I want to apply to Pitzer, but my friend from Claremont Mckenna says I shouldn’t. He says a lot of the students smoke and drink, whereas I plan to do neither. I don’'t think I have a shot at the others, so would I fit in there? I want to go Biochem and econ. I’m pretty involved in activities, but not really social justice.
There are students at Pitzer who don’t drink or smoke; there are also students at Claremont McKenna (and the other 5Cs) who do both. You’ll be able to find your tribe no matter what. And as you probably know from your Claremont friend, students take classes across the entire consortium, hang out with each other, eat at each other’s dining halls, etc etc etc.
That said, Pitzer is a place that bleeds social justice. Have you visited the campus? It has a very distinctive culture. If you like the feel of Pitzer then do apply knowing that you’ll be OK with being a nondrinker/smoker. If you’re applying to Pitzer because you like the 5Cs but don’t think you can get in anywhere but Pitzer…well, that’s why Pitzer’s overall acceptance rate is so low.