<p>Hi prospective Pitzer applicants!</p>
<p>I'm a recent alum from Pitzer and would love to answer any of your questions. All of my answers will be based on my personal experiences at the College. As always, if there are questions regarding deadlines etc, your best bet is to contact the admissions office directly. </p>
<p>I know there are a few more PZ alumni hanging around the CC board as well--chime in! </p>
<p>Pitzer is a really remarkable college. I hope I can be of help!</p>
<p>Hi Erdnase! Thank you for taking the time to help myself and other prospective students. I just have a few questions for you.
<p>Hi, I am going to be a freshman at PZ next year. I applied ED1 because I knew Pitzer was the place for me from the get go. I have always been so passionate about diversity, environmental issues, and activism. I hope that in my class at Pitzer I will finally be able to find more people like me who are excited by stuff like that. I constantly talk about minority issues and how to bring diversity to the forefront of my school. Pitzer’s values seem to align with mine. But is that all just talk? Does everyone really eat, sleep, and breathe those core cultural values? I really hope so. Because that’s what I love most about Pitzer.</p>
<p>Since Erdnase has not replied yet, here you go. </p>
<p>My Alum take is as follows: 1) most 5Cs use the Honnold library, but it would nice if Pitzer had a more expansive library on its own campus, also would be nice if it had a great gym (but most use the Pomona gym as they collaborate in sports); (2) it is a 35 minute drive to LA and even closer to Pasadena; (3) yes, it is easy to take classes at all 5Cs, but each specific school typically has priority; (4) I personally went to Palm Springs, Pasadena or LA with friends at least once a month to break up the Claremont scene; (5) typical college dating scene, percent exclusively dating, percent actively dating w/ hook ups; (6) if you want good grades and are in a challenging major (like Economics), plan to work hard; and (7) very satisfied with my undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for responding!</p>
<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>I apologize for not responding earlier, I’ve been traveling for the past month or so and access to the Internet has been somewhat sketchy. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is there anything about Pitzer that you don’t like or feel could be improved upon?
The biggest issue I have with Pitzer is also one of its strengths. At Pitzer, students have the ability to do just about anything when it comes to academics or campus life. Want to create a major? Great, do it! Want to bring a speaker to campus? Great, do it! However, sometimes this leads to a more laissez-faire attitude by the College administration that can hurt continuity. Because students are the ones that make a lot of the clubs and programming happen, there’s not always a lot of institutional memory. Sometimes, it would be nice if the admin did do more. </p></li>
<li><p>How accessible is LA?
Relatively accessible, with the understanding the LA is one giant urban sprawl. It’s very easy to get into the downtown area thanks to the Metrolink train system, which goes straight from Claremont to LA Union Station in about one hour. However, if you’re talking about getting around the direct vicinity of Pitzer (the Inland Empire), then a car is helpful. Luckily, it’s easy to rent one for a relatively low price from ZipCar</p></li>
<li><p>Is it easy to take classes at the other Claremont Colleges?
Definitely. Everyone does it, and there’s really no special process to do so. </p></li>
<li><p>Do you ever get bored with Claremont?
I wouldn’t say I got bored, but my interests definitely changed over the 4 years. While my experience with the academic community was always amazing, socially I would say a lot of seniors slowly progress from being interested in the massive 5-college parties towards hanging out with smaller groups of friends/going to bars and clubs in the area. However, Claremont is a pretty vibrant place! </p></li>
<li><p>Are the a lot of people in relationships or is there more of a hookup culture?
My experience is that there are quite a few people in relationships, but there does seem to be somewhat of a hookup culture. Depends. </p></li>
<li><p>Did you find the academics to be challenging?
Definitely. It can somewhat depend on the course and the professor (as it would at any college,) but I would say that it’s pretty challenging. </p></li>
<li><p>Were you satisfied with your undergraduate experience?
Absolutely. Very satisfied. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps! </p>
<p>:D thanks for responding I truly appreciate it!!</p>
<p>@erdnase808 @Graduate
<p>Thank you!</p>