<p>How does Oxy compare to Pitzer?</p>
<p>I think Oxy has a better national reputation than Pitzer, and they are in very different locations. The Claremont Colleges are 45 mins to an hour from LA whereas Oxy is in the city (although the campus doesn’t feel like LA). Is being in a city important? It’s difficult to compare unless a person has experiences with both places. But if I were choosing between the two I would see how Pitzer feels as part of the Claremont Colleges and how much the social responsibility mission influences the atmosphere. You can get social responsibility at Oxy also and “service” is part of the college’s mission statement, but I wonder if Oxy is a bit more relaxed on that front? Not sure.</p>
<p>Copter guy, thanks for the response. The acceptance rate at Oxy is 39% vs Pitzer at 15.7%. I’m not from the west coast. I think the undergrad experience at both schools is positive - just different. The academic reputation of both schools is very solid. However, The acceptance rate gap between the two schools implies that I’m missing something?</p>
<p>Jayhawk, academic reputations are built over decades and even centuries. Harvard, Columbia, and William and Mary have been building their reputations for a long time. By contrast, acceptance rates can change from year to year and they can be manipulated by aggressive marketing and even things like the common app. That is not to take anything away from Pitzer, which is a fine school. But I’m not sure in this case admission rate should be a big factor because both colleges are excellent and comparable in some ways. You should probably go with comfort and fit. Have you visited?</p>
<p>One of the attractions of Pitzer is that it is part of the Claremont consortium and considered the ‘easiest’ of the 5 colleges to get into. I also believe they are one of very few colleges that don’t take SAT or AP test scores into consideration, although are still tough academically. Also students enrolled at any of the Claremont colleges can attend classes at the other colleges. </p>
<p>I also think your stats are wrong. My understanding is that Pitzer has a 24% acceptance rate with Pomona being the hardest of the Claremonts to get into with a 12% rate.</p>
<p>Pitzer has a definite ‘personality’ as a school It has the reputation as the ‘hippie’ school which is probably not totally accurate but nonetheless is the rep it carries. For example, if CMC’s rep is home to future politicians, Pitzer’s rep is home to future environmentalists. It is definitely a very progressive liberal campus with a laid-back vibe.</p>
<p>To compare Pitzer to Oxy is hard as both are excellent school with excellent academics. They are completely different campuses though. Oxy is small without having access to 4 other campuses as Pitzer does. The 5C’s share many facilities and resources.</p>
<p>But I would say both are excellent schools, with very different campus environments and one should visit both before making the decision.</p>
<p>My D had no interest in Pitzer at all and loved, loved, loved Oxy. But that is her. YMMV</p>
<p>Copterguy and ahnelk</p>
<p>I returned yesterday from an admitted students visit at Pitzer this weekend and a similar program at Oxy the previous weekend. I agree that where I spend the next 4-years should be based on comfort and fit - rather than a single data point. I felt comfortable at both schools. Thanks for your thoughts.</p>
<p>Below is a link to the acceptance rates for the 5-C’s - Class of 2016</p>
<p>[5C</a> Admission Rates Drop for Classes of 2016](<a href=“http://tsl.pomona.edu/articles/2012/4/6/news/2779-5c-admission-rates-drop-for-classes-of-2016]5C”>5C Admission Rates Drop for Classes of 2016 - The Student Life)</p>
<p>Jayhawk, you’re in a better position now to answer the question. Can you offer some points of comparison/contrast. Just curious now that I got into this conversation. My knowledge of Pitzer is limited. Thanks.</p>
<p>I was making a similar decision between Pitzer, Oxy, and UCLA. I chose Pitzer. When I first got all my admissions decisions, I actually thought that I was going to choose UCLA in the end, though I had been all for the 5Cs for the past year. The reason for this was because I never expected that I would get into UCLA, and name is a major issue for me since my brother has gone to two huge name schools. When I visited UCLA, I just didn’t like it. So it was down to Pitzer vs. Oxy. I actually ruled out Oxy from the beginning and thought it was definitely between Pitzer and UCLA. I thought I should visit Oxy before making my decision, though… that visit pitted Oxy against Pitzer. The reason I chose Pitzer was because of the extremely small size of Oxy. I mean, yeah Pitzer is smaller, but you also have the 5Cs. I had actually applied to Pomona ED, but didn’t get in, and when I got to Oxy I just said, “Wow, I feel like I’m at Pomona.” I guess that’s why it appealed a lot to me… but the overall feel of Pitzer and the student body definitely appeals to me more… PITZER. :)</p>
<p>Definitely a good plan to visit both – I visited both in March and to me, the feel couldn’t have been more different. (Pitzer was very much more of a “hippie” school – it even had a co-ed freshman dorm room as the model room.) Ultimately you have to choose the place that works for you and what fits one person better won’t fit another better, even if they are both. Did you get a better “vibe” from one than another? What did YOU like best about each?</p>
<p>Copterguy. Oxy and Pitzer are great schools and I had excellent campus visits at both. I don’t think anyone can go wrong by attending either school. Oxy offers a little more structure and Pitzer a little more freedom in course selection. Obviously, Oxy is an urban campus and Pitzer is suburban. I liked the “vibe” of Pitzer. During my 36-hours on campus, I met many admitted and current students at Pitzer and not one “hippie”. One of my take a ways from both schools is that they are focused on my number one requirement, which is teaching undergraduates. I don’t have any significant reservations about Oxy or Pitzer. However, at Pitzer, I can leverage off the 5-C’s. I have committed to Pitzer.</p>