<p>I am wondering how the acceptance rate at CMC can be so low (11.7%) when the quality of applicants seems to be much lower than other top ranked LACs ie: Amherst and Pomona. Looking at the 2013 Common Data set shows that the mid 50% ACT at CMC is a 29-32, while amherst is a 30-34, Pomona is a 29-34. At Pomona 91% of applicants are in the top 10% of their class, Amherst is 86%. CMC is only 63%. The differences are similair when comparing CMC to other top LACs like Williams, Bowdoin, Swarthmore. Yet CMC has a lower acceptance rate than all these schools. Any explanations?</p>
<p>Claremont isn’t your run of the mill elite LAC you see with Pomona and Amherst. These focus on very broad, liberal arts education. At CMC, you are exposed to a much more pre-professional environment. There are majors such as Accounting offered which is not really offered at a school like Pomona, Amherst, Williams, Swathmore etc. </p>
<p>Also, CMC focus on international relations and economics draws in many applicants. When I spoke to my alumni interviewer she said one half the school is IR majors and the other half is Econ (applied econ). I am not saying other elite LACs don’t excel in these areas, but CMC takes a different approach that draws in applicants (such as myself) who enjoy the approach and majors offered at universities but the small size of a LAC…not to mention the weather 
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<p>Also, CMC applicants ≠ accepted. Don’t confuse the two. Being in the top ten percent also isn’t exactly a reliable statistic. I am unsure what % of CMC’s applicants come from private schools, but if you are in a graduating class of 80 kids, I find it hard to believe only 8 are qualified for an Amherst, Williams etc.</p>
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<p>Just for the record, this is definitely not the case. 
Our top 3 majors are, in order: Econ, Gov and Psychology. None of them even approaches 50% of the student body.</p>
<p>To answer the original question - applicants are probably attracted to CMC because it has a lot of standout features besides the test scores and high school GPAs of its students. Great weather, students consistently ranked happiest in the US, the Athenaeum, great professors, great food, pretty unique study abroad opportunities, pre-professional emphasis, etc. Also, as you get to know the school better, it becomes pretty clear that the admissions office is looking for very particular qualities in applicants that go above and beyond stats. So my quick answer would be, CMC has a low acceptance rate because people WANT to come to CMC. ;)</p>
<p>Hello goblue2018,</p>
<p>My daughter was admitted to Williams College in the first Early Decision round. I’ve read some of your other posts about being a URM and knowing your stats, you shouldn’t look down your nose at Claremont McKenna.</p>
<p>My daughter (and myself) is also a URM but she has very high stats and loves Williams not for its diversity but for its academic environment. It’s upsetting to me when people like you think you can be accepted to a top school just because they are a URM when my daughter worked so hard to get into Williams.</p>
<p>@anonymityyy </p>
<p>It wasn’t meant to be taken literally. No school has such a large division in majors, I was saying that she said it felt that way only because of the large focus on things such as IR and Econ. Claremont students are well informed and opinionated on international events.</p>
<p>There are a lot of other factors that go into the number of applicants for a school. Here’s one of the reasons I’m applying: </p>
<p>[College</a> Education Value Rankings - PayScale 2013 College ROI Report](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-education-value-2013]College”>College Education Value Rankings - PayScale 2013 College ROI Report)</p>
<p>And, as someone mentioned above, CMC has some of the happiest students in the nation!</p>