<p>Hey guys,
I graduated from Pitzer last year and wanted to let you all know I loved my experience. I've gotten questions from friends regarding some stuff about Pitzer and was looking through these forums and wanted to add some stuff as well.First- Pitzer is very diverse. Not just in terms of race and ethinicty(itdeffinately is) but in terms of our interests. While we do focus on our 5 core values, not everyone is a vegan-save the environment-ish hippie. Those people do exists, not only at Pitzer but throughout the 5cs.But there are also people who want to go to med school, those who want to break into finance, and those who go work in the government. I personally interned at an investment bank junior year and continued that path and am currently working at a bank in Melo Park. Anything is possible at Pitzer, and the fact that we have so little to hold us back and freedom to pursue anything we want made this the perfect place for me. One thing I have noticed that Pitzer students definitely have in common is that they are all a bunch of really nice, down to earth kids. It's hard not to be happy at Pitzer. Anyway, enough of me bragging about my Alma Matter :) if anybody has any questions shoot!</p>
<p>hw has your exprience been wtih the other 5Cs in terms if sceruing your job?</p>
<p>please excuse some grammar and spelling mistakes I’ve made above</p>
<p>How did Pitzer prepare you for the real world?</p>
<p>hey guys, great questions
Kingsquirrel- The other 5Cs were an essential resource in me finding jobs and internships and the fact that they were so much help really demonstrates how useful and cohesive the 5Cs are. I’ve been able to attend on campus recruiting events that come to all the 5Cs and networked for internships with Pitzer, CMC, and pomona alumni.
theatregeek1008- While Pitzer obviously prepared me for work in the financial world, I feel as though the real preparation was the type of person Pitzer turned me into. While my field is quite money based, Pitzer has taught me to find happiness in my daily life and made me much more extroverted. Pitzer and the 5Cs foster such a welcoming and supportive community that even the shyest of people come out of their shells and integrate in college life. That type of experience served me and all my classmates very well in the real world because we just become more enjoyable people to be around, something that any boss or co-worker appreciates in the job world and within family/friends.</p>
<p>Hi, do you happen to know what kinds of services/support are available at Pitzer for students with ADHD and other disabilities? Thanks!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for this! It’s always great to hear new views of the college.</p>
<p>What is the financial aid like? I know it differs greatly between students, but it sounds like they do meet full need. I’m guessing they package loans for a good portion of it?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve read around and one view (granted it’s only one person) has stuck with me pretty deep. It’s seen as the drug-alcohol party school of the 5Cs, and that the science-y types do not really fit in there… how true do you think this is? I’ve noticed that they have a better array of science majors than Pomona, so it puzzled me. For example, how would a student fare with a Physics major from Pitzer in getting a decent job in the field?</p>
<p>Study abroad is a strong point for this school. I hear that it’s fairly easy to study abroad but it has been harder lately due to budget constraints. Can you shed some light on this?</p>
<p>Lastly, this is a bit of a silly question… but were you ever under the impression that Pitzer students are “inferior” (for the lack of a better term) to the other 4Cs? At least through things I see in the internet, it seems like it’s a bit ridiculed. And doesn’t that effect employment opportunities? It’s the youngest of the 5Cs so it has a shallower alumni network and most are more humanitarian than entrepreneurial. </p>
<p>… I lied, I have two more questions. 1: what kind of students would fit the best at Pitzer? 2: what kind of students will be totally unfit at Pitzer? (I have heard that the most important part to picking a college is the fit, will you be happy or not?)</p>
<p>Again, thank you so much!!!</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions 
I was wondering if you have any idea if visiting the school helps? I live on the opposite side of the country, so it wouldn’t exactly be cheap or easy, and so my parents don’t want to visit unless I get in, but I so badly want to get in that I think it would be worth visiting before hand if it would help my chances at all. It is a lot of money though, so I don’t want to ask that of them if it’s not something they really take into consideration. So do you have any idea if visiting can up your chances?</p>
<p>Cmscribe-
Pitzer is very accomidating of students with disablities. There are several support services available for those who require it and I do know people who had ADHD at Pitzer. Theres more info here [Pitzer</a> College - Student Life - Academic Support Services](<a href=“http://www.pitzer.edu/student_life/student_affairs/academic_support/disability_accommodations_policy.asp]Pitzer”>http://www.pitzer.edu/student_life/student_affairs/academic_support/disability_accommodations_policy.asp)
But if you also want to email an admissions officer a specific question Im sure theyd be happy to help.
Cedars-
Glad you asked these questions because they were very similar to my concerns when I was a prospective student. In terms of financial aid, my EFC was 0 so everything was essemtially covered and I just had about 4000 in loans. There are definitely people here that would not be able to attend Pitzer were it not for their aid packages, and with their endowment increasing every year the packages will continue to be great.
Drug/party scene- I knew I did not want to experience nightlife 24/7 during my time in college, and Pitzer proved to be a wonderful place for me to have a balance. The hippy-weed stereotype is definitely overplayed and youll notice that if you visit. Pitzer is not the party hub of the 5Cs, and because of that you can make your college experience as tame or as fun as you want it to be. There are people who drink, those who smoke, and those who do neither. One of the best things about pitzer is that you can choose to do anything without being judged or excluded from any social circle- much less peer pressure than high school or some of the other 5Cs. There were a few times I just let lose and partied from thursday-sunday, and other times when I just felt exausted from the day and gathered a whole bunch of friends and watched netflix till 5am. You always have the option of doing whatever you want and always have friends to do it with.
Study abroad- I didnt study abroad so I havent heard about budget constraints, but it certainly hasnt affected anyone who wanted to do it. Pitzer has and will always continue to promote study abroad, and I highly doubt you will ever be restricted to do so.
5Cs- Throughout my 4years here, I have never been ridiculed or felt beneath anybody because I went to Pitzer. Like the hippy stereotype, the notion of inferieroity just doesnt apply. It was actually a bit weird answering this because once youre actually a student here theres just no concern or talk about whos better or worse and the only people who seem to do that on the internet are people who arent even in college or at a different one. This kind of trickles on to the point of employment oppetunities. I was originally drawn to the 5Cs because my academic and career interests correlated with those of CMCs. After a more research and actually setting foot on Pitzers campus, I just felt like I clicked. Its not like I hated the environment and culture at CMC, I just fell in love with the community and type of people that pitzer fosters on campus, which I felt was the one thing absoletuley necessary for my college experience because I could never be succesfuly at a college I wasnt genuinely happy at. Pitzer proved to be just that, and because of the consortium youre still able to intergrate in the CMC community as well. Ive read this here before and its true, when employers and grad schools see you went Pitzer , they actually see the Claremont Colleges and know of its quality. Thats why there are so many 5C events like 5C recruiting, job fairs, on-campus interviews, etc
Because of this, youre alumni network is also so vast because of the 5Cs. Although my career interests werent exactly typical of pitzer, those pitzer and other 5C alumni who were in the field helped me tremendously.
Science student- I had friends who were physics, bio, neuroscience, and even toxicology majors. They certainly all fit right in at Pitzer and loved their experience- they just might have had a bit more homework 
. Although you will graduate with a pitzer diploma, you will take most of your classes at the Keck Science center which draws teachers and curriculum from pitzer, cmc, and Scripps with oppertunities of research, jobs, etc
[Keck</a> Science Department ? Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, Scripps College](<a href=“http://www.jsd.claremont.edu/]Keck”>http://www.jsd.claremont.edu/) on top of that, you are also welcome to take classes at Pomona and Mudd. Again, referring to my post about job opps above, you see why employers like the 5Cs because of these oppertunities they all have as students. Going to Pitzer definitely wont hinder your chance at a job, the only college I think might have an edge in the science field might be Harvey Mudd, particularly in engineering, but youre still bound to succeed if you do well at Pitzer.
Fit- Answering this surprisingly took longer than I thought. I think you would be a good fit at Pitzer if you have a strong intrests or passion in something. I doesnt have to be a save-the-world kind of thing, mine wasnt, but just something. Also, you should be genuinely excited and happy about going to pitzer. The people that go to pitzer are really happy they go there and its kind of contagious. You should be willing to embrace the school and the people on campus. If we do have one stereotype that holds true, and youll here this across the 5Cs, is that were the friendliest campus, and if you feel you wouldnt want to embrace that or take advantage of it, you might not be a good fit. Also, if you are shallow and indifferent you might not be a good fit. Pitzer is small, so its automatically fosters a community amongst students and its up to them to make it a good one.
hooraychel- Im from the east coast, so it was definitely a problem to a visit. I was a bit lucky though and managed to get inexpensive tickets and payed with some millage, so if you really want to go be on the lookout for cheap tickets for the dates you have off, particularly in April when they have preview pitzer day. Check on orbitz,com. Also, if youre a minority they have a program where theyll fly you out for free. That said, Pitzer and the 5Cs are very aware that there are people interested from all over the world and the U.S and give many oppertunities for you to demonstrate interest. There are Claremont college receptions at citites, alumni interviews, admissions counselor interviews when theyre in your city, and the request more info link. Definitely try and attend these and one thing you could do is email your regional representative and ask them questions or to connect you with a student, they love to know you took the time to contact them and shows youre interested. Theyhave a page- [Pitzer</a> College - Admission - Staff](<a href=“http://www.pitzer.edu/admission/staff.asp]Pitzer”>http://www.pitzer.edu/admission/staff.asp)
I spent a lot of time at the office of admission and they take all these things into consideration where demonstrated interest really helps youre application. Again, Pitzer is great because the people really wanna go there.</p>
<p>Jeez, I know this is a long post guys, sorry for the spelling mistakes I dont really have the patience to scoll up and check them.</p>
<p>@pitzerman: Thank you so much for your last post. I’m so happy that I decided to apply.</p>
<p>Pitzerman, thank you so much for your extremely thorough answers!!! Just a clarification question, you said you had $4,000 in loans. Is that per year or over your whole time there?</p>
<p>You’re kind of in the field I’m looking into (finance) so it’s good to hear that you’ve been able to find an internship during school and then a job right after.</p>
<p>No problem guys!
Yes the 4000 is what I accumulated throughout my 4 years.
Glad to help, please let me know if you have any further questions</p>
<p>sorry, it was actually per year in loans, and it wasactually more than 4000 I dont remember the exact amount</p>
<p>pitzerman (if you’re still active on this feed…) I would like to share with you my experience.
I recently visited the Claremont Consortium, and I liked it. I thought I would love Pomona, but I didn’t. I loved Pitzer and Claremont equally. I know that doesn’t make much sense. Is it logical for someone to have a list of 8 schools with CMC as your #1 and Pitzer as a close #2? They’re both so different, but I’m a little smitten by them both. I fit the CMC personality more (upperclass, white, preppy, prospective economics major, soccer recruit) but I also have a passion for learning and I just love everything I hear about Pitzer. Do I sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about? It seems like Pitzer and CMC are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Thank you.</p>
<p>I think it is logical, but you have to figure out which school you think you’d fit in better at with your personality and with the other students. Have you been in contact with the soccer coach at Pitzer? </p>
<p>You could always apply to both, and if you get into one but not the other maybe that’s your answer, but if you get into both, I recommend doing an overnight at each and attending admitted students days and then figuring it out after that. </p>
<p>Questions to consdier: How do you think you fit in at Pitzer? How is that different from how you see your fit at CMC? Is there anything about your personality that you feel like fits more with each school? Do you identify with students from one college more than the other?</p>
<p>Glad you asked that question Marshal! I would think maybe 10 years ago, your interest in both Pitzer and CMC might seem a bit odd, but today as pitzer becomes more selective and a bit more moderate, I think it’s great that you loved both. I mentioned before that I was actually initially drawn to CMC more than Pitzer because on paper, it seemed like a good fit for my interests. After I visited, I concluded that CMC is still a great school, but there was just something special that drew me into Pitzer. I wasn’t exactly an athlete and I wasn’t exactly preppy, but like you, I was drawn to the pragmatic approach at CMC and still ended up an econ major. But, also like you, I was very passionate about different subjects and really wanted an outlet to flourish those different passions. Pitzer was ultimately the best place for me. The students and the environment(the school environment, not trees haha) also really drew me in because of how welcoming and interesting everyone is. CMC, as you have noted, thrives on its homogeny and for the right person it is a great college experience. For me however, I just felt Pitzer had more diversity and I felt better among that. To finish why pitzer rant with a tangible argument based on your interests, I was really turned off by schools which had a stringent “core curriculum” or several GE requirements. For some students I really do think it serves them well because they provide a set of academic direction, but I didn’t want to be shackled by classes I’m forced to take in order to graduate. I wanted to explore areas I was interested and passionate about, and Pitzer’s-essentially- open curriculum allowed me to do just that.
Also, heed Panda’s advice and do an overnight stay. It will give you the best perceptions of both schools. And do talk to the soccer coach, I doubt you’ll have a much different experience if your a soccer player for the Stags rather than Sagehens</p>
<p>Hey Pitzerman, hope you’re still active in this thread!</p>
<p>I’m currently a British student thinking of doing a Year Abroad exchange at Pitzer, so i’ll just be there for one year as part of the exchange programme between my uni in the U.K. and Pitzer college. Could you give me a little bit more information on the social side of things, so how is the nightlife around Pitzer/Claremont, what’s the drinking scene like? etc.(Sorry to sound like a stereotypical Brit haha)</p>
<p>if you dont have a genuine interest or reason for studying at Pitzer or the Claremont Colleges other than nightlife then I would advise against coming. Pitzer and the 5Cs are very specific institutions; although they do offer a balanced and active social life, they are also populated with very dedicated and passionate students who I don’t think would appreciate someone coming to an American school only to party.</p>
<p>Hi-- Did you ever feel claustrophobic being at such a small school? My daughter likes Pitzer but is a bit wary of being at a school that is so small. Her high school is very gossipy and hierarchical and she is concerned that a small college might have too much of the same atmosphere. Can you talk about this aspect of your experience at Pitzer?</p>
<p>We, the students in UNN WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS SITE, for more details, visit htttp://unn.edu.ng</p>