Pomona College

Greetings From the Campus of Pomona College in Claremont, CA!

Pomona was the first of the Claremont schools to be established in 1887. It was originally conceived to be “the Ivy of the west” on its own, but later joined the consortium. With the largest student body of 1500, it has the most classes and resources. It provides a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences. Admissions likes well-rounded liberal arts students who can handle both the math/sciences and humanities. The school is highly selective with an admit rate of 16%.

The students reminded me of Stanford students: highly successful, unique students, hand-picked by Admissions to provide a diverse class with a broad range of passionate interests. The personality of a Pomona student is “hard-working and easy-going.” One student noted that after all the competition to get into a school like Pomona, they are encouraged to take some time to relax and explore. Top majors are Economics, English and Biology. 80% go on to grad school within 5 years; many are pre-med. Housing is guaranteed all years and Pomona has an unusual number of single dorm rooms.

It is a great school for someone who has a unique accomplishment, is very outgoing, and is a top student in both the humanities and sciences. Students are happy here with a 99% freshman retention rate.

View my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/PomonaCollege02# and visit www.CollegeApplicationAdvisors.com

Claremont McKenna College

Greetings From the Campus of Claremont McKenna College!

The mission of CMC is to “prep leaders in society, business, government, and all professions.” It is best known for Economics (many business courses), Government, and International Relations majors. They also have a joint science program with Scripps and Pitzer.

The key trait of a CMC student is Leadership. The students “know what they want, know where they’re going and how to get there. They lead while learning and learn about leading.” CMC students are: self-confident, outgoing, energetic, ambitious, optimistic, have a ‘can-do’ spirit and are highly involved. Many students are into intramural athletics. It is a work-hard/play hard school with a stress on teamwork. 70% of students go to grad school within 5 yrs (Law, MBA).

It’s a great school for an involved, social, and highly confident student. This campus seemed to be more “bustling” than the other Claremont Colleges. The tour guide described a very social dorm lifestyle. The acceptance rate is 19% and timid students probably won’t get past admissions. The class mix is currently 56% male, so women have an admissions advantage.

There are unique aspects of the school worth noting. First, is their Anthenaeum Speaker Series where they bring in prominent guests 4 nights/week. The night before I was there, they hosted the former President of Syria. Students even have a chance to dine at the same table with the speaker. Secondly, there is full bi-weekly housekeeping for dorm rooms. How great is that? Finally, there is “afternoon tea” with daily refreshments in the lounge with a classical pianist. The day I visited they had chocolate covered strawberries and rice krispies treats. They obviously take great care of their students.

Visit my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/ClaremoneMcKennaCollege# and my web site at www.CollegeApplicationAdvisors.com

Harvey Mudd College

Greetings From the Campus of Harvey Mudd College!

Harvey Mudd specializes in Engineering, Math and the Sciences. Its mission is “to educate scientists who are well versed in technical areas as well as the social sciences.” A minor in the humanities or social sciences is required. A general engineering education is provided. “Students who want to specialize in an engineering field should not apply.” They want “kids who like to drink from a fire hose of knowledge and have superior brain processing power.” 1/3 of the freshman class had Math SAT’s of 800. It is ranked #2 of Undergrad Engineering Schools by USNWR. It is part of the Claremont Colleges Consortium and has 738 students.

Team collaboration is highly stressed and students take their Honor Code very seriously. Students work on 35+ clinic programs per year in groups of 4-5 to solve real world problems. HM students are well aware of the impact their work will have on society and have a great real world appreciation. I was particularly impressed that the faculty seemed very friendly and available - all were in offices with open doors when I toured.

This is a place for “cool” engineers, with a laid-back style, who wear flip-flops, travel by skateboard and love staying up half the night to solve a problem. Most dorms have used furniture, hammocks and fire pits outside for “hanging out.” Harvey Mudd is known on campus for techno-rock and strobe light parties. First semester classes are pass/fail and if a student gets two “high passes” they receive a “Get a Life” letter from the Dean, urging them to relax more. Geeks are welcome and they tend to live in the outer, quieter dorms, but they are outside the typical personality of a Harvey Mudd student.

View my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/HarveyMuddCollege# and visit www.collegeapplicationadvisors.com

The Claremont Colleges

Greetings From the Campuses of The Claremont Colleges!

The Claremont Colleges consist of five liberal arts undergrad schools: Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College and Scripps College. All but Pomona were conceived of and built as a consortium, based on the Oxford model. Each school has its own character and policies, but students can cross-register freely across 2500+ courses and even dual-major. Most schools allow taking up to 1/3 classes at other schools. The 350 acres of campuses adjoin each other and total about 6300 students, with 90% living on campus. The schools are located in Southern California in the beautiful town of Claremont, 35 min/45min from Los Angeles by car/Metrolink train, 1 hour to the beach and 30 min to Mt. Baldy. The most enthusiastic school tradition is Inner Tube Water Polo with a long-standing rivalry between the Pomona/Pitzer team vs. Scripps/Mudd/CMC. The overall Administration’s approach is to encourage “working hard” but also going outside to have fun and relax too. The students seem happy to be there.

It’s great for students who want a highly involved, highly social student body with some diversity in their college experience. It may not be the place for students who want a crowded and bustling campus, as the breadth of the campuses result in a lot of open space. The campuses seemed quiet at times and I wondered, “where is everybody?” They must have been studying. All the schools are highly selective.