Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 12:08     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?


Both are excellent schools. CMC is a bit smaller and harder to get into (only 1200 undergrads versus Wesleyan's 3000 undergrads). Is your DC at senior or junior? Is this for RD or ED. If RD, I'd say apply to both and retour if admitted on admitted student day and select which felt like a better fit. If considering where to ED and they are happy with both, I'd absolutely suggest they ED to Wesleyan. ED to CMC is very difficult because the higher ED percentage is almost entirely derived by recruited athletes and other institutional priorities (including Questbridge/FGLI). Wesleyan also gives a bump for males which CMC does not, in case that's relevant.

But then again the 5 Claremont colleges is double the size of Wesleyan.


yes but the size of the other 5Cs doesn't help at all with CMC admission because they all run admission separately. CMC only has around 300-ish freshman spots total up for grabs. While Wes has 700-ish freshman spots up for grabs. That's over the double the chances for admission. At 5Cs, you compete for admission at one college at a time.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 12:07     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?


Both are excellent schools. CMC is a bit smaller and harder to get into (only 1200 undergrads versus Wesleyan's 3000 undergrads). Is your DC at senior or junior? Is this for RD or ED. If RD, I'd say apply to both and retour if admitted on admitted student day and select which felt like a better fit. If considering where to ED and they are happy with both, I'd absolutely suggest they ED to Wesleyan. ED to CMC is very difficult because the higher ED percentage is almost entirely derived by recruited athletes and other institutional priorities (including Questbridge/FGLI). Wesleyan also gives a bump for males which CMC does not, in case that's relevant.





great points. OP has a DS so the male bump and Wes being over double the size would give Wesleyan a clear advantage in ED. another thing OP should consider is that CMC has just invested in an experimental integrated science program that has just launched this month and is very new and untested. while the architecture of the building is a big hit, the substance doesn't yet seem fully solid. they've combined the sciences in a seemingly odd way and some students have been scratching their heads and new class is limited from taking science outside CMC at the other 5C colleges because CMC really wants the class to commit to this new integrated science curriculum. but it seems very experimental and a bit risky if it's an area of interest.

that said, both great schools! Wes will be more better known on the east coast, CMC on the west coast.

Is there any source for this? It seems completely antithetical to the Claremont colleges and kids there take science classes across the consortium a lot. When DD and I toured, a Pomona student was taking 3 mudd courses and a Pomona science course at the same time.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 12:05     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?


Both are excellent schools. CMC is a bit smaller and harder to get into (only 1200 undergrads versus Wesleyan's 3000 undergrads). Is your DC at senior or junior? Is this for RD or ED. If RD, I'd say apply to both and retour if admitted on admitted student day and select which felt like a better fit. If considering where to ED and they are happy with both, I'd absolutely suggest they ED to Wesleyan. ED to CMC is very difficult because the higher ED percentage is almost entirely derived by recruited athletes and other institutional priorities (including Questbridge/FGLI). Wesleyan also gives a bump for males which CMC does not, in case that's relevant.





great points. OP has a DS so the male bump and Wes being over double the size would give Wesleyan a clear advantage in ED. another thing OP should consider is that CMC has just invested in an experimental integrated science program that has just launched this month and is very new and untested. while the architecture of the building is a big hit, the substance doesn't yet seem fully solid. they've combined the sciences in a seemingly odd way and some students have been scratching their heads and new class is limited from taking science outside CMC at the other 5C colleges because CMC really wants the class to commit to this new integrated science curriculum. but it seems very experimental and a bit risky if it's an area of interest.

that said, both great schools! Wes will be more better known on the east coast, CMC on the west coast.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 12:01     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?


Both are excellent schools. CMC is a bit smaller and harder to get into (only 1200 undergrads versus Wesleyan's 3000 undergrads). Is your DC at senior or junior? Is this for RD or ED. If RD, I'd say apply to both and retour if admitted on admitted student day and select which felt like a better fit. If considering where to ED and they are happy with both, I'd absolutely suggest they ED to Wesleyan. ED to CMC is very difficult because the higher ED percentage is almost entirely derived by recruited athletes and other institutional priorities (including Questbridge/FGLI). Wesleyan also gives a bump for males which CMC does not, in case that's relevant.

But then again the 5 Claremont colleges is double the size of Wesleyan.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 12:00     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?


Both are excellent schools. CMC is a bit smaller and harder to get into (only 1200 undergrads versus Wesleyan's 3000 undergrads). Is your DC at senior or junior? Is this for RD or ED. If RD, I'd say apply to both and retour if admitted on admitted student day and select which felt like a better fit. If considering where to ED and they are happy with both, I'd absolutely suggest they ED to Wesleyan. ED to CMC is very difficult because the higher ED percentage is almost entirely derived by recruited athletes and other institutional priorities (including Questbridge/FGLI). Wesleyan also gives a bump for males which CMC does not, in case that's relevant.



Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:56     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:I was a Government (political theory) major at Wesleyan. It was excellent. They built a new public affairs center recently. Sciences also very good there. There is also a very rigorous multidisciplinary program-CSS, College of Social Studies.Good luck!


+1
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:48     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is way too woke. CMC will put you in a better position for Wall Street or management consulting.

100% correct.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:42     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan will have elite faculty and the better education, but CMC is a decent choice if you just care about fit.

Wesleyan also will have access to graduate curriculum and Wesleyan is a university, so it has a much more expansive faculty listing and opportunities.

? You don’t seem familiar with the 5Cs…


Agree, what do you mean Wesleyan is a university. CMC is part of a consortium modeled on Oxford that has 5 universities to draw from (all in extremely close physical proximity).

Wesleyan is a real university with grad students. CMC, not so much…
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:22     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is way too woke. CMC will put you in a better position for Wall Street or management consulting.


This is incorrect. CMC might do a bit better in IB but both have great contacts. Pick on fit, two great schools.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:13     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan will have elite faculty and the better education, but CMC is a decent choice if you just care about fit.

Wesleyan also will have access to graduate curriculum and Wesleyan is a university, so it has a much more expansive faculty listing and opportunities.

? You don’t seem familiar with the 5Cs…


Agree, what do you mean Wesleyan is a university. CMC is part of a consortium modeled on Oxford that has 5 universities to draw from (all in extremely close physical proximity).
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:11     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Wesleyan is way too woke. CMC will put you in a better position for Wall Street or management consulting.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:09     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan will have elite faculty and the better education, but CMC is a decent choice if you just care about fit.

Wesleyan also will have access to graduate curriculum and Wesleyan is a university, so it has a much more expansive faculty listing and opportunities.

? You don’t seem familiar with the 5Cs…
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 11:03     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Anonymous wrote:DS wants to double major in political science and integrated/integrative science. After touring CMC, we definitely loved the facilities and community, but felt that Wesleyan may be a stronger name for a kid interested in policy. We’d be full pay for both. Any personal experiences/suggestions?

I think your question is this: “We like CMC better, but should we pick Wesleyan because it is a better name?”
Overwhelming answer: Wesleyan is not a better name.
If only all questions had such easy answers on this site!
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 09:10     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

I was a Government (political theory) major at Wesleyan. It was excellent. They built a new public affairs center recently. Sciences also very good there. There is also a very rigorous multidisciplinary program-CSS, College of Social Studies.Good luck!
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 09:04     Subject: CMC v Wesleyan

Great thread ! Accurate.

CMC & Wesleyan are almost polar opposites with respect to campus culture; Wes is more woke, while CMC is very preppy & preprofessional.

An applicant should be able to clearly distinguish the two schools. Go with the better social fit as academics at both are strong.