<p>i'm applying to mostly big uni's (uc schools and such) but there are some things i don't particularly like about attending a public uni (hard to get the classes you want, lack of connections with professors, etc).</p>
<p>i would like to stay in cali and go to a really good college, though, so i'm now looking at the claremont consortium.</p>
<p>what i'm wondering is: does it really give the social opportunities/experience of a medium-sized uni (like the size of the ivy league schools?) are there a lot of people to meet/things to do/etc? cuz the reason i'm not applying to other LACs is that i feel like it'd be suffocating to only have access to about 1000 people during my undergrad years. i want to meet a lot of new people at college, have plenty of dating opportunities, etc. (sorry if that sounds shallow, but...)</p>
<p>so can anyone fill me in about the claremont colleges in this regard? thanks!!!</p>
<p>The Claremont colleges are fabulous, and will offer the social opportunities available when you have 7,000 or so very well-qualified, intelligent, and often hard-driven students in a relatively small geographical space. Wonderful facilitites, too, excellent faculties. Great climate.</p>
<p>However, one thing it will not offer is the diversity of academic offerings that a really good medium-sized university will. Many of the courses offered in any one of the colleges, especially at the lower level are virtually the same as those offered at one of the neighboring ones. There is a tremendous amount of overlap. And there will be some restrictions on your capacity to access courses at another college when the one you are in offers something similar or the same.</p>
<p>A medium-sized uni you might want to consider is Santa Clara, or, if looking for a larger LAC, Occidental.</p>
<p>that sounds great! i’ll have to look into the academic offerings more though, of course. and one other thing i’m worried about: the girl to guy ratio. since scripps is right there, are there way more girls than guys in the claremont colleges overall?</p>
<p>The gender ratio of the Claremonts overall is about 60/40 leaning female–at <1000 women, Scripps, with partial balancing from male-majority Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna, the ratio is less lopsided than most other consortiums including women’s colleges (cf. 5-College Consortium with, IIRC, 6.7 F to 1 M). Actually, Pitzer probably contributes to much of the imbalance, since Pomona is required by charter to be 50/50.</p>