Claremont McKenna College Reviews

This is beautiful Southern...

This is beautiful Southern California! For 10 out of 12 months, all you need are shorts, T-shirts, and sandals.

All the facilities are nice on the...

All the facilities are nice on the inside. Although the outside structure may not seem extremely appealing, everything is very spacious, clean, organized, and overall pretty good.

The dorms are all fine. North Quad...

The dorms are all fine. North Quad dorms are my favorite because the door to your room opens up to the outside. But, I prefer living off campus. The campus feels suffocating no matter which dorm you are in.

There is a train going in and out...

There is a train going in and out of LA. Once you get to LA, the public transportation sucks there, too.

People here love to party, and...

People here love to party, and party hard. Mostly everything occurs on campus.

No Greek life. CMC is small enough...

No Greek life. CMC is small enough that it wouldn't really work here. You don't need frats or sororities to meet people, and the school throws parties, so you don't need frats for that either.

It's California. Some people smoke...

It's California. Some people smoke a lot of weed, but some people don't. Apart from pot, though, there isn't really much of a drug scene.

The greatest part is the sense of...

The greatest part is the sense of community created by living with your friends and being able to really talk to your professors because there are so few people in your classes. People here are warm, and the administration is very receptive to the student body.

The library is great with lots of...

The library is great with lots of online resources. Other facilities are sufficient. If you don't like CMC's, you usually can use those at one of the other 5Cs.

The purpose of a small,...

The purpose of a small, residential liberal arts college is to promote community and cohesiveness—something that CMC does extremely well. It is for this reason that there is no Greek life on campus, nor is it very missed. While there are other kinds of service organizations, the school is very good at taking care of the students' social needs. Parties are all inclusive on weekends and sponsored by the school. It cultivates a sense of camaraderie not found at state schools or even some of the larger private colleges.

The teachers at Claremont McKenna...

The teachers at Claremont McKenna College are some of the most brilliant in their field. They are very passionate and enthusiastic about the subject they teach. Even better, they are very accessible. The student body is very small, and they make it a point to always be available to students for help on schoolwork or just some intellectual discussion. The workload varies from class to class, but on average the workload is intense but manageable. Again, maintaining an open communication with professors can drastically simplify things. The economics and government departments at CMC are among the best, if not the best, in the nation. Thus, there are very high standards in the classes that fall within those fields and a lot of work is required to achieve good grades.

The teachers can be hit or miss....

The teachers can be hit or miss. Most of the tenured professors are amazing and really know their stuff, but they know that they're experts and expect very little contribution that conflicts with their ideas. Some of the new professors really struggle with the small class size. The workload is determined by what classes you take, but always expect to be kept on your toes.

Honestly, CMC is pretty white...

Honestly, CMC is pretty white washed with fiscally conservative, upper-middle class, athletic econ-gov majors. We're probably a much more conservative campus than most liberal arts schools and a lot more professionally minded. Other than that, there's not too much diversity, except in religion, which is a very open topic. But the 5Cs are a completely different story. Each school is so different that there's some of everything if you combine all the schools.

No Greek life here!

I've never met anyone who uses...

I've never met anyone who uses public transportation and goes to any of the 5Cs.

CMC is very lax about drugs and...

CMC is very lax about drugs and drinking. Campus Security rarely writes you up, but may on an occasional basis make you pour out your drink. I've had friends smoking weed on a balcony directly above Camp Sec and nothing happened to them. Be safe and you will not have problems. CMC does have the keg fund, which reimburses the dorm throwing the party's funds spent on beer, wine, and wine coolers.

Definitely live on campus all four...

Definitely live on campus all four years! Claremont is expensive to live in off campus, and our dorms are pretty nice. CMC provides housing all four years, which is rare, so take advantage of not having to clean up your bathroom or cook for yourself!

There is a perfect balance between...

There is a perfect balance between nice and formal. The campus is structured perfectly.

I absolutely love Claremont...

I absolutely love Claremont McKenna. I would definitely choose to come here if I had to do it over. Playing water polo, studying abroad, taking classes with the smartest people I have ever been around—it's been absolutely unforgettable.

You should probably bring your own...

You should probably bring your own computer—it makes life a lot easier.

The option is out there, but few...

The option is out there, but few choose to go off campus.

CMC is probably one of the safest...

CMC is probably one of the safest campuses. Apart from the rare reported cases of stolen laptops, there is virtually no crime on campus. If you do feel unsafe at night, you can always call campus security and get escorted back to your room in a golf cart.

There are plenty of both varsity...

There are plenty of both varsity and intramural sports. Certain varsity sports get a lot of hype, like men's basketball. They always have lots of fans during the season. Because CMC is a D-III school, the games and teams aren't wonderful, but they're pretty good and certainly fun to watch. I don't participate in intramural sports much, but my friends who do participate love them.

I would say there is definitely a...

I would say there is definitely a fair amount of marijuana. Every time I walk into my dorm, it reeks of the stuff. While it's here, I don't think that it's a huge part of campus life. In terms of other drugs: I'm sure they exist here, but I haven't come across them.

The weather is fabulous! There...

The weather is fabulous! There are sunny days even in December. You can even study for finals by the pool.