<p>i'm a senior at CMC. lit/philosophy major. i'm far removed from the admissions process, so i can't really offer any advice on chances (i took the old SATs, i don't even know what these new numbers mean)</p>
<p>but i can answer questions about the school itself</p>
<p>let me know if you have any</p>
<p>this stuff was useful when i was applying (and i'm on similar sites now, in your position, regarding law schools) so i figured i could help some people out</p>
<p>I am going to recycle some of the questions that I asked on a similar Penn thread. The responses were so helpful -- nothing like getting info straight from a student who actually attends!</p>
<p>Would you agree that CMC students tend to have a more "practical, real world" approach to life and their studies vs. many other small LACs? If true, does this make for a more cut-throat academic atmosphere?</p>
<p>What is the social scene like? Is partying the main extracurricular activity by far? How involved are students in other ECs or sports?</p>
<p>I would love to hear your thoughts on housing, study abroad, professors and departments and the others schools in the Consortium.</p>
<p>How much is the affluence of some students a factor on the student body? Is there a lot of ostentatious display of wealth? </p>
<p>How good is job placement after graduation?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>do you know anything in regards to the Washington D.C. program, or the holocaust/genocide studies sequence? </p>
<p>As a lit/philosophy focus, what types of activities does CMC/consortium have to do? Any special events?</p>
<p>And how is the athenaeum?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Would you agree that CMC students tend to have a more "practical, real world" approach to life and their studies vs. many other small LACs? If true, does this make for a more cut-throat academic atmosphere?</p>
<p>--- i would tend to agree that they do, but i don't know much about other LACs. CMC isn't very cutthroat, however; people are always willing to form study groups, help each other out, etc.</p>
<p>What is the social scene like? Is partying the main extracurricular activity by far? How involved are students in other ECs or sports?</p>
<p>--- lots of drinking and partying. CMC throws a school-sponsored party every Thursday and Saturday night, and sometimes on Fridays. partying is the main EC activity. that said, people are pretty involved in intramural sports and to a lesser extent varsity NCAA sports. IM football and IM bowling are two of the favorites.</p>
<p>I would love to hear your thoughts on housing, study abroad, professors and departments and the others schools in the Consortium.</p>
<p>--- with regards to housing, South quad tends to be more "academic," North quad tends to be more of a party atmosphere, and Mid-quad is a little bit of both. i lived in South quad as a freshman, which was nice because i met a lot of other freshmen, and then moved up to North as a sophomore and junior, and really enjoyed it. i live in the senior apartments now. the fact that everyone lives together creates a sense of community, which is usually nice.</p>
<p>--- regarding study abroad, it's really easy to do, assuming you have a halfway decent GPA, and a large percentage of the CMC class chooses to do it. i didn't do it, and it's the one thing i regret not doing. CMC sends people wherever they want; i know people who went to Africa, Ireland, Australia, Oxford, etc. i know that the other school stress study abroad as well; lots of Scripps students do it.</p>
<p>--- regarding professors, i can really only speak from a Literature/Philosophy standpoint, but the professors in those departments are excellent, especially the Lit department. most of the professors at CMC have ridiculous resumes, coming from Harvard PhD programs and whatnot, and they're all extremely accessible. it's nice being able to run over to their office after class to ask questions about a particular paper.</p>
<p>--- the other schools in the Consortium: CMCers tend to mingle a lot with Scripps girls. Pitzer generally keeps to theirselves, and we don't see much of them. Mudd does the same, but they throw a couple huge parties each year. Pomona and CMC tend to stay separate, but sometimes mix. it's really easy to take classes at any of the schools; i've taken several at Pitzer, and a couple at Scripps. i haven't taken any at Pomona but i know a lot of my friends have.</p>
<p>How much is the affluence of some students a factor on the student body? Is there a lot of ostentatious display of wealth?</p>
<p>--- not much. on the one hand, you can tell no one is exactly poor, but on the other hand, you can't really tell which ones are rich. i know several kids who seemed completely normal to me, and then my buddies told me that their parents were billionaires; however, if they hadn't said anything, i would have had no idea. CMCers all give the impression that they have some money, but none really give the impression that they have a lot of money, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>How good is job placement after graduation?</p>
<p>--- pretty good. i'm not searching for a job, i'm going to law school, so i can't say definitively. i do know that for my friends who are going into consulting, CMC places very well. almost all of my friends have jobs. also, for grad school, CMC is extremely well-regarded. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>--- no problem. i saw there was one more question, but i'm heading down to San Diego to watch the football games, so i'll answer that one and any others tomorrow. feel free to follow up on any of these answers. hope i helped.</p>
<p>I heard from a friend whose sister attends Pitzer that there's an abundance of "Jock/Bro"-types at CMC. I was a little surprised about this. Is this accurate? </p>
<p>Generally, what are students LIKE? Is there a good spread of types of people, or is it relatively homogeneous?</p>
<p>Every school has its negative stereotypes. CMC students have a reputation for being more jockish, Pitzer students are stereotypically rich hippies, and Pomona students are elitist and pretentious. Obviously there is some truth to these stereotypes, but they are not true of all (or even most) of the students at any of the schools. </p>
<p>There are lots of different types of students at CMC. But I think in general, compared to other schools, CMC students tend to be more practical, down-to-earth, ambitious, and of course, politically aware.</p>
<p>do you know anything in regards to the Washington D.C. program, or the holocaust/genocide studies sequence?</p>
<p>--- not really, sorry. i know a fair amount of kids who did the D.C. program and enjoyed it, but i don't really know much more about it.</p>
<p>As a lit/philosophy focus, what types of activities does CMC/consortium have to do? Any special events?</p>
<p>--- outside of a senior thesis, which all majors have to do, the activities are nothing out of the ordinary. have to take 9 lit classes + GEs to graduate. </p>
<p>And how is the athenaeum?</p>
<p>--- the ath is really cool, but i didn't go enough. i think i went like 5 or 6 times and took it for granted. now i'm going to go more this last semester while i still can. the school does a great job in getting speakers; Scalia, Bill Clinton, and Bono all came to give talks.</p>
<p>I heard from a friend whose sister attends Pitzer that there's an abundance of "Jock/Bro"-types at CMC. I was a little surprised about this. Is this accurate?</p>
<p>Generally, what are students LIKE? Is there a good spread of types of people, or is it relatively homogeneous?</p>
<p>--- compared to Pitzer, yes. but the viewpoint of a Pitzer student is going to be slightly biased; their student body is, for lack of a better word, eclectic. CMC is a bi t more homogeneous; there are indeed Jock/Bro types, but that's still a minority group. i would say that the student body isn't a huge spread; there's a definite lack of minorities in comparison to, say, Pomona, and so that creates a sense of a lack of variety. that said, there's generally a group for anyone, be they a Jock/Bro or anyone else.</p>
<p>How do you decide which classes/professors to take? The Penn students refered to some kind of internal rating system they could access to get a sense of how hard a class was. Is there something similar at CMC or for the entire consortium?</p>
<p>What are the gym facilities like?</p>
<p>How about the food? Is it true that lots of people end up eating at Scripps?</p>
<p>You mentioned that CMCers mingle a lot with the Scripps girls. How do the CMC girls feel about that? How are they different (or are they?) from the Scripps girls?</p>
<p>How often do go off campus? What would be activities that take you off campus; do people ever go into LA?</p>
<p>Does one need/ want a car?</p>
<p>Where do people typically go on Spring Break? Are there a lot of people going to exotic/really expensive destinations?</p>
<p>What would you say is the biggest mistake that freshman make, either academically or socially?</p>
<p>You mentioned, that if you had to do it all over again, you would do study abroad and attend more athenaeum events, anything else come to mind?</p>
<p>Again, thanks so very much for your time and input, much appreciated!!</p>
<p>How do you decide which classes/professors to take? The Penn students refered to some kind of internal rating system they could access to get a sense of how hard a class was. Is there something similar at CMC or for the entire consortium?</p>
<p>--- i just use ratemyprofessor.com. that, plus word of mouth, is usually enough to determine which profs are good and which ones aren't. since it's a small school, most of the people you know will have taken a certain prof at some point, and you can just find information out from them.</p>
<p>What are the gym facilities like?</p>
<p>--- crappy. it bothered me for a while, because i like to work out a lot, but i realized it's enough. there's a decent fitness room (with like treadmills, elliptical machines, bikes, etc) that's open almost all the time, but the weight room leaves a lot to be desired. its hours kind of suck, and it's small. that said, it's easy enough to keep lifting consistently once you tailor your schedule to the weight room hours and stuff. it's no 24 hour fitness, that's for sure.</p>
<p>How about the food? Is it true that lots of people end up eating at Scripps?</p>
<p>--- most people on the 5Cs tend to hate their own dining hall and like the others. i ate at Pomona and Scripps a ton, and rarely at CMC. my girlfriend, who goes to Scripps, hates Scripps and likes CMC food. but yeah, a lot of CMCers do eat at Scripps.</p>
<p>You mentioned that CMCers mingle a lot with the Scripps girls. How do the CMC girls feel about that? How are they different (or are they?) from the Scripps girls?</p>
<p>--- the CMC girls get jealous. Scripps girls can be a little crazy with relationships and whatnot. i'm dating a Scripps girl, and she's normal, but there's definitely a large amount that are a bit nuts - clingy, etc. CMC girls are a little more grounded than their Scripps counterparts. it's a bit of a broad generalization, but it's somewhat accurate. </p>
<p>How often do go off campus? What would be activities that take you off campus; do people ever go into LA?</p>
<p>--- if people have a car, they go into LA/Pasadena quite a bit. i didn't bring a car to school. i go off campus a fair amount; we usually trek into the Village to drink and watch sports at a bar, or we'll drive (my buddies have cars) into Ontario to drink and watch sports. i'd say i go off campus about twice a week. there's no real necessity to leave campus; one could get by without leaving at all, i'd imagine. i just like to leave for a change of pace. regarding what activities take me off campus - generally boozing and sports are the reasons i live. that, and dates to restaurants in the Village with my girlfriend.</p>
<p>edit: i realized i said that boozing and sports are the reasons i live, not leave, as i intended. i believe this is what is known as a "Freudian slip."</p>
<p>Does one need/ want a car?</p>
<p>--- definitely don't need one. the reasons why i went over above. i think i'd like to have one this year, my senior year, since it's a nice luxury to be able to cruise wherever you want and grab food, but if you're on the meal plan there's no real need for a car.</p>
<p>Where do people typically go on Spring Break? Are there a lot of people going to exotic/really expensive destinations?</p>
<p>--- let's see. freshman year, i went to San Felipe, which sucked. sophomore year, we went to Rosarito. last year, we went to Waikiki. this year, everyone is going to Cabo, but i'll be going and investigating law schools. good times. generally speaking, Mexico is usually a favorite destination for spring break. Rosarito, Cancun, etc are the places of choice. most people try to keep it cheap - at least me and my buddies did - but some splurge. i know people are talking about Cabo for 700 bucks this year, which is out of my price range, seeing as i want to go to Europe after graduation. </p>
<p>What would you say is the biggest mistake that freshman make, either academically or socially?</p>
<p>--- hmmm, tough question. i'd say academically, not getting to know their professors. profs generally grade easier once you've gotten to know them, and just going to see them about a paper usually puts you in good standings. i didn't realize this for a couple years. socially, drinking too much and acting a fool. i'm pretty sure every freshman goes through this, though, if they choose to drink. actually, i still do it, and i'm a senior. </p>
<p>You mentioned, that if you had to do it all over again, you would do study abroad and attend more athenaeum events, anything else come to mind?</p>
<p>--- i'd probably take some classes at Pomona. i didn't do that, and i regret not giving it a shot. other than that, i'm pretty happy with what i did in school. i've had a great time and put myself in a decent position for grad school/etc, which is how most people seem to feel.</p>
<p>Great responses! Thanks so much.
Maybe you could convince your girlfriend to come on and answer questions about Scripps and CMC from her perspective!</p>
<p>All the best for you at law school.</p>
<p>I love this thread - it's very helpful! </p>
<p>A few more questions:</p>
<p>How are the dorms? What does a freshman typically get?</p>
<p>What is the geographical diversity like? Do non-west coast students ever feel a little out of place? </p>
<p>How would you compare the overall atmosphere to other small, strong academic schools? Is it more laid-back, etc....</p>
<p>What are the relations like with Pomona/Scripps/HM/Pitzer? I know you touched on this a little already, but is there any sense of superiority among some students?</p>
<p>Thanks again!!!</p>
<p>How are the dorms? What does a freshman typically get?</p>
<p>--- each dorm has 10% of its rooms reserved for freshmen (except, of course, for the senior apartments.) so basically, the freshmen are spread out all over campus. it's basically a crap-shoot on what room you'll get, although you do get to fill out a questionnaire ranking your preferences, and that helps tip the scales sometimes. it should be noted that the south/mid-quad dorms have A/C; north quad does not. bring fans if you're living in north quad. on the flipside, north quad is way more of a party atmosphere, so if you like that, go for it.</p>
<p>What is the geographical diversity like? Do non-west coast students ever feel a little out of place?</p>
<p>--- do they feel out of place? not at all. consider the suite i lived in as a junior (8 people): four of us were from california, one was from ohio, one from NYC, one from houston, and one from phoenix. obviously, there's a higher % of west coast students (especially california and washington) but the east coast students fit in just fine.</p>
<p>How would you compare the overall atmosphere to other small, strong academic schools? Is it more laid-back, etc....</p>
<p>--- i can only really compare it to the other 4 schools around CMC. CMC is definitely more laid-back than Pomona, HM, and Scripps. at the same time, the students do a fair amount of work. i think it's accurate to describe it as a "work-hard, play-hard" environment. everyone does a fair amount of work, and everyone goes out and parties on the weekends. on the flip side, HM, Scripps, and Pomona seem to be more of a "work-hard, don't-play" environment. obviously there are exceptions, but i'm just talking about the student body as a whole: HM, Scripps, and Pomona students seem far less inclined to party or go out.</p>
<p>What are the relations like with Pomona/Scripps/HM/Pitzer? I know you touched on this a little already, but is there any sense of superiority among some students?</p>
<p>--- a few can be slightly elitist. no one really sees anyone from HM, so there is little in the way of relations there. there's definitely some tension between CMC and Pomona; this probably arises from a) the fact that we're rivals in every sport and b) our close proximity in the rankings. Pomona students tend to feel they're smarter than us drunkard CMCers, and CMCers tend to think that Pomona students are arrogant kids with no social skills. i should note that my girlfriend and all her friends (they all go to Scripps) highly dislike the Pomona students - primarily because they see them as elitist ***holes. CMC and Scripps students tend to get along well, especially the CMC guys and Scripps girls, if you know what i mean. Pitzer is another school where CMC doesn't interact with their students much, and CMC students definitely feel a bit academically superior to Pitzer kids. but every Pitzer kid i've met has been real mellow (albeit a bit....unique in their style and attitudes.)</p>
<p>basically, CMC only really interacts with Scripps students on a regular basis. some Pomona/HM/Pitzer kids will wander to CMC parties, but for the most part they keep to themselves. </p>
<p>i do think some of the other schools tend to look down upon CMC as being too party-driven; and CMC students will sometimes look down upon the other schools as being snobbish (except for Scripps, because their students are usually at our parties.) while it's certainly true that CMC parties more than the other schools combined, the production of CMCers and the jobs/grad schools they land upon graduation doesn't reflect the amount of partying they did in college.</p>
<p>anyways, glad to help you all. i hope you choose CMC. i did 4 years ago, and i haven't regretted it. feel free to ask any more questions.</p>
<p>i'm interested in going to cmc, but i'm not into the crazy party scene. i'm looking for a school with a relaxed, chill environment, but i'm afraid cmc might be too extreme. is it really a hardcore party school, or is it not as crazy as people claim it to be?</p>
<p>Does CMC incorporate leadership lessons into the classes?</p>
<p>Is there much of an entrepreneurial spirit at CMC? Do you think CMC is a good school for someone who wants to become an entrepreneur?</p>
<p>Yea, is this a good school for someone who wants to start his own business?</p>
<p>thanks so much for answering all our questions! :)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What is the weather like at CMC? I know its in SoCal but how hot does it get in the fall and spring? Does it ever get cold in the winter?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the small size ever feel claustrophobic? It seems as though the schools don't mix a ton, with the exception of CMC and Scripps, and that students generally stick to their own school communities. And does the CMC + Scripps mix make for an off gender balance?</p></li>
<li><p>HOw much does this sense of leadership that is mentioned so often in reference to CMC pervade the spirit of campus? Does the small size restrict the possibilities for leadership opportunities?</p></li>
<li><p>I've heard people refer to CMC as "a boy's club". Is this true in any sense? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Like any small school I imagine the gay population is small if non existant... is that true of CMC?</p>
<p>Do you think someone who is gay would fit in at CMC, or are CMC more conservative about things like homosexuality?</p>
<p>PS i messages you about the law school forums.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular beliefs, the Gay population at CMC isn't non existent. In fact, our student body- ASCMC president is gay. </p>
<p>Having said that, I've noticed some differences between homosexual students at CMC and lets say Pomona. At Pomona every door has a huge sticker saying ' I support Queer Rights'. CMC- not quite. Most of us support natural and constitutional rights and that seems to cover it! </p>
<p>Gay students at CMC don't publicize or draw attention to the fact that they are gay. They are as important as any other member of the CMC community and therefore they behave like everyone else at classes, career events or the Ath to give a few example. They don't have that high pitched sing-song accent that many homosexuals that I have met tend to exhibit. Chances are you won't even know if a students gay because we respect individuality in tastes and preferences. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Feminist- no student will invade your privacy and shove themselves into your face. </p>
<p>My girlfriend goes to Pomona and the situation is very different. Acting extremely gay and focussing all attention and exhibiting your homosexuality are encouraged over there. I know I'm verbose but its hard to explain this. A good example is a South Park Episode titled the Death Camp of Tolerance. There's Denzel Washington Philadelphia Gay and there's Boat Trip gay. We're the former.</p>
<p>Great thread. The comments are very helpful.</p>
<p>Do you know of any plans to replace or renovate the gym or even replace the gym floor? Coaches might miss it tho, all the dead spots probably make for a substantial home court advantage.</p>