few international students.
* Most CMC students come from upper-class or upper-middle class backgrounds. However, financial aid packages are so resourceful that outstanding students from working-class backgrounds can also afford to attend.
* Students are very politically aware and highly active. Political discussions permeate the dining hall as well as the classroom. There is a balance of political viewpoints, though the prototypical CMC student identifies as a libertarian.
* Most students tend to be aware that making a lot of money right after college is unrealistic, so discussions about money are rare. They talk more about what they want to do in their careers, not how much they'll make.