Hi, I’m currently stuck between matriculating at USC and Claremont Mckenna College! My family is very low income, so financial aid is of utmost importance for me. At USC, I would major in Political Economy and at CMC would likely dual major in Government and Economics. I plan on going to law school after (but these things change a lot). I live in Los Angeles, so USC is closer.
My financial aid from CMC was excellent, as I was awarded a large grant along with Pell Grant and state aid, making it so that all that is left from me is a $2,200 summer work contribution and $3500 in work-study. At USC, I received the Leadership Scholarship and another university scholarship, adding up to $12000. However, with the aid I received, I have to take out $3500 in subsidized loans, and my remaining cost is $2500.
They are obviously very different schools-- I think it’s worth mentioning that I do not plan on participating in Greek life. What school would be a better fit for me?
Claremont McKenna College is almost like a large Greek chapter. CMC has an outstanding alumni network & does very well with placements. Plus, CMC is loan free.
A dual major government and in economics is probably more valuable & more flexible than majoring in political economy (whatever that is).
Regardless, CMC is a small, close-knit club, therefore it is important that you feel comfortable with the school culture. If not, then USC is a great option.
I would go for the affordable and at-least-as-reputable option and choose CMC. Keep in mind that your social world wouldn’t be confined to CMC alone, but could expand across the whole consortium of 7000 undergrads.
Don’t compare only first-year costs. There are several factors that make USC a more financially-risky choice over four years:
On-campus housing is guaranteed for all four years at CMC, but not at USC. Off-campus housing near USC varies widely in quality, and you could end up facing some hard choices in terms of balancing your comfort and safety against your budgetary concerns.
CMC’s need-based aid stats look the same across all four years. You can see on the CollegeData profile that the “all undergraduates” numbers look essentially the same as the “freshman” numbers. https://www.collegedata.com/college/Claremont-McKenna-College/?tab=profile-money-tab In contrast, USC’s “all undergraduates” numbers look worse than those for freshmen. https://www.collegedata.com/college/Claremont-McKenna-College/?tab=profile-money-tab The amount of “need-based self-help” (already 60% higher than CMC’s average) goes up after the first year, and the total award amount goes down. To me this says that you can’t be confident that your USC FA package will be as good in subsequent years. Once you matriculate, you drive your bargaining power off the lot.
So, CMC looks like a more solid choice financially. The good news is that it’s at least as solid a choice academically as well - probably more so for your areas of interest. Gov and Econ are CMC’s two biggest strengths. Throw in the fact that you can also benefit from the strengths of the other four Claremont Colleges and I think you have a winner.
However… if you can commute to USC from home, then that’s a different and more complicated analysis. How much would your aid package change if you chose to live at home? Would you want to live at home?
Another factor to consider is what non-resident semesters you’re interested in, and how your aid would apply to those. Do you hope to do a semester abroad or in DC? If so, drill down on the cost comparison there, as the financials around doing this can vary both between colleges and among programs.
Yes! Many of my family members are baffled at why I would choose CMC over USC, but I think that’s because they’re simply unfamiliar with how prestigious CMC actually is.
@aquapt, you bring up very good points. I have heard that housing becomes a nightmare after sophomore year. I would not want to live at home simply because I would want to enjoy the community of the school I go to for all four years.
I think I will end up choosing CMC- I have heard numerous stories about how they essentially throw money at they students (Kravis fund, fully funded internships), especially low-income students.
The only concerns I may have is the stereotype of “econ bros” at CMC (which a current student commented is prevalent but not huge) and perhaps the prestige of it… but as @Publisher commented, it is well regarded, after further research.
My family’s concerns are that employers (in the event that I end up not choosing to go to law school) will recognize USC much more often than CMC.
Current low-income student at cmc and trust me the Econ bros exist but are not what you think they would be at all. The student body is extremely kind and welcoming. CMC is a well-recognized school, it just doesn’t seem like it because it is smaller. The president of Accenture, creator of the show On My Block, governor of Montana, etc. all went to CMC.
