I’m wondering what scripps social life/extracurricular scene is like?
I love to have stuff to do constantly and I have heard that scripps campus can be kind of dry/there is no dorm culture or popular extracurricular activities. What do you do for fun? Is there a shortage of stuff to do ever? Is it hard to meet people?
I’m a Scripps parent, so info is not first-hand but as reported from my D.
It can be hard to meet people, at least initially–but I heard this from students on other campuses large and small, so take that with a grain of salt. My D now has friends on every campus, is living with a student from a different Claremont college, and is dating someone from yet another Claremont college. Most of her classes are on other campuses, and all of her ECs are 5C, so she’s meeting new people all the time (not during covid, of course). She’s truly in a community of 6,000, not limited to Scripps’s student body. On the other hand, what you’ve heard about dorm culture is true and persisted beyond first year.
Between all of the 5Cs, there is a ton to do on campus. Gyms and pools are gorgeous, and my D spends a lot of time exercising or lounging poolside with friends. Big 5C parties are a blast. Many large, single-college parties are required to be open to other colleges, at least up to a certain number, and there are also smaller parties on other campuses several nights a week. So if you’re looking for a party, you’re set. If you want to host a party, on the other hand, good luck. Ok to invite a handful of friends for a small party in your room, but that’s about it. Scripps doesn’t seem to host large parties (ever? often?), and there is no common area in which students can host larger gatherings. I believe last year Scripps designated some of their lovely outdoor spaces for such use, but truly the campus culture is quiet on purpose. This rubbed my D the wrong way for a while, but the longer she’s there the more she appreciates being able to get rowdy somewhere else and then return to her own reliably quiet, serene campus.
Tons of extracurricular activities, more than you’ll have time for even if you are not an athlete. When I visited my D one weekend, I had a hard time scheduling dinner out with her and her two roommates because they each had so many activities planned. Also due to proximity to LA and prestige of 5Cs, there is a constant stream of visiting lecturers, performances, etc.
Great weather means many fun activities off campus any time of year. My D enjoys camping trips, taking the train into LA, beach trips, a rockclimbing class…
Lots of internship and research opportunities to keep you busy during the school year and summer too.
Claremont itself is dull. Lovely and safe, but dull.
I forgot to mention dining, which sounds very social. Scripps students (like all 5C students) can eat at any dining hall on the 5C campus, and they can also frequent the little cafes on each campus. So 5 dining halls to choose from at every meal, and 5 cafe-type places to meet friends for coffee or whatever. Scripps’s cafe, the Motley, has a small stage and hosts readings and musical performances, club meetings, etc. I imagine the other cafes do too. Very popular, busy, social places.
If you don’t mind me asking where are you from?
I’m trying to decide between EDing to a NESCAC (Middlebury) or 5C (Scripps) but they are so different it’s really hard to compare… do you possibly know anything about the main differences (other than weather and location of course) between a northeastern LAC and a Claremont college? Or what the 5C experience brings that you couldn’t get within a community at a NESCAC?
I can definitely help with that comparison. I’ll message you directly. 
