It’s super common to not have heard of a liberal arts college. They are small, usually without well known sports. So, they don’t get attention in TV. The size of under 3K students means a smaller alumni pool. Then, if they are located far from home, there were probably few people you knew who even applied to them. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good schools, but I don’t expect people to know where my alma mater is located even if USNWR likes it.

Anonymous wrote:It's a middling school at best. Surprised they would get any traction

Back in the 80s before USNWR, the Barron’s guides would rank schools by tiers - most competitive, highly competitive, etc. Pomona and Mudd were in the top tier; CMC was in the next tier down. Thus CMC has been a highly competitive LAC for 40+ years, not “middling”.

Anonymous wrote:Like many SLACs, the location sucks.

lol no you are an ignorant idiot

Like many SLACs, the location sucks.

Science is becoming more and more (or returning to) interdisciplinary. Integrated science is considered next gen. This degree also introduces the various disciplines for those interested in science but not sure of a major. Additionally, every freshman at Claremont McKenna is required to take the basic course.

Anonymous wrote:Their integrated sciences program sounds borderline predatory. Instead of having you major in a natural science, they basically want you to major in "Science" and take classes in "Science" with no direct department. That's really dangerous for students who need careers in specific sciences, and they should probably investigate how much interest there even is. Do Claremont Mckenna students even want to do science majors? Seems like a very poly sci/econ heavy place.

What about it is predatory? Just searched it up, and it seems like the type of science program a business/government college would be interested in-a broad mix of knowledge with machine learning and coding embedded. This will likely be a hit for industry

Their integrated sciences program sounds borderline predatory. Instead of having you major in a natural science, they basically want you to major in "Science" and take classes in "Science" with no direct department. That's really dangerous for students who need careers in specific sciences, and they should probably investigate how much interest there even is. Do Claremont Mckenna students even want to do science majors? Seems like a very poly sci/econ heavy place.

Anonymous wrote:It's a middling school at best. Surprised they would get any traction

Middling? I don't have any ties or interest in CMC, but it's extremely good at what it aims to do--placement in consulting, finance, government, and professional programs. It's also got a bigger per-student endowment than most T25 universities.

If there's any catch, it's that CMC is very purpose/result driven in a way that most LACs are not. If you want a more traditionally broad liberal arts style education with lots of learning for learning's sake, there are better LACs (e.g., Pomona). Or, if you're super into something not mentioned in my first paragraph like STEM, art, or most humanities and social sciences, CMC may not be the best place (although you could still pursue such subjects at the other 5C colleges).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has shown interest in Claremont Mckenna, which I 100% wrote off as a mediocre LAC. Then reading through their Roberts Campus and massive alum donation campaign, I am shocked this tiny place hasn't shot to the top of students' lists. They're doubling campus footprint, investing hundreds of thousands to improve research opportunities and internship opportunities, and building a fancy new science department. What is the catch?

Wait a doggone minute - did you say hundreds of thousands?!

They surpassed a billion in fundraising efforts, so I guess $300,000,000 would be more accurate

I was just thinking how top research schools have budgets north of $1B.

I would hope an institution with a medical school, 40+ grad programs, law school, pharmacy school, and 2-10x the amount of undergrads would.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has shown interest in Claremont Mckenna, which I 100% wrote off as a mediocre LAC. Then reading through their Roberts Campus and massive alum donation campaign, I am shocked this tiny place hasn't shot to the top of students' lists. They're doubling campus footprint, investing hundreds of thousands to improve research opportunities and internship opportunities, and building a fancy new science department. What is the catch?

Wait a doggone minute - did you say hundreds of thousands?!

They surpassed a billion in fundraising efforts, so I guess $300,000,000 would be more accurate

I was just thinking how top research schools have budgets north of $1B.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has shown interest in Claremont Mckenna, which I 100% wrote off as a mediocre LAC. Then reading through their Roberts Campus and massive alum donation campaign, I am shocked this tiny place hasn't shot to the top of students' lists. They're doubling campus footprint, investing hundreds of thousands to improve research opportunities and internship opportunities, and building a fancy new science department. What is the catch?

Wait a doggone minute - did you say hundreds of thousands?!

They surpassed a billion in fundraising efforts, so I guess $300,000,000 would be more accurate

It's a great school, probably a T10 LAC, but it's small (1,400), new, and on the West Coast, so it's less known/established. But the quality of students, faculty, and outcomes are extremely good. And the 5C Consortium is unique and a huge advantage.

Anonymous wrote:DC has shown interest in Claremont Mckenna, which I 100% wrote off as a mediocre LAC. Then reading through their Roberts Campus and massive alum donation campaign, I am shocked this tiny place hasn't shot to the top of students' lists. They're doubling campus footprint, investing hundreds of thousands to improve research opportunities and internship opportunities, and building a fancy new science department. What is the catch?

Wait a doggone minute - did you say hundreds of thousands?!

It's a middling school at best. Surprised they would get any traction

DC has shown interest in Claremont Mckenna, which I 100% wrote off as a mediocre LAC. Then reading through their Roberts Campus and massive alum donation campaign, I am shocked this tiny place hasn't shot to the top of students' lists. They're doubling campus footprint, investing hundreds of thousands to improve research opportunities and internship opportunities, and building a fancy new science department. What is the catch?