User Profile

Undergrad2011

Claremont McKenna College '11
Majoring in Mathematics
Member since 7/29/2011

Academics at Claremont McKenna College

B+

Not the Place to Find Intense, Hard Academic Learning. Great for Any Othe Priority!

You don't ever walk into a classroom full of nerds at CMC. On the downside, this means not too many enthusiastically technical academic conversations. Nerds exist only in small pockets. On the upside, CMC has a wonderful networking atmosphere. You take classes to get the degree, but you go to CMC to learn how to make connections. It's probably the most useful skill for life. The level of academics reflects this dynamic: classes demand enough that you learn the standard things but give you room for parties, friends, sports, and sleeping in. CMC has a strong business slant. It's unusual for such a small school to have a major specifically for Accounting and a sequence (basically, a minor) for Finance. I took a lot of Accounting classes before I decided on another major, but there are truly several strong professors teaching Accounting. That being said, the overlooked Literature department is my favorite. The overall quality of the Literature professors is very high. The Math department is quite bad but has two very good professors. Also, CMC launched online registration in 2008, and it has made the registration process incredibly easy. I never had difficulty registering for classes I wanted to take, though it helped to be open to one or two alternative classes until second semester junior year. Most Science, Math, and Economics majors seem happy with registration. Some Philosophy and Psychology majors I knew had some difficulty getting courses they needed.

Jul 29, 2011

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Drug Safety at Claremont McKenna College

A-

Very Liberal Drinking Policy, Easy-Going Flow of Drugs

Policy on drinking is very lax. It's nice when the administration, security, and the student body don't waste time fighting over alcohol, although recently, tensions have grown between the student body and administration. Still, beer pong happens out in the open. There are a few day-time drinking parties (to name a few: 6:01, Pirate Party, Senior Fountain Day). Similar to other small colleges, it seems there are a few freshman every year who get alcohol poisoning. They are looked down on. CMC prides itself on knowing how to handle its drink. People will not ostracize you if you don't drink, but many people who don't drink don't enjoy the party scene. Since the party scene is a large part of CMC's culture, memory-making, and fun, non-drinkers may feel like outsiders at CMC. Drug culture is less main-stream at CMC, but there are quite a few who have tried "soft" drugs, and if you search hard, you can find friends who enjoy doing harder drugs together. Smokers smoke together but do it discreetly where it rarely bothers students passing by. There is not enough culture around any drug to give a "peer pressure" vibe, though it is a rare student who leaves CMC without having tried drinking at least once.

Jul 29, 2011

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Scholarships at Claremont McKenna College

B

It's Average

The higher your GPA and SAT scores, the more money CMC gives you in financial aid. Of course, if you show a lot of need on your FAFSA, you can also get very good financial aid. One person I knew was paying for less than 2/5 the $50,000 yearly tuition.

Jul 29, 2011

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