Claremont McKenna College Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Abigail

I love CMC! I doubted the reality that it is one of the happiest schools in America until I got here. From the moment I arrived I was surrounded by the most amazing and friendliest people I have ever encountered. We are fortunate to be a part of a small school with small class sizes, inclusive social events, and a huge array of opportunities while still having the benefit of the other 5Cs right next door. I go to a different dining hall for each meal and can always find something I love to eat. Honestly, I eat better here than I did at home!

Mark

I love CMC. I challenge anyone considering the school to find another comparable (sub 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} acceptance rate) that offers premium job matriculation, great weather, great social life, small classes, and great looking girls. It's a pretty unreal place to be quite honest.

Ariel

CMC is awesome, but one of the things that is so great about it is the Claremont Consortium. The schools are so close and we share everything from dining halls to classes. There are so many amazing people to meet from all of the Claremont colleges and people with different backgrounds and interests.

Brett

The only thing that really bothers me about CMC is it's lack of national notoriety. When I tell people I go to CMC, people is Minnesota give me quizzical looks and ask "Where is that?" When I tell them it's in Southern California, they tend to nod approvingly. They don't understand that it is a very selective and academically outstanding liberal arts college (some students complain that people ask them if it's a community college). Furthermore, no one understands the consortium. They hear how many students attend my college and grimace that it's "so small!" But really, going to CMC doesn't feel that way. Sure if you hook up with someone random at a party you're bound to see them in each dining hall you go to. That aside, you can always meet new, interesting people because of the other 5Cs. And the parties at CMC aren't small because students from all the other colleges come to our parties. The consortium is more than just extra people. It allows us to have better resources and more resources than other small colleges. For instance, among the 5Cs, we have 7 dining halls, club sports teams, a large library, a joint science department (with only CMC, Pitzer and Scripps), a diverse course catalog, many different speakers, different styles of architecture and landscaping, a nice little college town, and way too many clubs. There is a lot of school pride, mostly surrounding our successful CMS sports teams. Our current sports motto is "Three Schools, Two Mascots, One Spirit" (The three schools are Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and CMC or Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and the two mascots are the Stags and the Athenas. Our school pride is most evident in our competitions with the Pomona-Pizer Sagehens (our biggest and most obvious rivals).

Parker

It's a small school, which is nice because you know a large portion of the student body but difficult because news spreads faster and it may be difficult to branch out, unless you are very outgoing. That being said, there is plenty of variety in terms of people, activities and social life. CMC definitely cultivates leaders, but it does not force feed it to you - the resources are there if you choose to use them, but you must be proactive if you want to get things done - throw a party, change a policy, etc. The best part of it all, I think, is that the administration WANTS you to have fun. Parties, drinking and fun are all very well funded and CMC policies facilitate this. They treat us like responsible adults. "We know you're going to party, but just do it safely. We'll even fund you."

Sarah

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.

Olivia

CMC is awesome. It's in a gorgeous area with perfect weather and there's always a lot of stuff going on on-campus. You get the benefits of a small school in terms of small class sizes and getting to know your professors on a really personal level, but you have the resources of a large school because it's part of a larger consortium. If you get sick of the kids on campus there's always four other schools where you can go hang out. You won't spend much time partying off-campus because there isn't much of a college town, but then again partying on-campus is way more fun than going to the local bars where everyone's old and ugly and the drinks are expensive. There are tons of AWESOME places to go hiking, and if you don't have a car or gear it doesn't matter because there is an extremely well-organized outdoors club among the five colleges, and the club helps fund trips, coordinates carpools, and provides gear for free (unless you damage it). One really cool thing about CMC is that it will help fund you for almost anything you want--trips, internships, events, speakers, etc. For instance, the school gave me several thousand dollars to go to Ecuador and work with an environmental NGO this summer--the faculty is very invested in helping you chase your goals.

Ashley

CMC is AMAZING. I would not be nearly as happy anywhere else. The professors, staff and administration truly care about us. They are willing to drop a lot of time and money to create a unique and amazing college experience. It is sort of like one huge fraternity, there is definitely a sense of brotherhood, belonging and pride. We are big on the work-hard/play-hard lifestyle; you will always find someone willing to party OR study. We don't take life too seriously and like to have fun, though there is no lack of serious intellect.

Lisette

School is just the right size and all the teachers are really engaging. The running joke is that office hours are actually mandatory and that the teachers sit around waiting to answer your emails. Everything runs smooth as butter and the choice of foods at all the dinning halls is great!

Blake

Best thing- small community where everyone takes care of each other and teachers are really there for you. Spend most of my time hanging out outside the dorms or in the library doing work or partying. Students here work hard play hard. Theres a littel village near by thats cute but not practical because its expensive so people spend the majority of their time on campus. Not a lot of school pride for sports because everything is D3 but theres a ton of school pride in the student body and CMC in general. I think the school is unusual ebcause everyone really wants you to succeed and it tries so hard to support you in whatever you want to do. Rules arent strict and the students are trusted. We get priveledges a lot of other students at other schools dont get such as free printing (which is actually a way bigger deal that it soudns) and a really lax alcohol policy and funding for summer internships. My best experience at CMC was my sophomore year i lived in a suite in north quad with all of my friends. We became so close adn it really is the closest thing Ive ever had to a family outside of my home. I had the best year andreally grew to love cMC because of it. CMC admin is fair and puts up with a lot. We love them. CMC is amazing!!!!!

Logan

The big picture about CMC is that it is academically a very good school, without a lot of name recognition. However, those who need to know about CMC always do. For example the average American on the street has never heard of CMC in the same way that Harvard or Princeton have a lot of name recognition. But people who work in investment firms and graduate schools all have heard of CMC and give it the respect it deserves. There is a tremendous amount of school pride/spirit when it comes to us versus Pomona and that is one of the best reasons about going to CMC.

Sara

When I tell people I go to Claremont McKenna, the reaction always seems to fall in two categories. Some people have no idea what school I'm talking about, even in Southern California. However, the people that do know CMC are always impressed. There is a lot of school pride - the other colleges I had considered with UC Berkeley and Brown. I was afraid by choosing the smaller DIII 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.

Kendall

-CMC has a lot of great things. Among them are academics, social life, great Southern California weather. Dining hall food is some of the best. Seriously. -The school borders on too small, but they are building a new dorm that will open for the 2008-9 school year, so there will be more students admitted. -I would say there is not much controversy on campus. Things run very smoothly. -There is a lot of school pride. Students and alumni generally love CMC. -When I tell people I go to Claremont McKenna they either say: "You go where?" or "Wow, that's a great school." The only opinions that you should care about are those of employers and grad schools and they all will give you the second response.

Jerry

No one has ever heard of CMC, so if name is important to you, especially internationally or outside of the LA area, think twice. There is quite a bit of school pride, and our sports, while division III, are top in our league. I came from a small high school, and so I was looking for a small college, but I think CMC, at a little over 1,000 students, ended up being too small for me. However, we are expanding: we are in the process of finishing a new dorm, which will be the largest dorm on campus, housing about 100 students. This means that our student body will also increase about 100 students.

Nathan

A challenging school in a place with beautiful weather, if you are a proactive individual there is no end to the opportunities CMC can provide. When I say opportunities I do not just mean the formidable alumni network (even though you may never heard of the school it turns out CMCrs are EVERYWHERE), but also specific programs and countless grants the school will give out if you are a smart kid and file a good application. While some may complain about CMC's size as far as social life goes, it is really an advantage in that CMC is dying to give kids money to go do exciting things. Oh, and on Thursday night the independently incorporated Student Body buys the beer.

Russell

One of the best places to live/ have a social life.

Ruth

The school is a great size. If you are undecided betwen a large school and a small school it is perfect here because you get both. It kinda sucks when you tell people you go here because many people have never heard of it, but at the same time it's funny to see peoples reactions when you start telling them about how great the school is.

Ryan

Best thing about CMC: they care about their students and their futures! School size is just right for me, good class size, good relationships with your professors, you're not just a number you have a name. The village that's about a five minute walk away has some fun college hang out places, LA is only a 35 minute drive away. The campus brings so much to us there's almost no reason to leave.

Parker

I love Claremont the village-- great shops, restaurants, a cute theater with independent and lesser-known films-- and all within walking distance. Great place for a romantic date or a shopping spree (though you will probably end up spending a lot, it's southern California). The 5 college consortium is absolutely amazing and so unique. Yes, you go to a school with a bit over 1100 students and a very pre-professional focus, but you have the resources of a larger liberal arts school.There are so many benefits to the cooperation between schools, like more class offerings (but still intimate, discussion-based classes), more research opportunities, more club/extracurricular options, and interesting social events which vary between each campus.

Jessie

I absolutely love Claremont Mckenna. Coming from New York City, it's a big change as there isn't alot of diversity and the community's really small. However, I found the adjustment to be really easy. Everyone here is really friendly; I feel that CMC only admits people who will fit in with the rest of the student body, so everyone pretty much gets along here. I remember joining a Facebook group before I came to CMC called 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the people you'll meet in college. There were people like 'the person who answers every question in class', 'the druggie', the cool asian chick, the social loser, etc. When I came to CMC I never met any of those people because the whole student body is pretty much homogenous (but in a good way). The best thing about CMC is the community. Although CMC only has a little above 1000 students, the entire 5C community (scripps, harvey mudd, pitzer, pomona, and cmc) combined makes up for it. You can meet tons of different people at the other colleges which are around a 5 minute walk away. Weekend nights are the best because there are 5C parties where everyone congregates. In addition, you get to eat at other colleges, so I think there's around seven dining halls to choose from. Speaking of food, the food is amazing. I think were ranked number 10 as having the best college food. Each college dining hall has different types of food so if you want sushi go to Scripps College on Friday and if you want steak go to Harvey Mudd on Sunday. Having seven dining halls helps alot because you don't really get tired with the food. Plus CMC has tea time and snack which are amazing. For an hour in the afternoon the Ath serves pastry, rice krispies treats and drinks which is great because while you're changing classes you can just grab something to eat. And at night time, when you want to take a study break, you can just go to snack where the dining hall serves things like mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, and donuts. (seriously, its sooo easy to gain weight here). The dorms at CMC are amazing as well. Personally, I like North Quad the best because that's where most parties are, the rooms are the biggest, and you share the bathroom with one other room. NQ dorms feel like hotels because we have maid service that comes everyday to clean and our door opens up to outside, so we don't have to walk through a hallway. Each quad is said to have a personality of its own. North quad is for people who like to party, South Quad if for more studious people, and Mid Quad is somewhere in between.

David

CMC is tons of fun, I don't know anyone here who doesn't like it or is thinking of transferring. The weather is awesome, so we can have parties outside all year, and the parties are sick. We don't have the elitist structure of greek life, but the dorms host tons of fun parties with a lot of alcohol. If you want to meet new people, just go to a party at another school.

Quinn

It is a really small school with very good/teach student ratio. Classes are some what limited, and in my college years many good classes filled up really quickly.

Jen

Best things: -students who's intellectual interests extend outside the classroom; the fact that you can discuss topics like politics, religion, literature, or science over beer at a party -the Athenaeum -research institutes -professors When I tell people I go to CMC, they either have never heard of it, know that it's "one of those schools in the group," or regard it as a very good school. Without the other Claremont schools, CMC would be too small. But as part of the consortium, it's a good size. I spend most of my time on campus outside, in the reading room, or in the Athenaeum. Thanks to the great weather, most of our parties and a lot of our studying take place outside. I love the location of CMC. It's cool to have the other schools in the consortium, Claremont is a great little town, very safe, with a lot to offer, and going into LA is always an option.

Justin

* The best thing about CMC is the accessibility of professors and resources. For students who go to college to learn and develop their career interests, this is a major benefit. Take advantage of the fact that your professors know your name! * One change: stronger departments for psychology, neuroscience, and the arts. * The school is too small if one is interested in obtaining research experience in psychology. There is not a lot of active research going on because there are few professors to collaborate with, and the opportunity to co-author a paper is very small. * Most people haven't heard of CMC. This is the typical conversation: OTHER PERSON: What school do you go to? ME: Claremont OTHER PERSON: Never heard of it...where is it located? ME: East L.A. OTHER PERSON: Huh? ME: EAST L.A.! OTHER PERSON: UCLA?! ME:...(gives up) Yeah, sure. OTHER PERSON: UCLA's a great school! ME: No kidding! * I spend most of my time working in one of two research labs, or in my room studying/watching Youtube. * Claremont is lovely for families but not too hip for college kids. The village is pleasant for a Sunday walk. Bum a ride to Hollywood instead. * The administration is fantastic. The registrar is responsive, you can always get all the classes you need in 4 years, admissions is prompt, and financial aid helps you find money when you need it. * The biggest recent controversy involved the Scripps College president condemning the naming of our "White Party" as racist and anti-progressive. The Washington Post defended the title, claiming if she had read the whole flyer, she would have known it referred to the black lights in the tent that look especially radiant when you wear "white" clothes. * I don't know if there is a lot of school pride, but there are a number of people who wear CMC sweatshirts on and off campus. * CMC's business/government focus is unusual for a liberal arts college. The Atheneaum, which provides a nightly forum for speakers, is unique. * I will always remember my freshman orientation trip: canoeing through Lake Havasu while getting to know some of my classmates. * Students most frequently complain about the amount of work they have to do.

Harper

CMC is basically a summer camp meets a high school. It's small enough that you see everyone at least 3 times a day, yet part of a consortium of eclectic students that allows for something new to happen every week. CMC is only 1 of 5 colleges in the Claremont Consortium (the best of the 5 if i do say so myself)