<p>I am a junior right now. I just visited the Claremont Schools and loved them, especially Claremont McKenna and Pomona. My plan right now is to apply Early Decision I to Claremont McKenna. I have 2100 SAT, like 3.5 GPA, and not much for Extracurriculars, but I think my interview at CMC left a very good impression and I know for a fact that one of my two teacher recommendations is going to be INCREDIBLE. So, I think I definitely have a chance at CMC, even if it is not a particularly strong one, right? </p>
<p>So my questions:
- would it be a good idea to apply ED because I love the college so much, and it would give me a better chance to get in??
-- or, is the advantage applying ED gives me so negligible that I would be better off going regular decision??
-- would it be stupid to waste the chance to see other school's financial aid offers? (although I will be needing a lot of aid, I don't think this is a huge problem because CMC recently introduced the no-loan policy (only grants and work-study), and they meet 100% of need, so my package is pretty much guaranteed to be adequate, right?)
- also, I had really good grades in Junior year (all A-/As), whereas I was mostly a B+ student in Freshman and Sophomore year... I guess in Early Decision, the college only sees grades from the first three years of high school.. is it possible that my application would be more attractive if I applied Regular Decision because I would have another trimester (first tri, senior year) of good grades to put on my GPA?? </p>
<p>keep in mind, I was at these schools for 5 days for my brother's graduation at Pomona and just LOVED the whole place... Obviously, I am thinking that I will only apply ED if I am 100% sure that I want to go to CMC, and at this point, I am</p>
<p>Its really hard to determine how good of a shot you have at getting in. I know that CMC cares A LOT of leadership positions on your transcript. If you are a captain, president, club-founder, officer etc in your school, then I'd say your chances of getting in are good. However, if you're only involved in your school clubs as a member, you're chances of being accepted may not be very good. For example, I know there were applicants with a 2400 SAT score who were rejected due to a lack of leadership positions, as well as other factors that didn't stand out on their app. If you love the school, then I'd say definitely apply ED I. Just make sure that its truly where you want to be. As far as financial aid is concerned, CMC gives amazing financial. It was by far the best offer I received from my colleges. Also, all of their financial aid is in grants, so you won't be left with any loans once you graduate. Hope this helps! :-)</p>
<p>I'M PRETTY MUCH IN THE SAME BOAT!! I went to see my cousin graduate from Pomona and it was amazing, the kids and the whole environment seemed perfect for me. I don't think I could get into Pomona though so i think I'm going to apply Early Decision to CMC too, but my GPA is a 3.7, but my SAT was like 1980. BUT I've been on student government since sophomore year (Class President, the SGA Rep, and Senior year I'll be the vice-president). I'm also president of the science club (and I want to major in Biology), and will be captain of cheerleading next year too. I do other extracurriculars but...hopefully we'll both be accepted this fall! I never thought I would like a small california school but that graduation...the people seemed to open minded, INTELLIGENT, friendly, relaxed, and tight knit. I really want to be part of that community!</p>
<p>I was recently admitted into CMC, and I know quite a few people who have much better SAT scores and a much higher GPA, yet they didn't get in. Which suggests how important extracurriculars are to the Claremont Schools! </p>
<p>Matter of fact, I had a friend who got into Stanford yet didn't get into CMC because she didn't have as much leadership experience or anything that suggested that she was a leader on her extracurriculars list.</p>
<p>But I think it's important to note that leadership implies much more than just being class president. You can be a leader in virtually anything -- running an interest group, starting a website, leading a non-profit initiative, etc... </p>
<p>Best of luck! Feel free to private message me with any more questions.</p>
<p>I just think that every school looks for different things. The entire college admissions process is extremely random to begin with.( I know people getting waitlisted at WashU but getting accepted at Stanford/ rejected at Claremont getting into Georgetown). There are so many qualified candidates it is really anyones guess. but....being a minority is definitely very helpful.</p>
<p>jlm382! (sorry off topic) you're another jessica! hahhaa.. are you going to cmc? </p>
<p>i am!</p>
<p>OHHH.. soo back on track.. koolaidadz09, have you visited any other schools yet? the thing with college is.. a lot of campuses are awesome with great first impressions. for me... i didn't apply ED to cmc (even though i pretty sure i wanted to go there) because i was afraid that i would suddenly like the idea of a UC... i left my options open since i had never visited any colleges except: UCI and the Claremont Schools. Financial aid is a biggie too... i don't think i would have gotten the same amount of aid that i have gotten now if i applied ED, i'm VERY fortunate to be going to CMC at a low cost. </p>
<p>ED does make CMC think you want them to most.. but i feel that i got in RD (despite a lower GPA and okay SAT score) because my desire to go to CMC was demonstrated through the application. I was able to type up STORIES about why i wanted to go, unlike other schools (cough POMONA) where i would type up a generic sentence. </p>
<p>regardless of which decision you decide to apply for.. work hard on the application and don't be flashy...CMC seems to really like individuality tied with leadership. no need to flaunt.. your voice should speak for itself if you and CMC are meant to be :D </p>