CMC vs UT Austin vs UW Madison

Colleges and Universities A-Z Claremont McKenna College
1

<p>Hi. Im a senior and just got accepted to all three. heres what im thinking</p>

<li><p>money is not an issue, we make plenty, but i dont want to spend the extra 15k per year at claremont (as opposed to austin and madison) if its not really worth it… but really, its not that big of a deal</p></li>
<li><p>sports are a pretty big deal to me… madison and austin have a leg up, but claremont does actually have some good rivalries and lots of competitive intramural stuff</p></li>
<li><p>social life… i dont want to go to college just to party and drink but having an active social life/good dorm life and whatnot is important</p></li>
<li><p>weather. id prefer colder weather to warmer weather usually, but id take warmer weather over too cold weather, but colder weather over too warm weather… basically im worried that UT will be too hot and UW too cold… but i think claremont, weather wise is just right</p></li>
<li><p>academics</p></li>
<li><p>prestige</p></li>
<li><p>i know there are huge difference between austin/madison and Claremont. But, the thing is that Claremont isnt the typical LAC. Its part of a consortium, so not only do i get to take classes at claremont but i get to take them at harvey mudd, pomona, pitzer and scripps. So i get the class offerings/student pop of a mid-large uni, but the class size of a smaller LAC. also, claremont was voted by Princeton review in like, the top 20 for quality of life, food, dorms, happiest students etc.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>interested in majoring in a humanities related direction - history, english, journalism, politcs, international relations… i really dont know, but strong humanities</p>

<p>thanks for any help and any opinions</p>

2

<p>This is a hard one. They are so different. I'll try and answer your concern but I might fall short of your expectations for an answer. I am sorry for that in advance....</p>

<p>I think what you are comparing is a small school to a big one. And to answer that, you need to decide what you are looking to get out of an education in addition to the type of environment you are looking for in a school.</p>

<p>The education you will obtain at both institutions will be amazing. The issue in education would be to match your teaching style. At large universities you will be taught mostly by TAs. You will have much less interaction with your professors. At small liberal arts colleges (CMC especially), you will only be taught by professors- no TAs. You will become friends with your professors, eat lunch with them, and possibly go to their house for dinner. Sound appealing? If not, don't go to a LAC. If you like a lecture hall of thousands, CMC is not for you since they cap their classes at 18. </p>

<p>If you are one of those kids who needs a huge football team- CMC (or any LAC) is not for you. We love sports here and are often called the Jock-school. 60% of students play on some sports team- Varsity, Club, or Intermural. You will constantly find students in the gym or on a run around campus. We are D3 though... Though we have a very active student body and sports program, we are not a USC. So concerning sports, you will be on a team here and be physically fit- at a bigger school you might just be a spectator. </p>

<p>Social life... yeah, CMC's got one- and so do the other schools. At CMC there are not frats or anything like that. The environment is social. We open our doors to green grass, lounge-chairs and bbqs. People leave their doors open so friends can stop by on their way to class. Nights- yes there is drinking, but what school does not? West Point? The thing about our drinking is that it is social. Drinking is not done in rooms in a fashion where students must hide from the RA. People drink outside, chat with friends, talk politics or sports... So no, the CMC outlet is not only get-drunk-drinking. We have 5000 students on campus. There are always fun things going on that will peak your interest. If you're bored on campus, it's your fault. AND- we are in Los Angeles. The school encourages students to get out and experience LA. </p>

<p>Prestige- no question, CMC.</p>

<p>Weather... it is in the 70s all year. Weather is your call- we are in SoCal... The hottest times are the summer- when you aren't here. The coldest are in the winter and i think it gets to 40 at night.</p>

<p>Hope this helps....</p>

3

<p>i agree with all the above. I think that you should try to visist all the schools so that you can get a feel for the campuses. From experience, visting CMC really does help people come to a decision, and after visiting both a big school and a small school it will probably become much more obvious to you which school is a better fit.</p>