Scripps questions/concerns

Colleges and Universities A-Z Scripps College
1

<p>Hello! So after reviewing the whole college selection/search in the spring and summer, the beginning of senior year is looming and it's time for me to apply. And after much thought and consideration, I REALLY like Scripps. The only thing I haven't done is visited.</p>

<p>But I've researched it a lot, thought about what I want, talked with a friend who understands the whole college admissions well, and has already visited the Claremont colleges (he's set on Pomona), etc. And my friend can picture me at Scripps. I've also talked with one or two people that have already gone to Scripps through here. AND, by chance today: I was working at a local museum that I'm volunteering at for the summer, and the person I was working with had just graduated from Scripps in the spring. So I talked to her about it a bit. The more I hear, read, and talk about it, the more I want to go.</p>

<p>But, I have a few questions, concerns, worries.</p>

<p>First thing is my parents basically don't want me to go. They have their own hearts set for me on the University of Washington, graduate with Honors, go onto to UW Medical School, become a doctor or a surgeon, earn big bucks, live financially happy, happy in general. They're already paying for my brother's own tuition at UW, he just finished his freshman year (and it was the out-of-state costs, because we hadn't been living in WA when my brother was accepted). I suppose it's one of the big reasons we moved to WA- to lower down the hefty OOS cost for UW, & for me to go to UW, automatically get in-state costs. Which I thoroughly resent, because I really feel like they have no idea what I want and they just assumed I would want to go there since my brother does. I suppose they do know what I like and want. And they say they understand. But they really don't see what I want & what kind of environment I could do best in my own perspective.</p>

<p>So right now, they don't want me to go to a private college because of the $45,000+ price tag with it. Why go to such a more expensive school when you can "get the same kind of education at UW" for less than half the price? What good will it do? Why go far away from home when you can stay in Seattle, only a 2 or 3 hour drive from home? And yes, they have a point. If you're a parent reading this siding with them, I totally understand. I get it. I know it can be stupid to spend $45000 on college.</p>

<p>But UW and Scripps are completely different, IMO. I've tried to explain to them the advantages of going to a smaller school, but they just don't get it. I mean, I suppose they get it. But they don't really get it. They're pretty stubborn and strong-headed people. And when it comes down to it, I just feel terrible. I mean, if I get in, financial aid the cost will go down. But it'll probably still be a big price tag. And this whole year to cover my brother's OOS freshman year, it's not as if we were living terribly (we're middle class to upper-mid about), but I mean, we didn't have a lot of money to spare... so going to Scripps but being in the same financial situation, it'd feel like a huge guilt trip.</p>

<p>And I don't think I'd qualify for the JES scholarship, considering how competitive it's getting to be. A quick overview of stats: about 3.93 UW GPA, string of extracurriculars and leadership I don't want to elaborate on, SAT scores of 610CR, 700M, 660W (this was my first time), took a practice ACT couple weeks ago w/o studying and got a 29 composite, but with a 32 reading.... compared to 610? Odd.</p>

<p>So I guess one main question is: how do I explain to the financial aid office this? Do I explain how we had to move before my junior year to knock down the tuition at UW and how even though we're handling it, money is still incredibly tight? Do I just say what I just said here, in short? Will they even sympathize with me and my family?</p>

<p>H'okay, so there's that whole shpeel.</p>

<p>Other Questions:</p>

<p>I'm pretty much undecided on my major now. I have been thinking a few: pre-med, social work, psychology.... something along those lines I suppose? I mean, it's really all up in the air. But those have come to mind. So will Scripps really help me decide and figure out what kind of things I want to be, what I want to major in, and what kind of jobs I want? How great is their career counseling and guidance counseling? Is it bad to come in undecided? The CORE will probably help me figure out what I enjoy best, but other than that are there other opportunities and resources that will help me?</p>

<p>Secondly, how competitive is the environment? Is it a friendly, I help you, you help me, we all help each other out environment? I know it's a tough school, but I do want to do well in school and I don't want to be bogged down by tons of other kids who are cut-throat in grades and etc. How friendly were the other students toward school? What about the professors? Were they willing to help out if you were getting a C and you don't understand why you're not getting an A?</p>

<p>Thirdly, how is Claremont in general? Do you enjoy it? Is a car needed to go anywhere? Or a bike? Are little grocery stores within walking distance? Basically, how's off-campus life beyond the 5 Claremont Colleges?</p>

<p>Fourthly, (this is a bit more general) I'm in the process of trying to write a college app essay. And my mind is going blank. I don't know what I should write about. What do you suggest I do to create plausible essay ideas?</p>

<p>Fifth and last question :) What's the best thing you liked about Scripps and the worst thing you hated about Scripps?</p>

2

<p>Nice list! I already responded to your PM, but you get a little more specific with your questions here so I'll try again :)</p>

<p>First, in answer to your initial question: as completely valid as your financial aid concerns are, they sound like the same concerns that most middle-class students have..."Sure we can TECHNICALLY do it, but you have to understand that we really can't do it." There have been many, many threads here on this very topic. You can try talking to the FA office--anything's worth a shot--but keep your expectations reasonable by remembering that you're far from alone in such a tough position. The average SAT among JES finalists is over 1500 (out of 1600), but try your hand at outside scholarships. You might have to look and work hard, but there's a lot to be gained. I am sorry to hear that this is a roadblock for you, though :(</p>

<p>On to the rest...</p>

<p>(1) It's definitely not bad to come in undecided. Most people do, I think (even many who think that they're decided). I think sometimes that the people who are really worried about finding the perfect major are the ones who have the most trouble doing so. Obviously, it's a question to keep in mind, but I'd just suggest keeping an open mind, fulfilling GEs (which will require you to take classes in a wide variety of areas), and taking courses that sound interesting to you. By the time you have to declare--end of soph year--things will probably be clear. The only thing that might be very difficult is pre-med, because you have so many requirements that you really want to get an early start (if you lose much time, then you'll likely have to take time off before med school). That said, you can start out pre-med and not lose much ground if you decide that bio and chem aren't your love in life. Advising varies student-to-student based on who you have, but I haven't heard any major complaints. My own experience was good...it's easy to find people who can answer your questions. CP&R (the career planning office) is VERY accessible and will require you to make a first-year appointment. I didn't use their office to help determine my major, but if nothing else, they can always listen, connect you with alum, connect you with internships, and so forth to introduce you to different fields.</p>

<p>(2) Students aren't competitive with anyone but themselves. It's SoCal :) Really, though...very, very friendly. Students are generous with their time and assistance. My entire first year hallway had editing parties before the Core 1 papers were due--we'd all just exchange with each other, and everyone was always happy to help brainstorm. I also worked as a writing tutor, and the night before the first Core 1 paper--when all the first years are so stressed out--most of the freshman class would be sitting in the hallway waiting for a free tutor and they'd all be exchanging numbers, emailing each other papers for peer-editing, commiserating...it was always really impressive. But I could go on and on with examples if you wanted them. Friendly cooperation is just the norm, and that seemed to be true at all of the Claremonts. The professors are, on the whole, outstanding when it comes to accessibility and helpfulness. They all have required office hours and most go out of their way to entice students to visit (free candy will get you anything in college). But I had professors who would come in at 9pm the night before a test to run a study-session (Pitzer had a math professor who was known for sleeping on a couch in his office before tests so that students could come all night), who would come in on their days off for an appointment or meeting, who would give out their home phone numbers before a big assignment was due...anything to make sure students were well-served. Even if you look on a site like <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessors.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ratemyprofessors.com&lt;/a>, you'll see that most of the lower-ranked professors have comments like "Not a great lecturer, but really helpful in office hours." Professors won't hold your hand--if you don't want that C, then it's up to you to do something about it--but they are absolutely available to help you when you're willing to ask for it. I don't think I can come up with a single exception in my own experience, so this is pretty standard.</p>

<p>(3) Students have mixed feelings re: Claremont the city. I loved it. It's quiet and cute and quaint and friendly. If you want frat row and a local bar scene and the freedom to have super loud parties into all hours of the night, then you'll probably find Claremont kind of stodgy and conservative. I always appreciated that I could go to school in a friendly little community, but easily get away to LA and other big surrounding areas. I never had a car, and that was just fine for me, although it would have been problematic if I hadn't almost always had friends who DID have cars. Not unmanageable--I dealt with it for a few semesters--but far from ideal. I didn't have a bike, either, although it would've been nice sometimes. Basically, you just walk a lot. There is a grocery store within very easy walking distance: Wolfe's Market, right down Foothill (west of the colleges, I believe). There's also the Village ("downtown"), with lots and lots of restaurants, some gift shops, higher-end boutiques, etc. The Village is currently being expanded and they're trying to make it a bit more student-friendly...there'll soon be a movie theater, among other things. But it'll still be a small-ish, quiet community (in the midst of LA sprawl), so hey. Just depends what you're looking for. A visit will tell you everything you need. If you don't have a car, you'll be in the majority and you'll find ways around it. It won't always be ideal, but it'll be fine, and you'll never have to put up with LA traffic! The other good news is that getting off-campus is always just a break, never a necessity. You'll basically never have an empty night on the 5Cs where you NEED to leave campus to find something good to do. So, aside from minor errands (and you can always find someone to take you to Target. There's actually a student-run company called "Oreo Run" that even does grocery shopping/delivery for really, really cheap), a car is just a convenience.</p>

<p>(4) Head to Borders. There will be a whole area devoted to test prep, college admissions, etc. type books and I imagine they'll have one on admissions essays. Just stick around there and peruse it for awhile to get a feel. This isn't like most essays. Above all, it just needs to showcase YOU--your personality, not your accomplishments (if you can get the two to go hand-in-hand, then it's ideal). See if you can get your hands on some generic-type essay prompts and brainstorm/free-write a bit (there've been topics listing favorite essays, which might be more fun, but less widely applicable). It'll make your life a bit easier if you start thinking about this now, but you don't need to stress over it yet.</p>

<p>(5) Best thing: the consortium. And that's not to say that I didn't love Scripps for itself, but I think that the consortium set-up is the best thing that any of the Claremonts have to offer. It was just amazing...far beyond what I expected. It gave a "best of all worlds" spin to everything--school size, class offerings, available majors, social life, whatever. Worst thing: I very much appreciate liberalism, community service, social/global awareness, sustainability, etc., but I sometimes felt at Scripps/Claremont like it was all being shoved in my face, and kind of hypocritically (mostly by a very vocal minority). I think you'll encounter this at many schools to some degree, but it was one of the few things that ever really flustered me in Claremont. I didn't necessarily feel stifled myself, but I think it would have been easy to have felt that way.</p>

<p>Hopefully those are all slightly more clear and helpful than my last efforts. Good luck :)</p>

3

<p>Well. That sounds like a hardship, although it is consisten with most of what families face. The FA office does take into account other student tuitions, but don't bank of getting support. I would suggest going for the JES scholarship (it really helped me out) or outside private scholarships. </p>

<p>1: I came in undecided like most and have gravitated towards a combo of pre-med, and psych. It is easy to test the waters in a lot of disciplines at Scripps, and I haven't found much lacking. The science and psych depts are good and I have found enough variety in classes for interest and challenge. </p>

<p>2: I agree with above. it's a very supportive community, although everyone is working at a very high level. There is a lot of comraderie and support rather than competition. </p>

<p>3: I like claremont, but I also like to get out. i have a bike which I use for grocery shopping and running errands. Scripps has vans that you can use after your license is verified for free (you pay gas). Also there is a cheap taxi service in the city for going to the mall and such $1.50-$2 per ride. And the train goes into LA union station. I take the train in every month or so to visit LA, go swimming/ shopping/ hang out. If you looks for ways to get around, then a car isn't necessary.</p>

<p>4: Good luck. Make it personal and passionate. What do you love? and how does that factor into your future. </p>

<p>5: The consortium. I was worried about the all girls thing, but it is a very coed environment and i love taking classes across the campuses to get some variety.</p>

4

<p>I just want to respond to question 3, about the town.</p>

<p>I think it's important to understand that "walking distance" means different things to different people. From Scripps, the village is almost a mile away. If you're just interested in walking there and back, it's not so bad. If you want to go shopping... it's important to imagine yourself walking a mile there, and then a mile back plus shopping bags. Just think about it.
And yes, Wolfe's is close, but if you plan on buying a ton of groceries every week, schlepping them back could be a hassle. It's just something to consider. Also, Wolfe's has some stuff, but not a whole lot. If you're used to shopping at places with a wide selection, Wolfe's won't have everything you need.</p>

<p>I went to Pitzer, and I thought Claremont was pretty useless without a car. They're building a big complex with a health food store and a movie theater and other stuff, so it should be better by the time you go to Scripps, but I still felt like you needed a car. The area is definitely not built to be a "within walking distance" kind of place, except for the downtown part of Claremont with the movie theater. Restaurants, Target, Vons, and other places are generally too far to walk to.</p>

<p>I guess I'm saying all of this because I went to Claremont thinking I could manage without a car, and that the village had plenty of stuff, and was disappointed.</p>