Agree…Alot of overlap. Many factors of course, but for strict academics, Oberlin shines a bit over Pitzer. Geographically like night and day…What do you think, starkly? Also, you may know but there is another revealing web site …unigo…that is worth investigating. It offers a very complete assessment of essentially all schools with a great resource of student interviews. Giving good insight to differences that I am finding between Pitzer and Oberlin…and others
I’ll try again. Unigo
OK. I get it. CC is programmed so that we can’t reveal other college search web sites…
I’m not sure. I love the social environment at the Claremonts - there’s always something to do and someone new to meet. The resources are scaled up, as well - more libraries, dining halls (Pitzer’s has won awards for its food and during my overnight it did not disappoint), and way way more classes (2500+ I believe). To me, Pitzer has the intimacy of a LAC with the opportunities of a larger research university.
On the other hand, Oberlin is more prestigious and much better known nationally. While Pitzer’s alumni base is small and confined mostly to the West Coast, Oberlin’s grads live all over the country (though I think there is the largest concentration in NY/Boston/DC). It’s large for a LAC and has a lot of opportunities for social causes. The campus is supposed to be pretty lively socially, a lot of which is concentrated around music and the conservatory. Academically, it’s probably on average superior to Pitzer, but I would say that you also have to consider Pomona/CMC/Harvey Mudd/etc when considering classes.
I’m a little biased - I loved my overnight visit to Pitzer. The girls I stayed with were very intellectual while also having a great balance with a “college experience” of parties and the like. Two of the kids I met had turned down Berkeley, a more prestigious school, because they liked the noncompetitive atmosphere there better. I haven’t visited Oberlin yet, but I’m set for admitted students day on the 8th so I should have a clearer image then.
I hope your son makes the right choice for him! It’s definitely a hard one.
Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts as it’s reassuring to hear from other accepted students with the same views. Our S is visiting Pitzer and Oberlin on admit student days as well. Have been on other threads and shared other respected views regarding P and the fact that it is well regarded but… mostly due to its consortium connection which by the way is described by Fiske as the most credible and substantial amongst all others in the nation. Some claim that Pitzer as a stand alone is o/w not in this league of " most selective" LAC’s…What did you learn of this while on your recent visit to Pitzer? Also, I think it’s obvious that P most def. puts great effort into their admissions with a very personal and holistic approach as many of their students seem genuinely happy and pleased with their choice in attending and quite similar as progressive environmentalists with a lean to the arts and sustainability…Maybe at the expense of a bit of diversity …? Your thoughts .
@parentgeorgia - I thought I’d chime in here. D was accepted to Pitzer, and although she didn’t apply to Oberlin, she also has a decision to make. She will attend student admit day. She is choosing between Pitzer, Middlebury, USC and UCLA. She is leaning towards Pitzer. I personally think Pitzer would be a great place for her. She is very academic, but not very competitive. I think she likes the fact that it has a laid back California vibe. She is interested in studying the sciences and the Keck Science Dept. there is attractive.
@mayzie.Nice of you. Our family visited both and would have been very pleased with either for our S. Cheers for your D on the Midd acceptance. Our S denied. At any rate, we found both Midd and P to be exceptional academically. Midd could stand alone and is always in the Top 10 - 15 of any reputable list and often higher… P needs the consortium to shine and that is fine by us. With Keck , Pitzer clearly has an edge in the sciences as we found. Midd as you may know is one of our nations oldest traditional LAC’s. Although it’s in the same " most selective " admissions category as Pitzer…Midds is more academically based as evidenced by the app SAT/GPA/ACT…Investigate the differences on any college site…Pitzer
must be using a more holistic admissions process. I don’t know if you have visited Midd but if not… It’s beautifully bucolic NE America with the Champlain Valley and Lake right there. Haven’t seen a more quaint college campus. Certainly seasonal… Very… With big snow in the winter which can be long indeed, yet pristine beautiful. Found the vibe to be classically academic with strong athletic emphasis and less of the more free spirited intellectual hippie culture that you might find at Pitzer…we found the P students to be serious and very socially conscious with a keen awareness of environmental and sustainability issues…
@parentgeorgia - thank you for the feedback. I loved Midd and Vermont. I also loved the tour and the admissions presentation and the culture of the school. I was really sold on it. However, we were there in the summer, so not much going on on campus. In the end, I think my daughter finds it too remote, and isn’t so interested in the deep winters. Even though we live in the middle of the country, I think my daughter is more of a California girl. And not so into athletics, so your comment is taken in.
@parentgeorgia… Though its US News ranking is higher than Oberlin’s, I thought the kids at Pitzer seemed very intelligent. The girl I was staying with said that Pitzer wasn’t looked down upon amongst the other schools and that almost everyone seemed to be on the same page intellectually - differences were based more on major and interests than aptitude.
If Pitzer wasn’t a part of the consortium, I don’t think I’d be considering it. It would seem too small, and lack diversity of thought. But being a part of the consortium means that Pitzer doesn’t have to stand on its own. The kind of student who is attracted to CMC or Harvey Mudd is very different from the average Pitzer applicant, and that means that students have access to a student body that is diverse in every way while still having a “home” of likeminded peers to return to. Personally, I find Oberlin to be much less diverse - it attracts a certain kind of student, and that is who you are surrounded with for four years. That’s not necessarily a bad thing to me, because by and large I have a lot more in common with the the artistic, intellectual, socially conscious kids who want to go to Oberlin than the preppy, beer pong playing government majors at CMC. But in terms of diversity, Pitzer wins.
At this level, selectivity is somewhat irrelevant. These schools are all self selecting with acceptance rates of less than 30% - to get in, you have to be intelligent and driven. There’s no such thing as slackers here. I don’t think there’s a significant difference in academic merit between the students at any of these schools, regardless of their SAT scores.
@starkly - well said!
@starkly/@mayzie…what a great exchange… Many thanks and very valuable for me…And by the way, Starkly, you certainly don’t need college to develop your skills of articulating your views…!
Probably too late to be helpful, but I thought I would chime in to the references to Keck. My D is a Junior at Pitzer, pre-med, Biology major. She has LOVED Pitzer and applied early, passing up a credible shot at any LAC or Ivy.
@johnathan443322. S choosing Oberlin. Likes and visited both. Big factor is the 60k merit scholarship from Obie…appreciate your comment. S found the friendly progressive intellectual vibe very similar at both Pitzer and Obie. Academically similar as well … Claremont neighborhood and west coast sure are tempting though…