Wonderful college experience — smart peers, great professors, and a lovely place to become an adult

Slightly less name recognition on east coast than peer schools

Visit! CMC is all about fit. The 5C community is fantastic, really gives you the social benefits of a slightly larger college with the administrative/logistical benefits of a small school.

Yes

There are very comprehensive general requirements that involve students in real 'liberal arts'. That is, students must take math, two sciences, humanities, social studies, economics, government, and language in addition to major classes. The selection of GE courses is fantastic, though, and rarely is a real problem to complete. Class sizes are fantastic. Never too large - I have upper division Spanish courses (one of my majors) with six people. All in all... very supportive and fantastic.

In a word... we are the happiest in the nation!

Using the Common Application online, CMC asks you to complete the general application with a personal statement, transcript, etc. CMC also asks students to complete more comprehensive questions, as well as a full extra "leadership" essay analyzing the style and life of a world leader. CMC also considers visits, interviews, and overnight stays. It's very comprehensive. The big scholarship opportunity for CMC are the Seaver and McKenna Scholars apps - best done in advance.

3

2012

Common App + essays

2011

Students love dorms and almost everyone lives on campus.

Unique essay prompts. Common app.

2011

Classes are size, making for accessible faculty and challenging discussions. The workload is heavy, but possible.

Everyone at CMC is extremely satisfied, due to close-knit dorm life, amazing food, challenging classes, active social life, and awesome facilities.

Common application with unique supplement, interview optional, early decision optional, financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

2011

There are more GE requirements than at most other schools, including other liberal arts institutions. We have the unique opportunity to cross-major (major at any of the other 4 colleges we share a campus with) while still retaining a diploma from CMC. Class sizes are always capped at 19. Research opportunities are abundant; if a student wants a research position s/he can generally find one. The lower level classes are typically filled with student athletes. More than half of students study abroad; I had the opportunity to spend a semester working full-time plus taking classes in Washington, DC on CMC's unique Washington Program. CMC professors generally don't inflate grades.

Housing is expensive but worth it. 99 percent of students stay on campus all 4 years, which is a rarity. We have a great library, which is shared amongst 5 schools -- this gives us the benefit of remaining a small, tight-knit school while having the resources of a larger insitution. The same is true with the dining halls, as we can eat at one of 7 across all the schools at any given time. Crime is very low and many students feel comfortable leaving their belongings (including computers and the like) alone for shorter periods of time out in public. The neighborhood is great, and the village of Claremont is within walking distance and has many places to relax and find food on a weekend afternoon. We were ranked by the Daily Beast as the Happiest Students at any school in the country, and it's very much the truth.

The application consists of the Common App plus an additional, very unique set of college-specific questions. I applied regular decision, but many others I know applied early decision. Financial aid is very generous and is all grant-based (no loans.) Many scholarship opportunities exist, especially for minorities/underprivileged students and students looking for interdisciplinary majors.

3

2012

My professors have office hours several times a week and many of them live within walking distance of campus. Furthermore, my dorm room is located within 150 yards of all of my professors' offices. It is hard to live amongst a faculty more accessible than what we have here at CMC. My classes are small and as a science major, my labs are even smaller. Because we are a liberal arts college, research opportunities are plentiful without competition from graduate students.

Most schools at the top of the rankings will give you a similar academic experience. CMC is uniquely focused on maintaining a high quality of student life through its residential and social programs. Our dorms are among the best and we have food to match. Furthermore, being part of a consortium means that there are numerous dining halls that we can pick from. These are just some of the many reasons why CMC students are the happiest in the nation.

The admission process at CMC is very straight forward and nothing less than what you would expect from one of the most selective liberal arts colleges in the U.S. Unlike other colleges, CMC puts more emphasis on the activity sheet from high school and previous demonstration of leadership potential. CMC's admission office is also looking for fit. CMC is more concerned with admitting students that will fit into the CMC community than simply admitting the students with the highest SAT/ACT scores. Our admission officers are extremely helpful and outgoing. They do not exhibit the same arrogance and pretentious behavior demonstrated by admission officers at similarly selective institutions.

4

2012

Lots of GE requirements, but also a lot of choices within those, reasonable amount of major requirements, a lot of faculty advising, class sizes at an average of 16, office hours all over the place, healthy competition (not cut-throat), grading is usually consistent within a department, very notable faculty (Jack Pitney, Jamaica Kincaid), numerous study abroad opportunities (50%+ students study abroad), the Washington DC progam is unique, workload is do-able, but tough!

Great housing (rated one of the top), pricey costs but lots of amenities like housekeeping services, well-maintained facilities, huge library for the Claremont Consortium, dining services are superb, the neighborhood is safe with a nice village area, not a ton of community relations, crimes are scarce and campus safety is top-notch. WE ARE THE HAPPIEST COLLEGE IN THE U.S.!

- Common Application

- Early Decision I and II

- Merit and Need based scholarships

- Interviews (alumni ones, too)

- 3 short essay questions in the supplement

- A few fill in the blank questions

- A Leadership essay

4

2012

Lots of GEs, good academic advising, small classes (less than 19 people), many research opportunities, fantastic faculty, great study abroad opportunities.

outstanding!

Common App + Supplement. Early Decision and Regular Decision. Many financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

2011