<p>I've read a lot about the type of students that fit in at the different Claremont schools and I know that they are based, to some degree, on stereotypes. Following that theme, I am wondering how a student that might otherwise be a good fit for Harvey Mudd would fit in socially at Claremont Mckenna?</p>
<p>For example, it seems as though CMC looks for outgoing leaders, but would a "nerd" fit in at CMC? What about an introvert? What about a non-drinker?</p>
<p>CMC develops leaders :). You may aspire to become a leader, and therefore find yourself growing into one at CMC even if that person is as you say a “nerd”.</p>
<p>CMC is also known for its independence in terms of expression, and if you do not wish to drink, you will fit in fine</p>
<p>Hey, ilikesalad, thanks for the reply here (and on the other thread I started). Are there things to do on Thursday/Saturday nights at CMC other than go to a party? And are there enough people willing to do those other things to make it worthwhile?</p>
<p>It’s one thing to not feel pressured to drink while at a party. It’s another thing to have alternative things to do other than go to parties where most people are drinking.</p>
<p>The cultures at Harvey Mudd and CMC are completely different, and the students at each would generally not thrive at the others’ school.</p>
<p>To gloss over each school generally, you will find extremely nerdy people at HMC that study a lot - it’s their lives, and they love it. For some people, that’s what attracts them to Mudd (myself included, Harvey Mudd was my second choice behind Pomona), for others, it’s a big turn off to not have very much free time or anything else.</p>
<p>CMC has been described as a large fraternity (by Pomona, Mudd, and CMC students I’ve met) and the general focus of the school is pre-professional. If you’re more intellectually inclined, you will be an outlier within the school’s culture (a close friend of mine is one of these). That isn’t to say that you won’t receive a good education in a particular field, or be ostracized by the student body, but you won’t be a mainstream part of the culture.</p>
<p>In terms of having things to do other than partying, at CMC you will be around people that start drinking/partying on Thursday night (CMC hosts TNC, or Thursday Night Club), but quite a lot of the drinking is done in small groups rather than at parties, so you don’t have to go to parties to fit in. On the other hand, you will be either studying or partying at Mudd (on the weekends). Mudd is popular for its numerous parties and its strenuous courses.</p>
<p>CMC and Mudd have very different cultures, and I would visit both before you really decide which school you belong at.</p>
<p>“If you’re more intellectually inclined, you will be an outlier within the school’s culture”</p>
<p>If that is not a hackneyed stereotype, I don’t know what is. Zrathustra, I have some advice you may want to take. Why don’t you wait until you are actually at Ponoma for a couple of months before you begin to label and characterize the students at CMC and Mudd.</p>
<p>BTW, this why some Pomona students are disliked by others in the consortium. If you’re going to join that group, at least wait until you get there.</p>
<p>So Xiggi who went to CMC and who has never said he felt like an outlier at the school, I guess you are questioning his intellectual prowess.</p>
<p>You misunderstand me. First of all, I’m speaking in general terms, because this is what this topic is about. Secondly, I do not mean to question the intellectual capability or prowess of CMC students. However, most CMC students are focused around business and professional aspirations, which are not considered traditionally academic or intellectual, per se.</p>
<p>I tried to word my post carefully, but it seems I failed. I really don’t mean to say that CMC students are less intelligent, just have different intentions for their college careers, which is just that: different.</p>
<p>EDIT: For the record, these observations are taken almost directly from personal discussions with students at CMC, HMC, and Pomona. These are less my personal opinions than they are of several 5C students.</p>
<p>Zrathustra, I am sure you must be a very intelligent young man to have been accepted to Pomona, but I would urge you to pay some attention to the following quotes. They may actually do you some good.</p>
<p>“I am not young enough to know everything.”</p>
<p>“It is what we think we know that keeps us from learning.”</p>
<p>“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the illusion of knowledge.”</p>
<p>“To know that one knows what one knows, and to know that one doesn’t know what one doesn’t know, there lies true wisdom.”</p>
<p>“A man does not know what he is saying until he knows what he is not saying.”</p>
<p>“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the illusion of knowledge.”</p>
<p>Zrathustra, you may be very book smart, but that doesn’t mean you need to express your opinions every time you get the itch.</p>
<p>I’ll include my edit here. I am less than knowledgable on the subtleties of the various 5C cultures, which is why urtheman should take what I say with the following disclaimer.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>“several 5C students”</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, one CMC student</p>
<p>3 CMC students, 5 Pomona students, several Mudd students.</p>
<p>That’s a good statistical sample which I am sure will yield us reliable information. Look, unless you live on these campuses, you can’t know or understand the nuances and subtleties of the colleges, despite what a few people supposedly told you. For you to encapsulate each of the schools into neat little boxes is almost like saying a certain ethnic group is lazy because someone told you that. Again, I urge you to read some of the quotes from my previous post.</p>
<p>And again, I am merely presenting information to help answer OP’s questions about the campuses. As I said, I am speaking generally and merely presenting my own findings from a few sources. He, of course, should take all information with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>And that’s all I will say on the matter.</p>
<p>You are fortunate to be posting anonymously, because I have a feeling if the Pomona adcom could see what you are writing here, they might want to reconsider their decision.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should revisit the original post and title: “Speaking of stereotypes” and “I’ve read a lot about the type of students that fit in at the different Claremont schools and I know that they are based, to some degree, on stereotypes. Following that theme, I am wondering how a student that might otherwise be a good fit for Harvey Mudd would fit in socially at Claremont Mckenna?”</p>
<p>I quite understand that there are exceptions to the “stereotype”, but this entire thread is about generalizing the two colleges and comparing how one student might fit into another. Additionally, I haven’t said anything negative about Harvey Mudd OR Claremont McKenna. They’re both great schools, but very different.</p>
<p>What I keep saying ad nauseam is that, even though you think you know, you really don’t know the two schools. CMC is must more varied than your simplistic description, and all I am saying is why don’t you wait until you actually are at Pomona for a few months and maybe get to know a number of CMC and Mudd students (not superficially) before you decide that you have it all figured out.</p>
<p>You know with all due respect to the OP the answer to the question was really very obvious. Harvey Mudd is an engineering school and a student who is interested in and a good candidate for Mudd would not want to go to CMC. I don’t really see the overlap between the two schools.</p>
<p>Parent57 I’m confused, you accuse Zarathustra of stereotyping and not presenting an accurate picture because he is not a Cmc student, but if you are just a parent, how can you be an expert on the social culture at Cmc and know so well what goes on there?</p>
<p>Jared, never said I was an expert on the social culture of the school, and I have never attempted to stereotype any of the Claremont schools. From my experience with the school which I think is a bit more than Zarathustra’s experience, I just don’t think his attempt to stereotype and pigeonhole the school is very accurate. There have been a number of CMC students who have posted in this forum and have painted a very different picture than the one we saw by Zarathustra.</p>
<p>I gather you applied ED to CMC and didn’t get in. What was it about the school that made you want to apply ED?</p>
<p>CMC has the Management Engineering program, which really appeals to me because I am interested in both economics and engineering.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd has straight engineering with the ability to focus on economics in a kind of minor capacity. So, academically, I think I could find what I am looking for at either school.</p>
<p>It is the social aspect that I am most concerned about. I guess, from some of the posts, it seems that the main social outlet at both schools is partying/drinking. Perhaps more so at CMC.</p>
<p>I am wondering if there are students at either school that like to do something with their Thurs-Sat night other than party. Everyone says I can go to a party and not drink, but are there other things to do too? Movies, concerts, club events, outdoor activities, sporting events, etc… And, do people do these things?</p>