CMC vs. Wesleyan

College Search & Selection
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Hello people!

I’m an accepted student to both CMC and Wesleyan, and was comparing the two in terms of “vibe” and academic strengths.

I’m really interested in History, and both colleges (to my understanding) seemed to be ok with the major - but Wes seems to be a little better…? Correct me if I’m wrong. I am also thinking about the possibility for law school in the future.

If I were to go down the “pragmatic” track for law, CMC and Wesleyan both offer a philosophy, politics, and economics heavy major (PPE at CMC and CSS at Wes). If I were to be more “academic,” Wesleyan’s COL, which combines European history, literature, and a foreign language, seems nice. In this way, I guess Wes is a bit better in terms of academic offerings?

For political “vibe”: my impression is that CMC is a bit more mixed in terms of political perspectives, while Wes is more liberal… as someone who was in more of a liberal echo-chamber during high school, I thought learning about diverse perspectives can be nice. Though as an international student, person of color, and trans/nonbinary individual, I am also wondering if CMC’s political climate would be safe enough for me. Can anyone offer insight on that?

And a few more considerations: 1. CMC seems to be closer to a major city than Wes (which is seen as an advantage by me) 2. Climate-wise, Wes is colder in the winter but I’ve heard much about the Californian fires, which supposedly have led to bad air quality around CMC 3. I think I’m more the stereotypical Wes student (diversified interests, personal passion more than financial success) but think perhaps becoming more like a CMC student (goal-oriented/pragmatic, econ/politics heavy) could let me fare better in life. Any advice on going in either direction?

Lastly, a quick description of myself (thanks for reading this far, feel free to skip this part):
-was very academics-oriented during HS (did have extracurriculars but definitely spent more time on classes); hope to do the same in college
-socially, prefer chats with a small group of friends than parties with a large group. Don’t plan on drinking/partying much during college. Would hope to find an environment where partiers (is that a word?) and non-partiers can still be friends.
-top priorities in college: rigorous academic program, diverse/nice surroundings (city, other colleges, town, etc.), and prep for grad school/work

So thoughts/advice/cautions? Anything else that I should also consider? Please let me know and thank you all friendly people in advance!

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If cities, other colleges, and a nice town is a priority, go to CMC

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A tough choice, probably a wash academically. But, a history major could spend all four years at a place like Wesleyan just unravelling the stories behind each and every campus building the oldest of which date back nearly 200 years. Middletown itself is over 350 years old and there’s scarcely a corner of it, from the Civil War general whose home still occupies Main Street to the Wesleyan fraternity house that was reputedly a stop along the Underground Railroad, that doesn’t have some historical significance.

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Thank you both!

I was also wondering how these two fare in terms of internships; intuitively, CMC is perhaps better since it’s closer to the city, but Wes’s Gordon Career Center also seems nice. Can any current student/alum at either school describe their internship opportunities for me? Many thanks!

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I’d think of it this way. CMC was founded 75 years ago with the intent of focusing on social sciences - especially Econ, finance, public affairs, and international relations - to provide a different focus to the liberal arts core that was already there in Claremont at Pomona and Scripps. So, even today that emphasis can be seen in the 33 majors available at CMC. In addition, it is a small college (1300 undergrads, 52:48 male:female %, 5% AA) in a larger consortium of 5000 undergrads.

Wesleyan, which started as a liberal arts college 190 years ago, evolved differently with a broader curriculum which now offers 45 majors, and it is larger (3000 undergrads, 46:52 male-female%, 5% AA) with no other 4 year colleges in the same town.

So, the question is whether you prefer the smaller college community from which your classmates & dorm mates are going to be drawn, supplemented by cross registration and extended social interaction in the larger consortium community OR the larger community at Wes from which classmates & dorm mates will be drawn, but with no other college students in town?

If you’re only focused on pre-law, either school will be great. But if you’re undecided, Wesleyan offers a wider array of options, especially for your possible interest in history. However, CMC is not without options because you can easily cross register with the other 5 colleges and you may be able to transfer within the consortium although not as easily as you can change majors within Wes.

Both schools have activist campuses although Wes long ago came to terms with accepting a wide range of individual differences.

I don’t see an advantage at CMC for internships because internships are not necessarily obtained near campus. Summer internships can be anywhere. If your interest is law, there are law firms everywhere. Hartford is not LA, but it is closer to Wes than downtown LA is to CMC. And Hartford is the state capitol and home to UConn Law School. So all of the lobbying groups and other law firms as well as government offices, state legislature, and US Senate offices that are found in any state capitol are going to be found in Hartford.

As for summer internships, Wes has been at this a long time and has a large alumni network as well as other connections. They know how to make connections for their students. Located half way between Boston & NY, they have connections to internships just a couple of hours away. In addition, the East Coast in general is going to provide access to a large number of summer internships.

You have 2 wonderful options, and you can’t go wrong with either of them. Not a bad decision to be made here.

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Thanks for your reply! (And for your time spent on this, since it’s quite a substantive post). Your analysis on their differences makes a lot of sense.

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Happy to help, and I’m glad to know you appreciate it. You have a bright future with a lot to contribute. Whichever school gets you, they will be better off for having you there. Maybe it’s time to think about which school needs you more of the two, and which one wants you more. Where can you make the greatest positive impact?

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I wonder how IHan chose and how things look now after a semester of college?

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