Claremont McKenna College (CMC)

Claremont McKenna College offers a "very challenging but rewarding" liberal arts education to a focused group of about 1,400 students. Its proximity to Los Angeles-just 30 miles away-and joint curriculars with the other six member schools of The Claremont Colleges allows students to tailor their education and access the resources of a large university-over 2,200 classes and activities to choose from-while still building close relationships with faculty. Experiential learning is a keystone of the curriculum, and "there are many opportunities for students to work with professors outside of class on research projects, or in campus research centers"; more than 90 percent of students also complete internships. Guest speakers who are prominent in their field come to students several times a week via the Athenaeum, "the most impressive program for bringing more viewpoints to campus at any liberal arts college." As one student says, "Oftentimes, someone who would be a commencement speaker somewhere else will be a speaker at the Athenaeum on a random Wednesday."

Professors "are very open to seeing us outside of class and facilitating the tough discussions in class that we need to have in order to grow," and "are flexible but also have high expectations that you get motivated to meet." Classes are designed with innovative pedagogy in mind: for example, the Philosophy, Government, and Economics programs have "three courses dedicated to weekly one-on-one debates and paper exchanges in 'tutorials,'" and an economics class uses "a digital simulator where we can simulate economic concepts in class in a game-like interface." The administration is incredibly supportive, and there are "counseling, tutoring, career services, and many resources and locations for students to just go to whenever they need to talk about anything."

The "highly intelligent and supportive" students at CMC "are very driven and bring multiple different perspectives to the table," with a "critical thinking mindset and freedom of speech mentality." As one student says, "We pride ourselves on considering a wide variety of opinions as we develop solutions for the modern world." That means that while some think it's "kind of a preppy school," there are also "a lot of opportunities here for first generation or low-income students, and so there is quite a diverse population." Students suggest the overall attitude is "beyond humble" and that they are all "encouraged to think for ourselves, by ourselves, and to carry strategies for doing such with us outside of the classroom." That long-term support can be found in the way that students "continue to receive good support from a strong alumni network after college."

There "is a rich social life to be had on campus," and everyone is "very involved and engaged, so when students are not in classes, they're taking meetings for clubs or working at research institutes." CMC has a "very high caliber of student clubs and organizations (especially for its size)"; for instance, the CMC Mock Trial and Model UN teams are nationally lauded, and enrollees note that there "is a dedicated group of welcoming students behind every club and sport." That carries over even outside of official activities: "I can engage in conversations of fin-tech, cryptocurrencies, [and] Western feminism perspectives on IR [international relations] theories all while munching on chips in the lounge with my peers."

The school also knows how to make the most of its beautiful campus and weather that "is almost always sunny." There are "many free day trips and incredible opportunities to see sporting events, concerts, or just get into nature," and one student cites a bunch of fitness classes as well as activities like painting and philosophy journal before summing things up simply as "there's just so [much] offered here." There's also a variety of athletic offerings: "basically our entire campus shows up to big football/water polo games," and there are also intramural sports as well as the fact that "people love getting outside [and] playing casual sports."

Undergrads at Claremont McKenna love to shower the “AMAZING career services center” with praise, and it’s no secret why: the Soll Center for Student Opportunity is with students every step of the way, from initial career exploration to landing that first job offer. The Center organizes its planning around interest clusters rather than majors, so students have the opportunity to explore resources that are adjacent to their focus and receive guidance from an expert career coach familiar with the cluster. Through their alumni career contacts database, the office also makes it simple for current students to connect with alums working in industries of interest. Beyond great support, CMC students benefit from many handsome opportunities: the Sponsored Internships & Experiences program provides funding for both domestic and international experiences, including summer research and writing fellowships. And funding is also available to help subsidize career development opportunities (such as conferences or fieldwork) throughout the academic year. Payscale.com reports that Claremont McKenna alumni receive a median starting salary of $84,500, and 52 percent say that they derive a high level of meaning from their jobs.