Visiting Claremont Colleges - tips?

[Anonymous]

Best way to get from LAX to Claremont without renting a car? How many of the schools did DC visit? Recommendations for things to do in town?

DC’s favorite and least favorite things about the school(s)?

And if DC graduated from one of the schools - did s/he settle on the West Coast?

TIA

[Anonymous]

There is not much of special interest to do in the town, but there is a nice and fun ice cream parlor. There is a train station right there that probably connects to LA (we drove so I am not sure). Beautiful little town. DC did not like the schools because the posters of activities happening at the schools were very much aligned around protesting various things/issues, and that is not DC's "thing." I loved the schools and town. That's why your DC should visit school, I guess!

[Anonymous]

It’s LA: rent a car.

[Anonymous]

I mean...you could take a puddle jumper from LAX to Ontario and Uber to Claremont I guess.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t take the train either but I believe it connects in LAX and the station is extremely convenient to campus. I hate the rental car hassle and I love trains, so maybe it’s just me.

[Anonymous]

Get a car or fly into Ontario. There is a train station from downtown or pasadena, but really not from LAX.

I'm a Californian who went to CMC and now lives in DC so my mom would tell you all bets are off.

Which of the schools is your DC looking at? They are all very different, and a kid who views them interchangeably is unlikely to fit in at any of them in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Strongly recommend that your student spend the night overnight at any campus they are serious about. The residential/dorm life is a big part of these schools.

[Anonymous]

We went over spring break last year. We rented a car and turned it into a spring break vacation (and the weather was spectacular!).

Stayed 2 days - 2 colleges each day. Didn't tour Harvey Mudd because DD has no interest in a hardcore STEM degree. We stayed at the Doubletree in Claremont.

DD loved Pomona - was one of her 1st choice colleges. Ended up applying elsewhere ED so won't go, but she still thinks about it.

Liked Scripps more than other women's colleges we toured (maybe because it's so pretty and the weather was so nice). But we also had a good tour guide, which influenced her. She was going to apply here RD.

Liked CMC too, but not as much. It's hard to describe, but the atmosphere there wasn't as happy as the other colleges. That may be because 2 students there had committed suicide a few weeks before, and our tour guide knew them (someone on our tour asked about it and he went into great detail about it - he knew both of them). DD decided not apply to CMC.

Our Pitzer tour guide was one of the best tour guides I've ever seen (and I have 4 kids so I've seen a lot). Super bright, funny, enthusiastic - DD wasn't planning on applying there until we had out tour. BUT then we had the info session and it may be the worst info session I've ever seen. It was run by a graduating senior who was not bright, not funny and not enthusiastic - totally canceled out the tour guide. No to Pitzer.

As opposed to other colleges that are in consortiums, the kids at the CCs all said they took classes at the other schools. Also, we liked that each school had it's own distinct style architecturally, which also seemed to be reflected in the atmosphere of the school.

[Anonymous]

PP - what about Harvey Mudd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP - what about Harvey Mudd?

(read it again)

[Anonymous]

Fly BWI straight to Ontario - affordable and only a 20 minute Uber to campus. Traffic to/from LAX is bad - up to 2 hours on a clear day.

Or rent a car at Ontario airport, a few malls nearby, Claremont village, etc. Also can time a drive into LA between rush hours to sightsee.

[Anonymous]

Last October we took in three schools there over two days. Uber Pool from LAX was insanely cheap, maybe 30-40 bucks to carry two (my wife was already there with one kid, traveled by car). There is a hotel listed on the school’s site that is a big local favorite, it tr*mps the Doubletree, we stayed there and loved it plus it was more easily walkable than the Doubletree. Somehow our kids didn’t adore it as much as my wife and I - we were ready to move and retire there in a second. I think they sensed the cultural differences, such as the Pitzer query as to what pronoun the kid wants to go by.

As we were leaving, Friday afternoon, a couple of serious but fun looking guys were set to drive to the beach to go surfing, 40 minutes away in Orange County.

Tell me again, why is the capital of the U.S. located here in this swampy, mosquitoey city right on the fall line?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last October we took in three schools there over two days. Uber Pool from LAX was insanely cheap, maybe 30-40 bucks to carry two (my wife was already there with one kid, traveled by car). There is a hotel listed on the school’s site that is a big local favorite, it tr*mps the Doubletree, we stayed there and loved it plus it was more easily walkable than the Doubletree. Somehow our kids didn’t adore it as much as my wife and I - we were ready to move and retire there in a second. I think they sensed the cultural differences, such as the Pitzer query as to what pronoun the kid wants to go by.

As we were leaving, Friday afternoon, a couple of serious but fun looking guys were set to drive to the beach to go surfing, 40 minutes away in Orange County.

Tell me again, why is the capital of the U.S. located here in this swampy, mosquitoey city right on the fall line?

As opposed to a place with the san andreas fault, smog, even worse traffic, etc.?

[Anonymous]

If you have never driven in CA, then renting a car from LAX and driving to these colleges will jangle your nerves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last October we took in three schools there over two days. Uber Pool from LAX was insanely cheap, maybe 30-40 bucks to carry two (my wife was already there with one kid, traveled by car). There is a hotel listed on the school’s site that is a big local favorite, it tr*mps the Doubletree, we stayed there and loved it plus it was more easily walkable than the Doubletree. Somehow our kids didn’t adore it as much as my wife and I - we were ready to move and retire there in a second. I think they sensed the cultural differences, such as the Pitzer query as to what pronoun the kid wants to go by.

As we were leaving, Friday afternoon, a couple of serious but fun looking guys were set to drive to the beach to go surfing, 40 minutes away in Orange County.

Tell me again, why is the capital of the U.S. located here in this swampy, mosquitoey city right on the fall line?

Someone is a little fuzzy on their history.