Hi! Right now I think that Scripps is my first choice 
but I’m weighing up costs etc. in comparison to some other schools and I have some questions that I have been wondering about. Thank you!
- Do you feel like there is a palpable hierarchy between the schools? Like do the other schools look down on Scripps students because it has a higher acceptance rate?
- I was told that there are around 10 GE requirements. I wanted to know what exactly they are, how many options there are to complete them, and whether it's hard to do them all.
- Can you utilize the art studios (like the 24 hr ceramics studio) if you aren't taking an art class?
- As it is a women's college, is it particularly difficult to be friends with guys?
Hi! These are definitely some good questions to consider before committing to a college. As a current sophomore at Scripps, I’ll try my best to answer them!
- During my first semester at Scripps, I encountered a few students --primarily from CMC but also from Pomona-- who thought that they were somehow superior to the students at the other 5Cs due to their school's ranking or acceptance rate. However, this sense of superiority dissolved after the first semester or so, and I never experienced it with students from Pitzer or Harvey Mudd to begin with. That being said, I remember that a majority of the students I met from any of the 5Cs during my first few weeks were generally in the same boat as I was (slightly lost and just trying to make friends).
- In addition to Core I, Core II, Core III, and Writing, which all students have to take during pre-determined semesters, the GEs and some options to complete each one are as follows:
Math: pre-calc, calc, or logic (if you’re not into math)
Foreign Language: You need to complete the third level of any language offered!
Social Science: psychology, economics, anthropology, politics, or history
Natural Science: biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology, etc.
Letters: philosophy, art history, literature
Fine Arts: art, dance, music, theater
Gender and Women’s Studies: This can fit into quite a few different subjects, but there is an entire department devoted to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (FGSS).
Race and Ethnic Studies: This can also fit into various subjects. I took a literature course to fulfill my requirement.
As you can see, you have quite a few options to complete your GEs! Some courses are able to double-count, fulfilling two GEs at once, and given the variety of courses listed, it is likely that some of your GEs will end up counting toward your major and/or minor courses, as well. It should also be noted that all students are given the opportunity to test out of math and foreign language during orientation.
- Honestly, I think this depends on the studio and the professor running the studio. I think for an art like photography or drawing, you would probably be able to use the studio as long as you paid the lab fee (usually around $75) and spoke with the professor to get permission. However, I've heard that this is more difficult to do with ceramics, because there is limited space for students to leave their work in the studio, so the professors like to reserve it for students who are actually enrolled in the course.
- In my experience, no. You may tend to make friends with only Scripps students during your first semester, because you're all still getting to know campus and you're required to take at least two of your courses at Scripps during this semester, but after you get comfortable and start branching out more, it's not difficult to make guy friends. As I'm sure you already know, they're right across the street! They're in your classes and your dining hall. All you have to do is get involved in 5C activities, like joining clubs or even just going to parties! You are capable of making all sorts of friends here.
Well, I hope you don’t mind these lengthy answers! Best of luck with the rest of your college process!
Thank you so much!! That is so helpful. @Redhead15
Redhead15-Thank you very much for answering colleger111’s questions. My DD fell in love with Scripps’ campus, and she’s now planning on applying! I have one question for you: what is the food like? She has some food restrictions, so the quality of the food is actually quite important.
@Mimi2018 - my D is at Scripps and she loves the food. There are always lots of options and of course, there are also other dining halls across the 5C’s. If you D has food restrictions you may want to ask specifically about that, but I’m pretty sure my D has mentioned there are always vegan and gluten free options available.
Thank you ClaremontMom. I forgot about all the 5C’s! Lots of options then…are the dining halls (or whatever they’re called) open late? I thought I read something about them shutting down at an early hour.
Meal times are approximately as follows: breakfast about 7-9, lunch 11-1:30, dinner - 4:30-7 and Sat/Sun instead of breakfast and lunch they have brunch from about 10:30-1, Exact times vary from dining hall to dining hall. If you are really curious you can google their hours.
Hi, Mimi2018! ClaremontMom is correct that the dining halls always offer vegan and gluten free options, and I know that there have been efforts to expand the available options in these categories of food.
While the dining halls do close rather early for some people’s preferences, the closing time only represents the latest time at which you can swipe into the dining hall. So, for instance, if you swipe in for dinner five minutes before the dining hall closes, you’re welcome to stay for another 40 minutes or so to eat your meal! Also, for reference, there is a dining hall at Pomona that is open until 8pm, later than any other dining hall at the 5Cs, and if that’s not late enough, The Hub at CMC is open until around 1am and allows students order food from the grill using meal replacement.
As a final note on the topic of food, I would just like to say that between the 5Cs, there are seven dining halls for students to choose from, so your daughter would have plenty of options!
Hi. I heard about the RA strike. Can anyone weigh in on what the relationship is like between RAs and other students? Is there a lot of tension? I can understand being an RA is an extremely stressful role to take on.
I believe the strike is primarily about pay issues. I think generally relationships between RAs and students are fine. I assume those issues will be sorted by fall term.
Redhead15-thank you for your detailed response regarding all the dining options. It all sounds so amazing! I still can’t get over how beautiful the campus is. It seems more like a resort than a college to me!
We just got the email regarding the strike. Our daughter is planning to do the overnight visit and we are wondering how the atmosphere is at the moment. This was possibly her top choice, for a number of reasons.
We are visiting Scripps today and tomorrow (because the Accepted Students Day conflicts with DD’s area track meet). The only thing that was different was that our tour was cancelled and an admissions staff member read a statement about the student ambassador tour guides showing solidarity with the RA’s on strike. It was a thoughtful, sensitive statement, and very similar to the email sent tonight. DD spent the day with track teammates and none of them seemed concerned. The campus seemed calm and students seemed happily going about their routines both today and tonight when we were walking around. In the Motley (coffee shop) the handwritten menu had a sign that invited patrons to sign a petition in support of the RA’s. That was the only visible sign we saw.
For anyone wanting more information, the RAs have decided to strike until the following (summarized) demands are addressed by the administration:
- The resignation of a dean who has consistently failed to do her job sufficiently
- Increased transparency in the formulation of financial aid packages and a fund to accommodate the fluctuating financial circumstances of continuing students on financial aid
- Updated emergency preparedness plans
- A restructuring of the Residential Advisor role to make it more sustainable
- Increased support for mental health
These demands come in the wake of the loss of another RA on campus and are intended to benefit the student body as a whole, in addition the RAs themselves, so to my knowledge, there is no hostility between the RAs and the other students on campus. Various groups and individuals have actually publicly expressed their support of the RAs and everything they’re trying to accomplish.
The administration will likely meet with the RAs on April 20th to discuss their demands, as I believe they wanted to have this sorted out by Admitted Students Day, but even if this meeting doesn’t happen until later in the semester, the strike will almost certainly have ended by the fall. The admissions office is in solidarity with the RAs, which is why the normal tour process has been temporarily altered, but day-to-day activities for students are largely the same, so overnight visits to campus shouldn’t be stressful or unsettling in any way.
I saw those demands from the student ambassadors. Is the list the same for the RAs? I don’t see #1 happening… 3,4,and 5 maybe.
My daughter just returned from an overnight at Scripps. She had a wonderful time and said, “the strike is a topic of discussion but not civil unrest” and she had great conversations with RAs and other students about why the strike was going on and maintaining commitments to the student body as a whole. The Core class she sat in on discussed the strike in a very positive way. She said that for many students this is the first time they have been involved in political activism of any kind, so there is a definite sense of excitement (and some outrage) on campus. Otherwise, my daughter sat in on 4 classes and really enjoyed them all, in particular the professors. Overall, the strike did not negatively impact her visit; rather, it allowed her to better see the socially active mindset of Scripps students.
Thanks. That is somewhat reassuring, though I hope it doesn’t distract the admits too much as they make their decision.
Yes. Thank you for the update. This is my daughters first choice at the moment and she is planning on doing the overnight. She is already very much into activism- I was just hoping she could have a nice break from it all and just enjoy the campus. I do think she will appreciate the caliber of the students though. @baymom1 is your daughter from the bay area? We are coming from Marin.
@intparent - A couple of years ago, CMC students protested racial bias on the part of their Dean of Students, Mary Spellman, who ended up resigning. If students have no confidence in the Dean of Student Affairs, the latter will have a difficult time functioning in her job. I wouldn’t dismiss demand #1 just yet.
We live in the Bay Area. She was excited about the overnight but a little apprehensive now. I hope it’s a pleasant experience!