Anyone have experiences with a DC attending one of the 5Cs - CMC, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Pitzer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scripps is a great place to apply if you have poor SAT scores. I am not saying that as a negative. It doesn't attract high SAT scorers for some reason. Fewer than 20 students a year even enroll at Scripps with SAT scores that are in that Ivy sweet spot of 1530.

True and Pitzer is fully test blind.

The others (CMC/Pomona/Harvey Mudd) I think will return to test required soon. CMC has already announced it will. Pomona will likely be next.

But you're right, Scripps (if you're female) and Pitzer are both wonderful test optional ways to access the fabulous 5C consortium and all their many resources!

Pomona admissions has doubled down that it is permanently test optional. Look elsewhere.

They voted to make TO "permanent" in 2023. Given how fast the conversation on testing is changing and new info is coming to light as well as whispers I've heard from the inside, I do think that will change. Not overnight but they can vote to change that as others have. CMC voted to extend their TO status in early 2024 only to sharply reverse it a few months later that same year. It will be test required in either 2027 or 2028 now.

They’ve renewed the commitment to permanent to in last weeks aspc meeting. I cannot send it to non Pomona families, but there’s no reality where Pomona is discussing test required.

In english?

I don't know how to spell this out clearer for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scripps average SAT range is listed as 1450-1520.

A whopping 19 freshman students at Scripps scored above 1520 in 2024-2025. Prior to the test optional craze the 2019-2020 data shows Scripps' SAT 25% was only 1330.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My smart, social, funny, non-athlete DS is loving his experience at CMC!

He has built strong relationships with profs and peers. Loves his major (IR). Will study abroad next year. Research & internship opps each summer.

It's a really well run school (CMC) and the whole consortium is really special.

It's a lot of $$$$ tho. But so far it feels worth it.

I'm glad to see this. CMC is my son's top choice and I wondered how it was for a non-athlete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My smart, social, funny, non-athlete DS is loving his experience at CMC!

He has built strong relationships with profs and peers. Loves his major (IR). Will study abroad next year. Research & internship opps each summer.

It's a really well run school (CMC) and the whole consortium is really special.

It's a lot of $$$$ tho. But so far it feels worth it.

I'm glad to see this. CMC is my son's top choice and I wondered how it was for a non-athlete.

Good luck to your DS - did he apply ED this year?

[Anonymous]

Dd is a first year at Scripps and it’s been great. We are west coast (Portland). She was admitted to CMC and Pitzer as well but Scripps gave great merit. She was TO and full IB diploma. She’s dual majoring at CMC in Public policy and at Scripps in Philosophy (bioethics). She has two classes at CMC this semester and is doing well in them. The culture is interesting very campus focused. There are big parties every weekend sponsored by one or two of the schools, to drink you have to have a wristband. Not so much dorm parties although maybe this is Scripps. She has close friends from high school at Scripps, Pomona and CMC. She spends a lot of time at Pomona. She loves going to LA for concerts, and takes the train or bus and Ubers back. She’s involved in Pomona’s farm club, taiko drumming (not Asian), public health society, and is on the first year council. She really puts herself out there. I’d love to see her get a job bc she is burning through her savings! Also want her to try to get some research work too. One tough thing can be that to take classes at another school you have to Perm (get permission) and for popular or intro classes that can be challenging. You’re basically waitlisted. Overall it’s fantastic. Scripps fills a niche too for first gen. I think 60/300 for 15% is first gen. Maybe why the SATs aren’t super high?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scripps average SAT range is listed as 1450-1520.

But not if you are test blind and my niece was miserable there because of rude lesbian roommates and doormmates there.

Was she a homophobe like you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is at Pomona and was also admitted to Scripps but didn't apply to Mudd, CMC, or Pitzer. Like others, I'm hugely impressed with all five schools, each of which offers something unique. DD reports that her classes are mixed with other 5C students but she can't tell any difference in quality among those students.

Pomona's campus is stunning. It's not as grand as, say, UCLA or Stanford, but it has so many nooks and crannies, beautiful courtyards, and fountains. There are a few brutalist remnants, but my understanding is that the school is gradually replacing them. (E.g., Oldenborg). I also really like Claremont Village, although I think it may be more attractive to parents than students. People here complain about the greater area, which is not exactly charming. But when you're in Claremont with its trees and grass, you don't notice that you're in the Inland Empire. And while I've noticed smog while driving on the local freeways, I've never noticed it while on campus or in town. That said, the smoke last year sucked for a couple weeks and it can get very hot in August/September.

DD has had a good experience so far. DD sometimes feels like many of her peers are bubble kids in terms of privileged upbringing and/or liberal politics. (DD is very liberal herself.) But she loves her professors, seems to have a large friend group, likes her work-study job, has a great single dorm room, and makes frequent trips outside of Claremont to LA, J-Tree, the beach, and local hikes. She has a car this year, which helps a lot. Pomona, however, is definitely not a party school. The kids are social, but CMC and Mudd have the best parties, although I don't think anyone would ever compare them with proper party school like ASU.

The professors are mostly great, and many have gone out of their way to hook DD up with internships and other opportunities. She's had one or two professors who were kind of boring, which is the worst thing I've heard. Her favorite prof this semester is at Scripps.

The Pomona student body is largely nerdy, intellectual, humble, high-achieving, diverse, and liberal. I don't think there's any real competitive culture.

DD intends to study abroad but is not sure where. She's torn between a language-oriented experience and a subject-matter/major oriented experience.

DD got into both schools RD.

As a slight aside, I'm going to shout out Scripps, which doesn't seem to get a lot of attention. Pomona has the most impressive 5C campus, but Scripps has the most pleasant college campus I've ever been to. Everything is pretty and cozy, and unlike most other college campuses, nearly all of its architecture follows the same design (very little brutalism).

Why did she choose Pomona over Scripps?

Better financial aid and a preference for coed and larger school. But I'm pretty sure she would have chosen Scripps over Smith or Wellesley, which I also found to be impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scripps average SAT range is listed as 1450-1520.

But not if you are test blind and my niece was miserable there because of rude lesbian roommates and doormmates there.

Was she a homophobe like you?

Hard”y. Apparently you missed the word “rude”.

[Anonymous]

I'm following this thread with interest! My DS loves the 5 LAC consortium idea. Seems like best of both worlds: small classes that LAC provides with access to 7000+ students through the full consortium all walking distance from each other, no buses.

Now he just has to figure out how to get into one of the 4 of 5Cs that admit males lol.

[Anonymous]

Congrats to the Claremont McKenna community for a Rhodes scholar this year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scripps average SAT range is listed as 1450-1520.

But not if you are test blind and my niece was miserable there because of rude lesbian roommates and doormmates there.

Was she a homophobe like you?

Hard”y. Apparently you missed the word “rude”.

If the roommates were rude, you just had to say rude. But it’s very telling that you had to say they’re lesbians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scripps average SAT range is listed as 1450-1520.

But not if you are test blind and my niece was miserable there because of rude lesbian roommates and doormmates there.

Was she a homophobe like you?

Hard”y. Apparently you missed the word “rude”.

If the roommates were rude, you just had to say rude. But it’s very telling that you had to say they’re lesbians.

+1. And not for nothing, but the culture at Scripps is anything but rude. Very friendly and nice.

[Anonymous]

DD had to choose Whitman over pitzer, but it was a beautiful school with a very thoughtful community.