CMC v Wesleyan
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Anonymous
| DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions? |
Anonymous
| Wesleyan will have elite faculty and the better education, but CMC is a decent choice if you just care about fit. |
Anonymous
Wesleyan also will have access to graduate curriculum and Wesleyan is a university, so it has a much more expansive faculty listing and opportunities. |
Anonymous
| Very different schools and very different student bodies. |
Anonymous
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I don't think either one is clearly a stronger name right now. Maybe CMC tbh.
I know a few kids who are at both or recent grads. Almost all from private schools. The Wesleyan kids I know attended artsier/more progressive privates and the CMC kids came from preppier privates. All smart, nice kids, liberal-leaning, creative. All the kids I know who went to CMC very much wanted to be in California (that was a big part of the draw) and have stayed there post graduation. |
Anonymous
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With respect to policy, CMC appears third among LACs in this ranking of schools notable for their programs in public policy:
2025 Best Colleges for Public Policy - College Transitions https://share.google/FZ2IicJBQqqPAO2rl |
Anonymous
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Such very different schools! And I'm not to usually say this.
After every college tour we did, I got into the habit of following them on instagram. Out of many schools we toured over two kids, CMC is the most preprofessional college of the bunch. Wes is the artsiest. follow them, you'll see. |
Anonymous
I mean, c'mon, you know who you know because of who you are and who you mix with and it doesn't say very much about the demographics of either school in general. Let me guess, you sent your kids to private schools? |
Anonymous
| Go where your kid will be happiest. At this level that matters most. Both schools are excellent. |
Anonymous
| I wouldn’t pick Wes for the name. The schools are different enough (location, 5 colleges, vibe, etc) and close enough in reputation that you should pick for fit. |
Anonymous
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These two are both great schools where your DC will get a great undergraduate education if he puts in the time and effort.
Choose based on social fit and vibes. |
Anonymous
As a Wes parent, I agree. They are both highly regarded schools but culturally pretty different, I think. Go with vibes/fit—and location. New England and southern California are very different; where does your kid want to be? |
Anonymous
I don't. Wesleyan is uncommon at my kids' public and CMC is impossible. FWIW at Wesleyan almost half are from private schools and CMC doesn't seem to disclose, or I couldn't find the info. 17% of Wesleyan and 18% of CMC students have family incomes in the top 1%. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/11/upshot/college-income-lookup.html |
Anonymous
| FYI, Wesleyan is need aware, CMC is need blind so your full pay may help more at Wes. Full pay ED is likely beneficial this year . . . |
Anonymous
| I agree that Wes is artsier and more creative whereas CMC is preppier and more preprofessional. Different vibe at each for sure! |