2011 grad here for questions

<p>Hi guys, </p>

<p>I'm a recent graduate of Scripps and in light of recent acceptance letters I decided to see if anyone wanted to ask any questions that are on your minds now that you know what a great school this is and are trying to make some tough decisions. </p>

<p>So basically I'm here to answer any questions you can find the answer to on websites. </p>

<p>My info:
major: chemistry (interested environmental applications)
CMS athletics for 4 years
abroad in Istanbul Junior year
Currently teaching english abroad for the year before starting "real world" life</p>

<p>So anything is up for grabs and I'll try to answer things as best I can!</p>

<p>EDIT: So basically I’m here to answer any questions you <strong>can’t</strong> find the answer to on websites. </p>

<p>Sorry, I guess I don’t proof read anymore now that I’m graduated!</p>

<p>Hello, 2much2do! I’m currently deciding between UC Berkeley and Scripps. Aside from the obvious, what do you think sets Scripps apart from other schools? In other words, why Scripps?</p>

<p>I could give you the whole small school vs big school spiel but I’m guessing you’ve heard that one before. I probably wouldn’t have anything original to add if I went on and on about our small class sizes and blah blah blah. </p>

<p>Instead I’ll just answer you question, why Scripps? Because Scripps is a place you can live for four years and still wake up in the morning and say “I can believe I live here.” </p>

<p>My host on in her shoes day said that to me when I first visited the school and on almost everyday, even on HORRIBLE days, I would still have that same thought. Why? I don’t know, its not super quantifiable, but Scripps has a sort of dreamy quality. I think because it was the first time that I realized that I should be learning for myself, and not for other people, and not to get the grades. After working way too hard to pave my way through a poor high school in a town where most people don’t go on to higher education, I was at my wits end, fed up with dead end mentalities. Scripps really helped me discover that learning is about becoming the person you want to be by gaining knowledge about issues that are truly important, not information that will appear in multiple choice bubble letter format. </p>

<p>I am a science major so I took relatively few discussion-based courses, but I can tell you that the hype about core is real. I absolutely hated the masses of reading and opted to skim before class rather than read most of the time (which I wouldn’t really recommend but you gotta do what you gotta do!). Anyway, some of the conversations I had in those classes where the most thought provoking and eye opening I’ve ever experienced. There you are in a class full of girls who all have different backgrounds than you, but your commonality is Scripps and that you all worked hard to get where you are and you give a damn about your class because you don’t HAVE to show up. You also have an incredibly qualified professor leading the discussion making you really think about what you just said! Its just so great because the pressure is off, you’re not just talking to the teacher to kill time before they hand out work, nor are they lecturing you, the class is about the students. </p>

<p>I would choose Scripps for another, perhaps more important reason. That is, go there if you place equal value on life and school! It might sound like a silly thing to say, but I by far had the most fun jam packed action filled college experience of all my high school friends (but I’m sure I’m a little biased!). The social life here is just overflowing with things to do in such a small space. I’ve never before or after met people who were not only smart, but so good and life! People who push you to DO things, make you say, “hey, why shouldn’t I go surfing or to a concert this weekend? I’ll just be procrastinating studying if I don’t go!” This is really a go big or go home place where people don’t care so much if they fall on their butts, as long as they gave things a shot. Its just a place full of super motivated people who don’t put all their eggs into one academic basket. </p>

<p>I have many more things to stay about Scripps but I’ll save you the pain of reading any more of my ramblings for now! But I hope this is at least a little helpful!</p>

<p>Hi 2much2do:</p>

<p>I was wondering how much emphasis there is on writing at Scripps. On the one hand, I am not a strong writer at all. On the other hand, that’s one of the things I’d like to work on in college. So, at Scripps do you think I’m more likely to feel overwhelmed by the writing expectations or supported in an effort to grow in an area I don’t shine in. By the way, I’m probably going to major in one of the social sciences. Thanks!</p>

<p>Hi granolabowl!</p>

<p>HA I was absolutely in your shoes when I came to scripps. I was a pretty horrid writer but unlike you I wasn’t really aware of how much I sucked compared to the other girls haha. But now worries, there is actually a required class first semester freshman year called writing 50 which is where I was enlightened! There are many different topics for writing 50 classes, I think I took one called globalism or something, but there are all sorts of different themes art, politics, science, etc. It is a really great class and the teachers are all super helpful because the whole goal of it is actually to prep you for college level writing. By the end of that class I really felt like I had grown and it wasn’t a class I ever felt obviously behind in or anything, but the teacher put in alot of time to help everyone. If you got a bad grade on an essay rewrites were allowed which were the most helpful because you’d get to go over your paper during office hours and see what exactly needed improving. </p>

<p>overall, don’t be nervous you’ll be fine!</p>

<p>Hi 2much2do,</p>

<p>Thanks so much for answering my question. It’s really kind of you and so reassuring. If you don’t mind a follow up question, did you ever use any of the writing centers at Scripps or the other colleges and if so was it helpful?</p>

<p>I think I went to the writing center once and they were actually really helpful. I’m not someone who words flow easily for and the people that work there are definitely the opposite so their input is always great. Plus a new set of eyes reading something you’ve been working on for hours can often point out issues with flow and structure much better than your tired mind can. They definitely help, but to go to the writing center you obviously need to not procrastinate and have you paper a good deal written at a timely hour the day before class! Which I rarely did so I didn’t go there much!</p>

<p>Hi 2much2do:</p>

<p>Thanks again for your input. From everything you’ve said and from the admission tour Scripps sounds like a wonderful experience! I have another question on an entirely different subject. I’d like to try and do internships in L.A. How hard is it to get into the city and how doable is it to do an internship and carry 4, or is it 5?, classes. Hope you don’t mind me peppering you with all these questions, btw!</p>

<p>No problem that’s what I’m here for! </p>

<p>I only know one girl, she went to CMC, who commuted in and out of L.A. for an internship. She had her own car of course and worked it so that she only had tuesday thursday classes (which is very common and easy to do if you’re not taking any math or science). She did fine with it but I know she didn’t have a super rough course load that semester either. I don’t think it would be worth your time to do an internship in LA anytime you’re taking rough classes, just because it would be too much to juggle. We usually only have 4 classes, 5 is an overload semester. </p>

<p>So it can definitely be done but you’d have to plan accordingly and of course that would depend on your major.</p>

<p>I have a couple of friends who are doing internships in L.A. Both are getting course credit for their internships, I believe, which helps lessen the burden of classwork (you take an internship + 3 classes). One is a media studies major doing an internship with a production company, the other is a Music & Psych major doing an “educational programs” internship with the L.A. Opera. My music friend has a car, but chooses to take the Metrolink into the city to avoid traffic, and because the Metrolink stop in L.A. is conveniently placed for her particular needs. It’s about an hour-long train ride, and the station is in the Claremont village, very close to campus.</p>

<p>Hi 2much2do and eternalicicle</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your responses. They’re so helpful and encouraging.</p>

<p>2much2do, I actually just found a thread you started in 2007 about math/science at Scripps while googling around. I’ve already committed to Scripps, but do you have anything to add about the math department / getting into grad school while up against Mudders and the like?</p>

<p>What kind of graduate opportunities are available? What are schools that scripps girls are accepted too, etc?</p>

<p>I don’t have any insight into the Math department, but for cwinche–
This page has some outcomes about class of 2010 ([Scripps</a> College : Life After College](<a href=“Campus Life | Scripps College in Claremont, California”>Campus Life | Scripps College in Claremont, California)) including examples of graduate school acceptances. In this year’s class, I know people who are headed to the Cortauld, Oxford, University of East Anglia, Mills College, Johns Hopkins, University of Washington, Tulane, etc. </p>

<p>The alum database is accessible to Scripps students, and allows us to search by graduate school as we research where to apply, want past student’s insights, etc. I’ve decided that I’d like to go to graduate school in Higher Education Administration three or four years from now, and the staff on campus who have been through those types of programs have all been really open to giving me advice and telling me about their experiences in HEA Masters programs. [It’s not something you really think about as a high school student, but the admissions officers (and other administrators on campus) often have Masters degrees (or higher) from some of the best education graduate schools in the country, like Columbia, Harvard, UCLA, and even Claremont Graduate School.] Being able to network with Scripps alums, but also Scripps employees, has been a great way for me learn more about potential schools and the process to get there.</p>

<p>Thanks so much. That was very helpful. I have officially picked scripps for fall. I’m so excited.</p>

<p>I just finished my first year at Smith and have been accepted to transfer to Scripps. Scripps seems like an amazing step up (in terms of what I’m looking for) from Smith: a women’s college with so many more options to make male friends. However, Scripps told me when I was accepted that they were unable to provide on-campus housing for incoming transfers, so I’ll have to find my own apartment off campus. I’m really worried that this, combined with entering as a transfer, will make integrating into the community much more difficult and even make transferring not worthwhile. Could anyone weigh in on how detrimental living off-campus might be?</p>

<p>Hi texaschick, sorry this is mad late and you might never read this but I thought I would reply anyway. </p>

<p>I would be nervous about integrating with the rest of the class if they told me I had to find my own housing too, but don’t worry too much because in the end I don’t think it will be a big deal! Scripps (and all of the claremonts) have had major housing shortages the last few years. For those that they can’t fit on campus there are off campus apts that are really nice and kind of like a mini dorm because there are c-mont kids everywhere. But honestly it probably wont be that hard to get a room on campus by at least second semester because first semester there are always tons of room mate clashes and girls move out leaving empty spots often. What I would do is find somewhere that will let you sign a lease only through December and hope that you can get on campus or in a school apt after that. BUT there are tons of kids who opt to live off campus on their own and its definitely becoming a more popular option, especially among pitzer students. So if you do some web searching around August I’m sure there will other kids from the college dying for a room mate to cut the high cost of rent in Claremont!</p>

<p>Here’s a question. So far I’ve loved everything I’ve seen or heard about Scripps, but before I apply ED1 I want to know, what don’t you like? Or even, what might you tweak a little?</p>

<p>Here’s my question: My mom doesn’t want me to go Scripps. She’s barely letting me apply and that’s because I’m paying for it. I live in Missouri. Is it worth it? Will she ever be happy if I go there?</p>