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For the non-partier interested in CMC - do not be intimidated or even slightly concerned that many students at the college drink. There are plenty who don't drink or drink occasionally and honestly, nobody cares.
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<p>There should be a little more of a warning here, IMO. If the basis of your concern is that you just don't drink, you'll probably be fine. The pressure to drink is negligible throughout Claremont. If you don't like to be around alcohol or partying, that might be a bigger issue. I've had multiple friends transfer out of CMC because they were uncomfortable with the party scene, or felt that it was too pervasive, although I've also known some very conservative non-drinkers, non-partiers who've been perfectly happy at the school. It's a flexible scene, it's not something that the whole student body participates in, and it's not something that any individual should feel pressured to participate in, but alcohol and partying definitely have a strong presence on the campus, and that shouldn't be understated.</p>
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Depends what you want. Academically, CMC is better than Pitzer. Prestige wise- no debates there either.
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<p>Academically, CMC is different than Pitzer. Let's leave it at that. Pitzer has some absolutely fantastic professors, but the in-class atmosphere, and often the expectations placed on students, are completely different. I'm not willing to say, without any further elaboration, that either one is inferior. Your first sentence was perfect: it depends on what you want, and also on how you best learn.</p>
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Philosophy is better at Pomona and they have some excellent professors. Its a popular major and they get a little more money than the CMC department.
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<p>The CMC philosophy department is joint with Scripps, Mudd, and CGU, meaning that philosophy courses taken on those campuses will count as "on campus" even for a CMC student. Philosophy is not "popular" on any of the campuses, but I had positive experiences throughout Claremont. </p>
<p>To the poster who originally asked about it: there's nothing wrong with heading to CMC without planning on a gov/econ/whatever major, but do be aware that you will have to take civics and econ as GE's, and also that the topics do shape a lot of classroom discussions, even in seemingly unrelated courses. I had no interest in CMC's most popular fields, and I never had a problem in their courses, so that's not a criticism...just a note. I wouldn't compare CMC to Mudd in terms of being a "specialty" school, because going to Mudd without being positive that you (a) want a degree in one of their fields and (b) can tolerate the core would not be advisable. Yes, CMC is more well-known for certain fields than for others, but students still have a wide range of options + a good amount of flexibility. I understood the comparison, just wanted to expand on it a bit.</p>