Claremont McKenna College Top Questions

I have never been to a CMC party where the school is the actually buying us alcohol. It is completely untrue and is the number stereotype about CMC.

Sort of. There are obviously guys that are jerks, but I have plenty of nice guy friends. In terms of the money/getting ahead aspect, that is true of every school. At any top tier university most of the students care primarily about making money and/or being successful. It's not too different here. In terms of everyone being a jock or athlete, that's more true than I thought it would be. Since the school is so tiny, it seems like most of the guys are football players (obviously this isn't true, but it seems like it at times). There are definitely a lot of people that are involved in athletics here, but it is not overwhelming and it is not the majority of students.

Among the 5Cs, the stereotype of Claremont McKenna Students is that we are athletic and motivated by future goals, but that we also enjoy partying. In sum, we are models of the phrase "work hard, play hard" Since our motto is "Civilization Prospers With Commerce", we may also be stereotyped as coldly or callously pursuing wealth. According to Urban Dictionary, CMC guys are "Sketchy McSketchers". This is not completely deserved. A stereotype of the college derived from our acronym, CMC, is "Club Med College", largely because of our sunny Southern California location and all the fun that it allows. We can lay out in the sun at the pool or on fields for most of the year. Or we can enjoy a cocktail as we play lawn games on a Friday afternoon. Our school pays for kegs at parties. Our school also supplies afternoon tea and trays of treats each weekday. Our dorms on the other hand are not exactly "spa" status. They are big, but they are more functional and less attractive or decorative (unlike Scripp's entire campus). Another stereotype is that we are like an "Old Men's Club". This is likely derived from our beginnings as an all mens college. Furthermore, this stereotype is probably heightened by our proximity to Scripp's Womens College and it's more feminist views. And as I said earlier, our architecture may contribute to this stereotype.

for the most part, yes

CMCers love to have a good time, this often involves drinking, but if you do not want to drink there is no pressure to do so. Many students participate on CMS athletic teams. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone on campus is white, preppy, and rich.

We do party a lot--it's usually easier to find stuff going on on CMC's campus than the other campuses on any given night. CMC probably has a higher percentage of politically/economically conservative kids than most liberal arts colleges, but that's not saying much--most liberal arts colleges are completely dominated by liberal students. At CMC it's probably about one-third liberal, one-third conservative, and one-third undecided. As far as spoiled goes, the students at CMC are no different than at any other liberal arts college--most of them come from middle- or high-income backgrounds. And we get the money-hungry stereotype because a lot of kids come to CMC to become econ majors. Who knows if the econ majors are actually money-hungry--it's not something that really gets brought up.

To a certain degree. But there are more than our fair share of contradictions to those stereotypes. A fair amount (33{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) of students tend to lean conservative, and a good amount DO have money, but that doesn't mean it is true of everyone.

yes!

Not for everyone - Claremont McKenna has a diverse student population in terms of everything not just race. Still, drinking is a huge part of the culture at CMC.

To a certain extent the stereotypes are correct. The majority of students at CMC play either a varsity or club sport, and generally are pretty good. We also party fairly hard and do break things on occasion. However, some stereotypes make us seem like a "frat" school with the way we act, and that is not very true. We are friendly to everyone. Plus we study hard as well and everyone at the school is very intelligent, whether or not they always show this intelligence is questionable.

No. Though that is the emphasis of the school and where a lion's share of the students are involved, there are great resources for all other majors. The Joint Science Program shares resources with Pitzer College and Scripps College. There is also an emphasis on integrating different studies. For example, the EEP major synthesizes environmental studies, economics and politics.

1. Yes. Everyone is very intelligent, academics are tough. 2. Those are the most popular majors and the strongest departments, but there are plenty of other students getting a great education in other fields. However, if you are interested in Gov or Econ, there is no better place. 3. Pretty much true. The school is great for people who want a sweet, high-paying job in finance or consulting.

YES.

It's always hard for generalizations like those above to be really accurate, but there is certainly a reason that CMCers have the reputation they do. People are typically excited to have a good time, and do frequently, but somehow all the work gets done, and well. A lot of students are athletes, which contributes to the jock vibe, but it is by no means oppressive or all-encompassing. Really CMCers are good people, but have a little-harder edge and more of an eye to a definite career than your typical liberal arts student.

Not totally accurate but on the most part yes.

They represent a majority of the population but not everyone.

Yes and no, the school and students in school is correct. The students in social life, not so much, there might be the token meat heads around campus but every one is really just there to have a good time and they care about you and your well-being. Such a close-knit community, friends are so easy to find and make from all different aspects of life. CMC really does now how to have a good time. We work extremely hard so it's only fair we get to play hard.

I would say CMC has a very wide-range of political views which is refreshing for a college atmosphere, especially in California. This definitely allows for rich (and often heated) discussions both in and out of the classroom. Yes, a large portion of students participate in athletics, but your social life won't suffer if you don't play a sport. CMC students are extremely motivated and outgoing, very entrepreneurial and pragmatic. There's definitely a large party scene at CMC, however not everyone participates. There are so many activities and events at all of the other colleges that you can participate in as well.

Well, I can see how CMCers got the stereotype of being drunkards. Our school pays for alcohol at parties, which I don't think happens anywhere else. 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. 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. However, not everyone at CMC drinks although the majority of people do. I think that drinking is a part of any college culture, and CMC is only unique for the fact that our alcohol is paid for. On the stereotpye that we're all obssessed with making money, well, CMC is known for its Economics department which is number one in the nation among liberal arts schools, but I don't feel that students are preoccupied with making money. Maybe once they get out of college they will be, but CMC students don't really worry about money on campus. I have to admit that the third stereotype is true. CMC doesn't have alot of diversity, there's like 4{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} african-americans, 12{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} hispanic, and 16{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} asians at our school. And I very rarely see fat people here. North Quad dorms are full of jocks, especially football players. To me, everyone seems to be in shape; but that doesn't necessarily mean that we all play sports. I don't think the whole tan and in shape stereotype is unique to CMC though; I think that it applies to California in general, but maybe that's because I haven't been outside Claremont.

This is an accurate representation of a lot of the people, but I wouldn't say it represents a majority.

It is true that CMC has a lot of jock students and econ/gov students. The campus itself is very safe and though CMC does have more alcohol related crimes reported on its campus that the other 5C's this is often because we are a hub for intercampus parties and because our administration takes a harms reduction approach to alcohol. As such, off campus students and those who are not used to openly drinking can get a little wild.

no

Like stereotypes about any school, they are true to an extent. There are many students who fit them perfectly and many who do not fit them at all, but I think both types of students can find a niche at CMC.

* While some outspoken students seem to represent the power-hungry stereotype, the silent majority are generally not self-promoting or greedy. * The political environment only seems conservative because (1) the school is surrounded by four other colleges that are extremely liberal, and (2) the most popular departments (government, international politics, economics) tend to have conservative professors. The majority of the students are probably libertarian, believing in fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. * Yes, students do like to be practical. However, hardly anyone ever criticizes those who decide to follow their passion for the liberal arts and indulge in philosophy and history. Even students in the less practical majors are known to find ways of applying what they've learned to their careers by going to graduate school in those fields, or getting educational degrees. Besides, is there really anything impractical about getting a bachelors degree? * Some students drink beer regularly while some don't. Some are jocks and some aren't. Some girls are sexually promiscuous while others are less so. Some students come from money while others don't. These stereotypes probably came about because the students who fit them tend to be the most vocal and the most visible on campus. * While the campus has had its share of ignorant racial or anti-gay slurs, this by no means represents the general point of view of the student body. Most students are tolerant, if not embracing, of diversity. Many students promote liberal causes such as starvation relief efforts in Africa, pro-gay legislation, and green efforts.

YUes, we work hard and we play even harder