Claremont McKenna College Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

Michaiah

High school is all about spending long hours in class and a few hours studying and on homework. College is just the opposite. You are responsible for educating yourself at this point. Professors are mainly there to support you in the process and to field your questions. Their job is not to educate you as much as it is to help you educate yourself. Understanding this will help you make better time management decisions. Spend a whole lot more time studying and educaing yourself.

Isabelle

Dear High School Senior Self, Do everything. Enjoy yourself and your last year of high school. You may not think this right now, but this is the easiest part of your life, anything and everything after high school only gets harder. Get a job. Do all of your schoolwork the best you can and on time. Do volunteer work. Join clubs and meet people outside of your circle of friends. Going into college, there's not going to be very many people you know, so by meeting new people, it'll make this easier for you to do in college. College life is quite different than high school life, you have more responsibilities and teachers are not going to constantly remind you to do your work or tell you that you need to work harder otherwise you're going to fail. Get in the habit of doing assignments when they're assigned, don't procrastinate. Study more. Everyday. Don't let anything hold you back from accomplishing things that you want to do. More importantly, have fun, in both, your senior year of high school and when you enter your college life. Sincerely, Your Future Self, Isabelle

Ortal

My path to higher education has been that of a “non-traditional” student. It took me seven years following my high school graduation to be able to attend college although it had been my goal since middle school. My parents live outside the U.S. and neither is college-educated nor currently employed. Unfortunately, my parents do not support my desire to attend college, become a scientific researcher and professor. In fact, they are opposed to it. For these reasons, I needed to create a life of my own and become emancipated before applying to college. I graduated high school with honors and worked multiple jobs simultaneously until I had saved up enough to afford the first year of school. If I could go back to my time as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more social. In high school, I was focused solely on working and getting good grades. Claremont McKenna has a socially driven student climate, and developing social skills in high school would have made it easier to acclimate.

Samantha

Do what you love, not what other people think that you should do to be successful. Make your own definition of success. Life is too short not to do what you love.

Jane

search carefully for your college life and study hard to get good results so that nothing to regret after graduated. Be self-motivated and keep sharing.

Ryan

My advice is to be communicative! Nothing hurts you more than having a question in class and being unwilling to talk about it with the professor. They will not look down on you for having a question about the material. Back in their college days, they had questions of their own, and they remember what it's like to talk to an intimidating figure. Always go to professors' office hours for questions, comments, or even a quick friendly chat. If they're not busy, they'll enjoy the conversation. I've never met a professor who would bite a student's head off for talking! It helps you in the long run too. Instead of beating your head against a tricky integral or pouring line-by-line over a textbook in search of a name and date, ask the professor -- they will help. If you're in a field of science or engineering, you can also get a good rapport going with your professors by engaging with them face-to-face; this leads to many opportunities such as research and internship opportunities, and you gain access to his network of colleagues. Don't be shy! They're there for you!

Samaneh

I would tell myself to follow my dreams and stick to that decision. I would urge myself not to listen to others and consider their opinions regarding what I should study and do with my life more so than my own choices.

Victoria

My college experiences thus far have centered around self-discovery. I have learned so much over the past semester not just academically but socially and athletically as well. My college experiences have allowed me to gain true confidence in myself and my abilities. I have discovered that I can succeed and thrive living on my own, making of my own decisions and balancing my own hectic schedule. I now know that every one of my goals are within reach and that all I have to do is make a true effort, extend my arms and soak in all of the benefits that come with attending Claremont Mckenna College. I have learned that if I open up my mind I can learn from all situations. I am constantly gaining knowledge inside and outside of the classroom. When the professor lectures I gain from exposure to a new concept. When one of my piers tells me their personal story I gain from viewing a new perspective. When I am placed in a stressful situation I gain experience and will be prepared for future predicaments. My college experience has been valuable because I now know what it takes and that I have "it".

Victoria

I have one more semester to go before I complete my freshman year at Claremont McKenna College. In the past couple of months I have experienced all of the adventures and soaked up all sorts of new information. College has allowed me the opportunity to reevaluate my life and redefine what I once believed were my limitations. The college experience has been valuable in that my desire to learn is no longer confined to the awkward box that was self doubt. My experience at Claremont has taught me to be a leader on a daily basis and not just act like one under specific circumstances. College is nothing like high school. I have lived on my own, motivated myself to study, managed a hectic schedule, made all my own choices and everything has thus far been positive. And because I ended my first semester with such a positive note, I can confidently define myself as a success. Through the college experience, through being left alone to do and act as my own me, I have gained a confidence that is of utmost value and essential for success in all areas of my life.

Han

Being an independent person throughout my childhood, I thought that I could handle the college experience easily. I was deeply mistaken my first month of college. College has taught me time management. Time management has provided me with excellent grades, plenty of time to do extracurriculars, and an improved quality of life. Everyday, I partition my time to do academic work at a certain time for a certain length depending on my workload. During this period, even if I don't have work, I'll work ahead of time. Doing this is highly effective because I can fully focus on a topic for a brief amount of time as opposed to working a large amount of work in one day where I will easily lose focus. Thus, the breaking up of workloads into smaller increments has allowed me to cover more and to earn better grades. Also, planning out this time allows me to easily attend all extracurriclar activities and to spend time doing my passions. Without the experiecne of living on my own at college, I would remain with my high school work habits of loading on work without planning ahead.

Steve

There are two aspects of my life that I desperately tried to hide from anyone and everyone, especially myself. In my na?ve eyes, I grew up looking into the mirror and seeing nothing but a drug dependent minimum wage manual laborer at the age of 12, destined for a life of empty prescription bottles and splintered shovels. First and foremost, I was diagnosed at the age of four with a severe case of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), consistently living a medicated struggle for the fifteen years that followed. Secondly, my father?s small grading and demolition business, which coincided with our modest and subsistent financial situation, began employing my manual services on a shovel during my pubescent summers. My four years of college shattered this narrow minded glass globe of a world. I had to live in complete honesty with my heart, mind, and soul in regards to my strengths and especially my weaknesses, knowing how to immediately analyze and conversely maximize situations in tilting them to strengths. Ironically, I realized my strengths are being in tune with myself from overcoming adversity and unmatched hard work from my manual labor. College set me free.

Kaj

Visit, prospy, and make sure that it feels right, because in the end that is what is most important.

Jordan

I think that people put too much weight into numbers and statistics. Don't go to a college that you have a bad gut feeling about. Visit the campus, spend the night, and if it feels right it probably is. If it feels wrong, don't bother applying. After all, college is supposed to be the best time of your life. If you don't have fun, what was the point?

Giselle

Colleges cannot advertise that they are your "perfect fit", you must find out yourself. Dive into the schools you have in mind! Spend nights as a prospective student. Attend information sessions. Ask lots of questions. Acquire all the information you can to find your "perfect" fit. You might even find that the school you've dreamed of attending since you were 5 is no longer as appealing. That's OK! Every school has something unique about them - find what it is. Once you find your perfect fit, take advantage of all the opportunities. Join clubs, participate in varsity sports or intramurals, find time to volunteer. Take classes that interest you, not just ones you are required to take. Visit professors during office hours because they are there to help, and they want to help! Stay on top of your workload - find a study rhythm that suits you and stick to it. As for the social scene, go and make an adventure out of it! College is just as much about the friends you make and experiences you gain as it is about the wealth of education you acquire. At your "perfect" college, four years WILL go by fast- treasure it.

Jaron

First and foremost, remember that there is not such thing as a perfect fit. Therefore, be open-minded and carefully explore the many option that America's college and university provide. Second, talk to current students and visit the campus. Regardless of the preceptive "reputation" of the school, the most important is kind to school where you feel that you will feel comfortable to explore, make friends and mistake, and take on challenges that would otherwise not seem possible. Your college experience is more than the classes you take - it is about the life skills you learn from dealing with relationships, balancing your time, and exploring new interests. In short, only choose a college where you feel comfortable being yourself but will be challenged to take positive risks.

Durf

Look at the quality of life the college affords and how happy the students are. It will make a difference.

Kristen

If you walk onto a campus and feel at home or like you've been there before, it's probably a good fit. Listen to that little voice in the back of your head that is constantly telling you if you're going in the right direction. If you are true to yourself, let that voice be heard, and follow your instincts, you will make the right choice. Once you get there, don't hold anything back...make sure to take full advantage of every opportunity that presents itseslf as well as every opportunity you create for yourself. The best opportunities aren't always self-evident...sometimes they result from a random, "snap" decision and sometimes they result from trying something new. Branch out and experience everything you can, but don't forget where you came from!

Kendra

Make sure you visit the campus before you make your decision. No amount of articles about the school or student reviews can amount to the experience of visiting college campuses. Not only do you get to see the setup of the school and the way things work, but you get to meet awesome people who will be real with you about their experiences! Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you feel like you're asking too many. If you don't ask questions, you won' get them answered and you'll be left wondering about them, which will lead to feelings of confusion. The more you know about the schools you're looking at, the better decision you will be able to make. You want to be as informed as possible when you make your college decision because it will affect the rest of your life! Make sure you feel comfortable with your decision. Don't let anyone else make the decision for you, make the right decision for you and choose the school that fits best for you. The most important thing is to make the most of this stage of your life and have fun!