<p>I am currently a freshman at Case Western Reserve University, and am reviewing my options for transfer. I came up with a list of eight schools to apply to as a rising sophomore, realizing that most of them are reaches. However, I am not seeking to be chanced, as I too can read statistics and come up with the same conclusions. Instead, I have some questions, the type not normally covered in promotional materials or the schools website. I am hoping that any current or former students can help shed some light on these matters:
How rich and interdisciplinary is the PPE major? Is it unduly burdensome or awkward?
What are the general education requirements (couldnt find this) and how easy are they to meet?
How flexible is CMC with transfer credits? I assume all will transfer, but mostly as blank. Is there a limit on how many of them can count towards the major or to general education requirements?
How frequently is the school paper published? Is it easy to become involved as a regular columnist? What is the general quality of it?
How are speakers for the Athenaeum chosen? Is it often hard to reserve a seat when speakers are there? Is there a limit on the frequency with which one can attend such speeches?
Should there be a need, how extensive are student support (academic) resources available?
How do the 5C libraries rate as far as quality, volume, and diversity of collection? Is there 24/7 access during the school year? Is there anything else important about the libraries to note?
How ubiquitous is wifi access? What is the quality/stability of the wired network?
How easy is it to create a new club and receive funding? Are there any non-obvious restrictions that one should be abreast of?
As far as television goes, I assume the rooms have basic cable. Is it possible to purchase an upgrade?
CMC and the consortium as a whole is roughly 10% Jewish. How active is the campus Jewish community? If one looks, can they easily find other Jews?
I had read that the party scene had declined since the 5C Social Committee was dissolved, and the cops have started to crash more social functions. How much of a problem is this?
Are there any other small or obscure perks that your school offers which may not be widely known? (ex: Case Western students can access the entire OReilly catalogue online, and the school supposedly offers free massages to students sometime just before finals.)
How friendly is the school to transfer students? Is the transition fairly painless?
How helpful is the school with aiding in the location of summer internships? Is there research in the social sciences available during the year? If so, how easy is it to become involved with it?
Is there anything else a potential transfer student should know before either applying or coming here?</p>
<p>As a recent Scripps grad, I'll try to weigh in where I can...</p>
<p>
[Quote]
• What are the general education requirements (couldn’t find this) and how easy are they to meet?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unofficial</a> Degree Audit Checklist, Office of the Registrar, Claremont McKenna College</p>
<p>Go to Claremont</a> McKenna College, choose "Academics" from the menu on the left, choose "Academic Requirements" from the menu on the right, select "GE and Major Requirements" from the main menu, and select "PPE (2004 and after)." Voila :) </p>
<p>On the "Degree Requirements" page, there's also a link to the CMC Course Catalog, which should help you match courses with the course numbers given to you by the requirements checklist.</p>
<p>I can't really speak for how easy or difficult this particular course of study will be, but it should be fine. The Claremont schools help to ensure students that they'll graduate after 8 semesters. With GEs and my degrees, I had a fair number more requirements than this checklist generates. Filling them definitely came at the cost of "fun" electives, but I never felt overwhelmed and I only overloaded for a few semesters (by choice more than necessity...basically b/c I wanted to fit in a few 'fluffy' courses). I hear that PPE is a challenging course of study, but just covering degree requirements should be pretty straightforward.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• How flexible is CMC with transfer credits? I assume all will transfer, but mostly as blank. Is there a limit on how many of them can count towards the major or to general education requirements?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Transfer</a>, Admission, Claremont McKenna College</p>
<p>This is the page of transfer info. There's a link to an FAQ section which answers your question, and also gives contact info if you need further info.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• How frequently is the school paper published? Is it easy to become involved as a regular columnist? What is the general quality of it?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>There are multiple papers/publications in Claremont, some of which are published by one college (though I've known of off-campus columnists in a few cases), some of which are joint. Quality as well as frequency of publication both vary.</p>
<p>CMC's newspaper is The Forum (I personally can't get the site to load, but here it is): The</a> Forum</p>
<p>The 5C conservative (though non-partisan) publication is also based (either officially or unofficially, I'm not sure) on CMC: Claremont</a> Independent</p>
<p>Another 5C independent paper is The Collage, although its website hasn't been updated since 2001 or so, so...no promises, there: The</a> Collage Online</p>
<p>Another 5C publication ("newsmagazine") is the Claremont Student, published monthly: CLAREMONT</a> STUDENT: Student Newsmagazine at The Claremont Colleges</p>
<p>I don't recall details for any particular paper, mostly because there are so many and I tended to just pick up whatever was lying nearby. I know that Scripps and Pomona also have their own papers, and I assume that Mudd and Pitzer have the same. The important point is that if you want to write for a paper, you shouldn't have to try hard to find a position. I do think that all of the publications are fairly informal (which isn't to say they're no good or that the staff are uncommitted, but there's just no widely read, nationally recognized, "HOT OFF THE PRESS" daily publication).</p>
<p>
[quote]
• How are speakers for the Athenaeum chosen? Is it often hard to reserve a seat when speakers are there? Is there a limit on the frequency with which one can attend such speeches?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Someone else should weigh in here, because my response might be out of date, but I believe the case used to be that anyone could go to talks in the Ath, even without reserving a seat for the meal (so even if the seats go, there's still hope). Not positive if that's true now, but I want to say that it is. For most speakers, it's not hard to reserve a seat, especially if you're relatively on top of things. For particularly popular speakers (i.e. Clinton, Bono), the venue is sometimes changed to accommodate a larger audience.</p>
<p>No limit to how often you can go. I knew a guy who went every night for weeks (which is a major time commitment...a good 2-3 hours out of your night).</p>
<p>
[quote]
• Should there be a need, how extensive are student support (academic) resources available?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What kind of services do you have in mind? All professors have mandatory office hours, and in my experience, are very willing to help students during those (and other) times. The idea that LAC professors are incredibly committed to teaching is very true in Claremont. At CMC, I had a math professor who hosted optional problem sessions the night before each test (and gave us his home number before the final) and another math teacher who once came in on her day off just to help me out. At least two other professors very willingly let me (as well as others) camp out during every office hour all semester. This is the rule, not the exception. And this is just at CMC...there was a Pitzer prof who slept in his office on the night before tests, so students could come in all night long for help :)</p>
<p>Drop-in tutoring is available in a number of subjects (definitely math and CS, not sure what else), and I believe that free peer tutoring is available upon request. There's also a writing center (again, free).</p>
<p>I believe that Monsour, the 5C counseling center, also offers seminars and group therapy re: time and stress management.</p>
<p>I know that this isn't an exhaustive list, though at least some of the info is probably available on the CMC website (Academics page). I've never known of a Claremont student whose academic needs have gone unmet.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• How do the 5C libraries rate as far as quality, volume, and diversity of collection? Is there 24/7 access during the school year? Is there anything else important about the libraries to note?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Probably depends on what you're looking for, but I found the libraries incredibly helpful and well-stocked (to be fair, this was my opinion based on a few major "checking out every book on this topic" trips...otherwise, I tried to steer clear). Online database access is excellent. I remember reading that the Claremont College libraries (cumulatively) constitute the third largest private collection west of the Mississippi or something like that...don't quote me there. I know there are over 2 million items in hard copy.</p>
<p>The</a> Libraries of The Claremont Colleges</p>
<p>The site above links to info on each of the Claremont libraries (Honnold is the main 5C library, but there are a few smaller, more focused libraries around the campuses...one each on Scripps, Pomona, and Mudd, I believe...all are open to all students). As for hours, none of the libraries are regularly open for 24 hours, though Honnold is open until 3am starting the week before finals, and 24 hours during the week of. The course catalog (there's only one for the whole system, so it notes which library each book is in) is online and accessible from any computer on campus, so you can look books up, see whether or not they're available, and use Link+ 24/7.</p>
<p>Of course, on top of the main libraries, there are also small departmental libraries.</p>
<p>Claremont also participates in a program called Link+, which "connects" it to numerous other SoCal university libraries (including those of a few UC's). When you do a search through the Claremont libraries and find that a book or article isn't in stock, or is checked out, you'll also be able to see if it's available at any other Link+ libraries. If so, it'll be shipped immediately and you'll be able to pick it up and drop it off at Honnold.</p>
<p>Like I said, I'm sure that students have varying opinions of the library system, but I always found it far better than adequate. Stock aside, a nice feature is the fact that it's split up. I hated studying in Honnold...formica, neon lights, huge and all that...but I loved studying in Denison (Scripps' library)...fireplaces, armchairs, and so forth. Other students felt the opposite. It's easy to find a niche in the system.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• How easy is it to create a new club and receive funding? Are there any non-obvious restrictions that one should be abreast of?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Probably pretty easy. As a freshman, I started the process of founding an intercollegiate club and was met by nothing but enthusiasm across Claremont. I was working with a girl from CalPoly who experienced red-tape at every step of the way. Later, working to get another club approved, we found that it can be a time-consuming and tedious process (writing bylaws, finding faculty advisors, getting funding, etc.), but still not a difficult one. There are a lot of factors involved that can make the process easier or tougher...do you want to create a CMC club, or a 5C club? Will you need funding? Etc.</p>
<p>I'd say that starting a CLORG (club or organization) is entirely doable, but not usually the most fun process in the world. There can be a fair bit of paperwork.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• As far as television goes, I assume the rooms have basic cable. Is it possible to purchase an upgrade?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't actually know, but I wouldn't assume that. At Scripps, we only had cable in the rec rooms, and no hook-ups in the rooms...just basic non-cable channels. At CMC, I think it might be the case that cable hook-ups are only available in the senior apartments. I doubt upgrades are available for anyone. But again...this is total guesswork...just a warning not to assume.</p>
<p>
[quote]
• CMC and the consortium as a whole is roughly 10% Jewish. How active is the campus Jewish community? If one looks, can they easily find other Jews?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have only indirect experience, but I'm fairly sure that the community is quite active. I know that there are a lot of relevant policies and events, including special service by the dining halls (come passover, Scripps serves everything from matzo ball soup to matzo pizza, and I think that Oldenburg opens late during fasts and also hosts Passover Seder). </p>
<p>I don't have numbers, but I believe that Pitzer in particular has a very large Jewish community. Just a random fact.</p>
<p>Here's a link to info re: numerous Jewish campus groups (including the Jewish Mentor Program, the Jewish Student Union, and Claremont Hillel):</p>
<p>Kehilla:</a> Jewish Community of the Claremont Colleges</p>
<p>
[quote]
• Are there any other small or obscure perks that your school offers which may not be widely known? (ex: Case Western students can access the entire O’Reilly catalogue online, and the school supposedly offers free massages to students sometime just before finals.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is the type of stuff that can hardly be listed. For one thing, and this is actual fact, not just "come to Claremont" BS...there are too many weird little perks to keep track of. But for what it's worth, I do believe that there's a "Relaxation Room" somewhere on campus (I think it's somewhere in the new medical building) and I hear that it has a massage chair :p Honnold library also has occasional late-night pizza around finals time. lol</p>
<p>
[quote]
• Is there anything else a potential transfer student should know before either applying or coming here?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Have you visited? Visit.</p>
<p>Sorry I'm not able to answer all of your questions, but considering how long-winded I can get, maybe that's for the best! I hope someone else is able to bring their own experiences to the thread. Best of luck during the transferring process :)</p>
<p>Student615, I really do appreciate you attempting to answer some of my questions as best you can. I'm so glad that somebody finally answered. Thanks alot.</p>
<p>No problem. I do think that it wins the award for being my longest post ever. I kept it open and responded over the course of a few hours, though, to my credit :p</p>
<p>There are a few CMC students on these boards, but it's finals time in Claremont, so expect things to be slow. Having tags like "Claremont" in the thread might also help get replies, but I'm not sure.</p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>