I just received work that I was taken off the waitlist at Pitzer College! It originally was one of my top choices but I have committed to Colby College and really like both schools! However after committing to Colby I have fallen in love with it and can totally see myself there. I have only heard good things about both schools and I was wondering what you guys thought about them? What would you do if in this situation? Any comments would be appreciated!
Colby Pros:
Great and growing reputation
Great academics
Really awesome new president and head of admissions
Big & pretty campus
Very friendly and happy student body
Great study abroad and research opportunities
Amazing on campus food options
Skiing!! (and many other outdoor pursuits)
Much closer to home (easier travel back and fourth)
Colby Cons:
Very long cold/winters
Town isn’t great
Not California (and very rural)
Pitzer Pros:
Perfect Weather
Great academics (not as highly ranked yet slightly more selective than Colby)
Amazing campus
Many more options for majors (70 vs 40 @ Colby)
Many outlets and resources at other Claremont schools
Really nice dorms
Generally great facilities
Much more urban
Offers a much different and exciting experience for me in California (New Englander my whole life!)
Pitzer Cons:
Poor career development office
Extremely liberal student body (A little too PC for me)
Very young school (est. 1963)
Much harder and more expensive travel
I vote for Pitzer but I’m very biased as I’ll be attending Scripps next year. I really like the town of Claremont and the 5Cs. As someone who grew up in New England (well, NJ), I’m really excited to be in a new environment. At the same time, the 5Cs definitely aren’t perfect. It really comes down to what YOU want in a college. You have two great choices to pick between!
Two very different colleges in so many ways. I don’t know Colby all that well, but I do know that a lot of very bright kids from my metro NY town go there and are very happy. Pitzer was my daughter’s second choice and one of the determining factors was the consortium concept. What she found was that her two major areas of interest had suddenly disappeared from Pitzer and one was now at Scripps (ceramics) and the other was at Pomona (I believe) for creative writing prose, not poetry. She didn’t like the idea that her potential major would be at a different college while her dorm and roommates, other classes, etc. would be at Pitzer. This works great for some kids, makes no difference for others, and doesn’t work for some like my daughter.
Also, I’m assuming your an East Coast kid so don’t underestimate the 6+ hour commute and the 3 hour time difference. The time difference makes communications a bit difficult and that matters, especially Freshman year. As the day winds down into the evening/night is when homesickness and the need to speak to parents and friends increases but your 9:00PM is midnight on the east coast. Just a thought.
Undeniably, the weather is better in Claremont but for all these other reasons and more, I think you should keep Colby. But as AnneKetherine said - it really comes down to what YOU want in a college. Good luck!