Any insight on the Claremont Colleges in SoCal?

[Anonymous]

We visited these schools last Fall. They were lovely! The majority of students are UBER LIBERAL and uber smart! I would put these schools, at least Pomona, CMC and Harvey Mudd on the level of Ivy League schools in terms of acceptance rate. They are five small schools that collaborate. Students can take classes and participate in sports across each of the different schools, depending upon which school they ultimately enroll in. The campuses, except for Harvey Mudd are beautiful. It's in a small town that seems very nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a unique set up that I've never seen before. These are five LACs that are actually across the street from each other. Each of them has a special emphasis, which makes it beneficial for students at the others to benefit from their added riches.

Claremont McKenna in particular is commonly regarded as one of the top 10 liberal art colleges in the country. It stands out for emphasizing politics, economics, and pre-professional preparation. Their alumni network is tightknit and the post-graduation outcomes are hard to beat.

All of them are selective institutions. They're also small and highly value diversity. I believe ED helps significantly at Claremont McKenna.

I'm being nitpicky but I think Pomona is consistently in the top 5 LACs, and CMC is recognized more by the programs you mention. It attracts a more pre-professional student type than Pomona or Scripps.

CMC is ranked in the top 10 for almost all of the major rankings of LACs (including military academies).

#6 on US News, #4 on Niche, #9 on Forbes, #6 on WSJ/THE

[Anonymous]

CMC is ranked in the top 10 for almost all of the major rankings of LACs (including military academies).

#6 on US News, #4 on Niche, #9 on Forbes, #6 on WSJ/THE

That's impressive.

[Anonymous]

My dad taught at CMC.

Your kid is really fortunate to get to go to school there! Congratulations.

[Anonymous]

Pomona alum here. I agree with the previous poster on the excellence and uniqueness of the Claremont Colleges. I took courses at all five; most of those I took at CMC were politics/government. Outstanding. They are great schools for the right students, who enjoy studying A LOT. The workload is intense despite the laidback backdrop of SoCal. And that homework load applies to humanities and social science courses as well as the hard sciences, math, etc. (Pomona is very highly ranked in math.) It used to be the case that about 97% of Pomona students went on to earn higher degrees. For some, that was always in their plans. For others, not so much, but they didn't have degrees that were in high demand. So there's that to consider. Funny coincidence is that I was just responding to an email from another Pomona alum, whom I have known for 34 years. Those are lasting friendships. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to CMC and had an incredible education there. The 5c setup is really special - the best of a small school with the resources of a 5000 student campus. I will forever take a LinkedIn request from any 5c grad - and that’s a pretty well connected group.

I’m in tech now but studied government and spent a semester interning in DC which is how I ended up here

That's really interesting! Do you mind sharing (a condensed version) of how you got from government to tech? My DC is interested in politics and economics and doesn't really want to study CS, but is interested in the tech industry.[/quote


DP but gov majors need to be quant inclined unless they are heading to law school or lobbying (dead-end non profits).

I’m the poster you were asking and yes this DP gives great advice - I was a Gov + psych double major with a heavy stats focus. I started out in research roles but now work in related tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the insight. We are headed there in a couple for weeks for a look.

If you can still stay overnight in the pandemic - that absolutely sealed it for me. Being with those (CMC) kids was being with my people.

[Anonymous]

DS is at Pomona and loves it. He has friends from all the schools. It’s an amazing set up and a lovely little town.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all of the insight, we loved our visit and our son committed to Claremont!

[Anonymous]

Wow! Congrats, OP. He’ll love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son recently had outreach from a coach at Claremont McKenna in SoCal. From initial research it sounds like an interesting opportunity with strong academics. Any insight from the DCUM pundits?

Incredible opportunity. Go for it!0

[Anonymous]

Do many students who graduate from one of the Claremont colleges typically go onto grad school there too? Anywhere to find this info?