Which Claremont College should I choose? (Pitzer vs. Scripps)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey there!</p>

<p>I am applying Early Decision to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts if that is any indication of my college preferences. The first thing that comes to mind when people ask me about Smith is their open curriculum (they do not have any core classes or requirements), even though I love the college for many other reasons. However, I'm trying to decide where to apply for Early Decision II. Mount Holyoke is a consideration (thoughts?), but both Pitzer and Scripps are definitely in the running as well, hence this question. I'm not currently considering and did not visit Claremont Mckenna, Pomona, or Harvey Mudd when I was in Claremont, but if any of those sound like a good fit, let me know! But, you can't really determine what a good fit is until I try to sum myself up, soo..please read on. </p>

<p>I'm in the Class of 2015 at an all-girls, private, Catholic school (with a uniform and everything). I attended this school from fifth to eighth grade (came from a local public school), went to public school for ninth grade (hated it), and then came back for tenth grade until now. I totally love the all-girls environment (if this matters, I do like boys and only boys), but I really find co-ed colleges just as appealing. My school is tiny (50 girls in every grade, less than 400 students total, average class size of 18 but can be as small as 1), and that really works best for me. I love the sense of community you get with a small school and the relationships I have formed with my teachers (they all know my name, personality, and work and actually want me to succeed). </p>

<p>Outside of school, I am not super coordinated so I do not play sports with the exception of the occasional game with friends. I'm pretty active in a few clubs (Stand Up 2 Cancer, Yearbook, Student Admissions Team), but none of them are like a total requirement for any college I attend. The main thing I do and would love to continue to do during college is volunteer, specifically with kids. I have volunteered and continue to volunteer consistently with kids ranging from infants to middle-schoolers and LOVE it (I even think babysitting is fun), but I love volunteering with any people or animals in general. I know Pitzer has a center where you basically just volunteer with children which made my little heart skip a few beats when the tour guide mentioned it. I also love that Pitzer has such a focus on community engagement and service because it's something my school and I believe in and practice. In college, I would also love to have internship opportunities and maybe the chance to study abroad. A good party scene is definitely secondary, but I do want a school where there are opportunities to go out or socialize. I'm an extrovert, just not a hardcore partier. </p>

<p>In college, I'm planning to major in Psychology, preferably with a focus on Child and Developmental Psychology because I ultimately want to have my own Clinical Child Psychology practice one day. I would love to minor in Education and/or Social Work. But, I am also totally all over the place and sometimes I think I'll go into politics or medicine or computer programming. So, I loveee the thought of being able to self-design my major. I definitely prefer small classes and if they're seminar style or discussion based, that's even better. My current school is rigorous, so I'm comfortable with a heavy load and confident in my abilities to just get 'er done, but I do like studying in groups and I also plan to take advantage of office hours. Not only does my mom (an ex-professor) say they're super important, but I check-in with teachers every once in a while at my current school and find it helpful. </p>

<p>My main concern with Pitzer is that it might be too hippie for me. I don't really see myself gardening anytime soon. I definitely love shopping, makeup, and all things girly. I'm originally from Los Angeles and it definitely shows. At Scripps, I worry it may be too serious for me. I'm fun and bubbly and I worry there's not a lot of room for that on their campus. It sometimes feels like I'm too preppy for Pitzer but too much of a free spirit for Scripps. </p>

<p>Anyway, any thoughts, comments, or questions are appreciated. Thanks!</p>

<p>-Evan </p>

2

<p>Bryn Mawr has an excellent psychology department with an emphasis on child/developmental psychology. It’s a small women’s college right outside Philadelphia, and is also a consortium with Swarthmore, Haverford, and UPenn. They have a joint eduation program with Haverford (the schools are a mile apart), and they also have the Child Study Institute, where you can volunteer and also potentially help with research studies on infants and children. Bryn Mawr is also unique in that it has a PhD program in clinical and developmental psychology. Thus, if you get advanced enough you could take graduate-level classes - or, at the very least, be surrounded by people doing research in that area. UPenn is 20 minutes away by train and has a world-class medical research center, so if you were interested in medicine/public health you could potentially take classes in their health and societies major </p>

<p>You don’t have to design your own major…you can always take classes in those other things while still majoring in psychology. Designing your own major is actually more difficult than most students anticipate (and than most college websites make it out to prospective students). You usually have to work with 2+ faculty, you have to justify why you can’t major in something that already exists at the college, and you have to do it fairly early in your college career. It’s not really a solution for having a lot of interests - most college students do; you remedy that by just taking diverse classes. A self-designed major is for the student who wants to study something in particular very deeply that’s not satisfied by the regular majors offered by the college.</p>

3

<p>You might like Claremont McKenna. The psychology department is very strong - and you’d be able to take courses at all of the 5C’s. And you could explore your other interests. Your girly fun, bubbly and makeup side wouldn’t feel out of place there, either. All of the Claremont Colleges place a lot of emphasis on volunteering and community service. My son got his BA in Psych at Claremont and interned at the Autism Center, among many other psychology internships (some of which were facilitated through Pitzer.) If you’re attracted to Pitzer and Scripps, definitely do a bit of exploring of CMC.</p>

4

<p>All of the 5C’s offer the same social life since the consortium is built with each of them. You should look into the academic qualities and the typical student who attends these schools. You sound like a Scripps student based on your response.</p>

<p>CMC and Pomona have the best psychology departments of the 5C’s; Pomona’s is more research-heavy and qualitative, whereas CMC offers an application approach to psychology.</p>

5

<p>@juillet The consortium with Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr really isn’t comparable to the Claremont Consortium, where you can walk across the street to other colleges.</p>

<p>@nostalgicwisdom The social life can be rather different at each college, although it is possible to experience all types if you try. Once you belong to a college, you’re kind of surrounded by the same general type of people until you physically walk into another group. </p>

<p>OP, you sound like a Scripps student to me, too. </p>

6

<p>@Woandering Yes, I am aware. When I said “consortium” I was actually referring to the co-educational agreement between them, not to geographical location. Bryn Mawr and Haverford are 4 minutes apart driving and there’s a shuttle that goes between them. Swarthmore is much further - about 30 minutes driving. There’s the Tri-Co van that goes between them but it doesn’t seem very convenient. And, like I mentioned, Penn is a 20-minute train ride away.</p>

<p>The consortium in the Five Colleges is also different from the consortium at the Claremont Colleges, with Smith being about 20 minutes from Amherst, UMass-Amherst, and Mount Holyoke by car (and 15 minutes from Hampshire). So when OP was looking for a consortium I didn’t assume that they wanted the schools to be walking distance from each other.</p>