For any current/past students or parents from the Claremonts, could anyone tell me what they know about the social life/party scene as compared to other top schools? Like is it comparable to Ivy Leagues in terms of social life and parties, or is it lacking in this department? What are parties at the Claremonts like in general, thanks in advance everyone!
Your question is based on a deeply mistaken premise: you assume that the social life at all the “Ivy League” schools is similar to each other. Hard to overstate just how wrong that assumption is.
More useful to say: “I would like X type of social scene in college. Will I find that at CMC?”
Protip: it’s the rare college that has just one “party scene”/
And why do you assume that the social life/parties at various Ivies are necessarily good? And yes, there is a lot of variation both between and with “Ivies”.
I’m a first year at Pomona. Because there’s no Greek life at the 5C’s, the party scene is dominated by sports and CMC (the unofficial frat of the 5C’s). Some sports are a bit more isolated in their own community (like track, basketball, baseball, and tennis), but there is a lot of social mingling between sports teams and nonathletes. A lot of sports teams throw parties in their suites or in larger communal spaces. Unlike frats, anyone can attend these parties (although it is best to know someone on the team).
Besides the sports parties, the 5C’s throw a good number of school sanctioned parties which anyone from the 5C’s can attend. I go out 2-3 times a week and most of the parties I go to are not at Pomona. Many are at CMC or Pitzer. Usually something is happening Thurs, Fri, Sat nights. On Thursdays, CMC always has TNC (Thursday Night Club) which is school sanctioned party with DJs and free food and alch. Fridays are normally more lowkey and Saturdays have the biggest parties. Because of the super nice weather here in SoCal, most of the parties are outside. Every school has a different party scene and different scenes within each school. Overall the Claremont Colleges are pretty inclusive and you can find whatever you’re looking for as long as you know people.
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@hopefulgreenbean: Distinguishing factor may be that parties are outdoor at the Claremont Colleges.
Hi! thanks so much for your helpful response. I have a couple more questions regarding the social life I hope you don’t mind answering:) First, do athletes have time to party? I would love to run for CMC or Pomona but was wondering if it would cut too much into social life. Also, were you satisfied overall with the social scene your freshman year? I’m by no means a crazy partier/ have no desire for the huge frat parties at state schools I just don’t want to feel like I’m missing out on a normal college experience. I love everything else about the Claremont Colleges btw and can’t wait to apply this fall. Did your freshman year live up to ur expectations? 
@hopefulgreenbean Hi! thanks so much for your helpful response. I have a couple more questions regarding the social life I hope you don’t mind answering:) First, do athletes have time to party? I would love to run for CMC or Pomona but was wondering if it would cut too much into social life. Also, were you satisfied overall with the social scene your freshman year? I’m by no means a crazy partier/ have no desire for the huge frat parties at state schools I just don’t want to feel like I’m missing out on a normal college experience. I love everything else about the Claremont Colleges btw and can’t wait to apply this fall. Did your freshman year live up to ur expectations?
I’m glad to help! Athletes def have time to party. The Pomona Pitzer team often throws “tracktivities” parties which are mainly for track people, though they can get crowded at times. I have a few friends on the PP cross country and track team and although it’s a lot of work to balance school + athletics + social life it’s doable! (some even have on-campus jobs). No matter what you choose do here, you’re going to find your days packed.
Sadly, my first year was cut short due to the current pandemic, but I had an amazing time at Pomona. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on normal college experiences. I really tried to maximize my college experience, so that also plays into me not having many regrets. I’m so glad we don’t have greek life on campus because it makes the social scene so much more inclusive. Pomona (idk about CMC) really shoves the idea of “community” down your throat. There’s a lot of focus and emphasis on building community especially during the first few weeks here. If you can use those weeks to be more outgoing and social you’re easily going to find a social scene that best fits what you’re looking for in college.
Good luck with your applications!
@hopefulgreenbean awesome! thanks so much for your replies, and I’m so glad ur time there so far has been great:)