Pomona is grade-deflating and rigorous in pre-med and CS.

Wesleyan is very rigorous in econ and science.

Swat is rigorous in everything.

Harvey-Mudd is the most rigorous in STEM.

Haverford is very rigorous in science.

CMC very strong in government and econ.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?

Haverford is still very intellectual. Yes, rigorous and still very good at preparing students for PhD programs. Claremont is the most bro-ish, right leaning, and business-oriented of all the Claremont schools, probably of all the strong SLACs. Wesleyan is interesting - maybe because it is much larger than the others - because it is a funny mix of artsy/political/just missed Brown types and a pretty different athlete group. At least that is how we felt when we visited. We visited all three on admitted student days and know kids who attend.

When looking at the most intellectually rigorous LACs, Williams and Swarthmore come to mind (both not on OP's list). My DS is at CMC and it's not very right-leaning or bro-ish in his experience. A recent student poll determined it is over 2/3 liberal or very liberal. There are 2-3 Maga kids per year, but most of the small-ish (less than 1/3) conservative students consider themselves centrist (think Bill Kristol not Steve Bannon) and most dislike Trump. The faculty at CMC does have some professors who are conservative, but they don't lecture their views but just want open dialogue and some of their favorite students are very liberal. It's a great place.

Haverford is still a very intellectual place. One of DS's good friends is studying science there and really enjoys the rigor. They all have to do a thesis which is rare at some other colleges.

Wesleyan was grouped with Williams and Amherst for awhile as one of the "little three", and is only 30 minutes from Yale, so I do think it's known to have an intellectual vibe.

Vassar has rigorous academics as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?

Haverford is no longer rigorous. Of the schools you mentioned, CMC is the most rigorous, and the most bro. Although Wellesley is pretty “bro” in its own right.

CMC is not particularly rigorous, it is typical for a school with kids in the academic profile that attend. It is the most pre-professional of the schools mentioned. All of these schools are excellent.

What does typical mean in this context?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a super woke school.

How did last nights election work out for you little Karen?

The NYC election is going to work out pretty well since I own Florida real estate. To da mudda fuggin moon!

Anonymous wrote:It’s a super woke school.

How did last nights election work out for you little Karen?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?

Haverford is no longer rigorous. Of the schools you mentioned, CMC is the most rigorous, and the most bro. Although Wellesley is pretty “bro” in its own right.

CMC is not particularly rigorous, it is typical for a school with kids in the academic profile that attend. It is the most pre-professional of the schools mentioned. All of these schools are excellent.

Anonymous wrote:Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?

Haverford is no longer rigorous. Of the schools you mentioned, CMC is the most rigorous, and the most bro. Although Wellesley is pretty “bro” in its own right.

Anonymous wrote:It’s a super woke school.

Wellesley appears in this survey-based site:

Colleges Where Students Study the Most | The Princeton Review https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=students-study-most

Rigor is not measurable.

You can't measure something based on anecdotal commentary from those who experience life differently and from different perspectives.

This kind of conversation always devolves into an immature slap fight.

Why worry about this? All these schools offer an excellent education and their graduates go on to success in many fields.

Anonymous wrote:Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?

Haverford is still very intellectual. Yes, rigorous and still very good at preparing students for PhD programs. Claremont is the most bro-ish, right leaning, and business-oriented of all the Claremont schools, probably of all the strong SLACs. Wesleyan is interesting - maybe because it is much larger than the others - because it is a funny mix of artsy/political/just missed Brown types and a pretty different athlete group. At least that is how we felt when we visited. We visited all three on admitted student days and know kids who attend.

Can only speak to Wesleyan. It is rigorous intellectually, sharp students who are expected to think, and classes are challenging--lazy students wouldn't succeed. But it is not a "grind" school, with rigor for the sake of weeding out the strong from the weak. And the student body doesn't have a competitive mentality. It's more a place for deep conversation, meaningful discussion, critical thinking, and a place where students work hard but also have time/mental energy to pursue friendships and non-academic passions.

It’s a super woke school.

Not interested in hearing how woke you think these schools are.

Back when I was applying to college, Haverford was seen as one of the most intense, grade deflated liberal arts colleges you could apply to. Has it kept its rigorous reputation as a challenging place to go to school academically? What about Wesleyan, Claremont McKenna, or Wellesley?