<p>(already posted in the "College Admissions" thread, but repeated here for the Scripps community, current or potential)</p>
<p>Our daughter is choosing to attend Scripps over acceptances to Williams, Pomona, Carleton, Grinnell, Harvey Mudd, and Univ of Arizona Honors. While this post is partly to trumpet what a great place Scripps is, more importantly its intent is to reiterate the notion that considerably more than just simple rankings needs to be part of your college selection decision. You need to find a place where the academics, social and cultural climate, supportive environment, and geography, all combine to be the best match for you. Being a slave to rankings alone may place you in a wildly uncomfortable academic, social, or geographical situation which could well be reflected in your ultimate academic performance and well-being. Certainly rankings and prestige matter to a degree, but within a broadly defined top tier of national liberal arts colleges and universities finding a good match for your own learning and social style is most critical.</p>
<p>Scripps, of course, is the womens college component of the Oxford-style Claremont Consortium, in Claremont CA, 30 miles east of Los Angeles. Along with Claremont-McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, and Pitzer, they form the finest assembly of liberal arts colleges in the nation. Scripps itself is the most highly regarded womens college west of Massachusetts. But because of the very close geographic and academic connection of all the Claremont colleges Scripps has all the wonderful benefits of a womens college (most especially, a strongly supportive, nurturing community), without the negatives that some women experience in a more isolated setting. And the guys are just across the street !</p>
<p>Academically, the broad-based humanities program at Scripps rightly receives considerable acclaim, but often overlooked is the incredible Joint Science Center program of Scripps, Claremont-McKenna, and Pitzer. In addition, Scripps has a drop-dead gorgeous campus, in Spanish Mediterranean style, widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. The Admissions and Financial Aid staffs have been wonderfully helpful and accessible. Altogether a perfect match for our daughter, and perhaps for you or yours, too.</p>