<p>My son is considering Pitzer. My understanding is it has become quite selective in its own right in recent years, but still lags the other claremont schools in conventional academic metrics, to an extent that those attending these schools may be aware of.</p>
<p>Should he have reason to be concerned that students from Claremont and/or Pomona are likely to take some attitude towards him, merely because he attends Pitzer?</p>
<p>My D2 attended a school where there was a bit of a situation like this, and she couldn't stand it (before she transferred). She felt like she had to prove herself or something every time she spoke with someone at the other school, and that her opinions in mixed classes were taken lightly or dismissed. This is not a good way to feel. So that's why I'm a little sensitive to the potential for such a situation.</p>
<p>Does the culture of the 5cs tolerate, or even encourage, people to look down on those from one of the other schools (in particular this one), in a manner where he would likely be aware of it? Light jocular intercollege ribbing is one thing, but where there is obvious thinly-veiled intent behind it is something else.</p>
<p>Candid answer would be welcome, as this is quite important to us.</p>
<p>I am cross-posting this on the claremont subforum, to hopefully get opinions from informed members of both communities.</p>
<p>I don’t have much personal experience with students at Pitzer, or the academics, but I can relay what I’ve heard from friends and acquaintances who have had such experience. The general impression I get is that classes at Pitzer are considerably easier than their counterparts at Pomona, and that the stereotypical Pitzer student doesn’t put in the same kind of work. A good friend of mine took a media studies class at Pitzer last semester and said it was by far his easiest class that semester (however this is in comparison to upper division math and French). He also said that it wasn’t difficult to appear very prepared for each class discussion because his Pitzer classmates didn’t prepare at all. My current roommate took an intermediate Spanish class his first semester at Pomona. He said that there were a bunch of Pitzer students in the class who all dropped the class within a week or two. </p>
<p>Obviously these are isolated cases and don’t speak for the entire Pitzer student body, but they do contribute to the general stereotype I described earlier. I don’t know any Pitzer students myself, nor have I taken a Pitzer class, so I have no idea to what extent the stereotype applies.</p>
<p>My son too would be applying to Pitzer, he is very hardworking, not a slacker at all but would not get accepted into Pomona from the Naviance chart I saw.</p>
<p>I would also worry about the same issues as the OP here. I would seem to me that more Pitzer kids would take classes at other colleges than the other way around. I could be wrong though.</p>
<p>I’ll start by saying I’m a current Pomona freshman. From my impression, I’d agree with lolcats4. While I haven’t had a class at Pitzer, I’ve heard from a few friends taking classes there, and my impression is that Pitzer classes just aren’t as serious as classes at the other 5Cs, and the same impression is attributed to Pitzer students. </p>
<p>Generally, I think the impression of Pitzer students (and again, this is generally speaking) is that they’re the lovable kids down the block that just aren’t as driven. And I think if you’re worried about stereotypes, you should remember to take the “lovable” into account. While it’s true that students at the other 5Cs will typically think of their Pitzer counterparts as less studious than they are, this doesn’t mean a Pitzer student should expect to feel excluded or discriminated against by the other campuses any more than a student at any of the remaining 4Cs would. Really, I’d say most people have a warm feeling toward Pitzer students for their general friendliness; they just might not be as willing to engage a Pitzer student in a conversation about quantum mechanics is all. </p>
<p>So overall, if you’re worried about your son feeling excluded, I personally think there shouldn’t be a problem. Might some students at the other 5Cs take a Pitzer student’s opinion less seriously just because they go to Pitzer? Honestly, yes. But I think if your son is driven and well-spoken in his own right, most students should be able to get past that. Remember, the 5Cs already have a reputation for political correctness, etc. You shouldn’t expect the high-school-clique exclusive atmosphere.</p>
<p>My daughter is taking a class at Pitzer and it is her favorite class this semester. She loves the topic, the professor, etc. The grading has been tougher than she expected.</p>
<p>My only friend who has taken a class at Pitzer says that it’s insanely easy compared to those at Pomona. However, I love everyone I’ve met from Pitzer.</p>
<p>I think of Pitzer students as the reasonably bright students who decided not to stay up until 2 am to finish their homework, or decided not to weigh themselves down with 15 AP classes. That does transfer a bit to college, in that Pomona students are willing to work more and that Pomona classes, in general, are more challenging. My other opinion about Pitzer is that a student there can get as good an education or as bad an education as they want. A Pitzer student can take advantage of most things a student at any of the other schools can, or mess around for the entire four years and come out okay. I don’t think the concern you have should be a criteria that stops your son from going there. The stereotype doesn’t extend to hostility. Only CMC and Pomona sometimes get openly hostile with each other. Pitzer students are happy, don’t worry about that.</p>
<p>Oh thats a relief to hear that there is no hostility against the Pitzer kids :)</p>
<p>My son is hardworking and loveable both!!</p>