<p>" Claremont is not in the middle of anything. It is a bucolic town of 35,000 population, 40+ miles from downtown LA with little/no public transportation. It is a really poor choice for an international, particularly if the OP does not have a car."</p>
<p>Last time I checked, it was I who actually attends a college here (Pomona), not you. I know way more than you do about the current status of Claremont, and about the ease of connecting to places in the SoCal basin, and about what these schools do to help with that. </p>
<p>First of all, Claremont is right in the middle of the Inland Empire and Los Angeles county. This directional guide really does show the central presence that Claremont has- <a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/about/pomoniana/center-of-it-all.aspx”>http://www.pomona.edu/about/pomoniana/center-of-it-all.aspx</a> SoCal is not some farmland with large cities scattered- it’s a field of cities all throughout. Claremont is in very close proximity to Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Ontario- all of which have populations of 100,000+, and also very close to several places with populations of around 75,000+. So it is not in the middle of nowhere, unless you consider being in the middle of the 2nd largest metro nowhere.</p>
<p>Secondly, these are residential colleges which highly encourage students to go out and explore the SoCal Basin. I can’t speak for CMC as I’m not a student there, but just at Pomona, I’ve been to Knott’s Berry Farm, Cirque de Soleil, 3 concents, 2 orchestras at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Universal Studios, Pantages Theater, Hollywood, Staples Center, Six Flags Magic Mountain, LACMA, Griffith Park, LA County Fair, San Diego Zoo, the Getty Center, Hungington Gardens, and the list goes on. I do not own a car but it has not impeded me from making the most of this diverse location, as the school covers much of transportation. In terms of exploring natural scenery, SoCal is one of the most diverse places in the country to do so, and I’ve gone to Sequoia National Park, Joshua Tree, several different beaches, and Zion National Park as a result of our outdoor’s club (the largest group on the five colleges). </p>
<p>Entertainment isn’t the only thing one can find here. Connections with companies are available too. Pomona for instance has an internship program which sponsors 10% of the student body to do an internship in SoCal during their school semester, and it pays for the transportation in addition to a living salary. Internships are available in virtually every discipline- arts, non-profit, medicine, law, business- and students can also get funding for internships which they themselves find. I know Claremont McKenna has a similar thing. </p>
<p>In terms of getting to Los Angeles, the Metrolink drops your right off in downtown LA in approximately 50 minutes, and I can’t remember one time that it was delayed. Then from there ((Union Station), you can take a train to San Diego, take multiple different subways to different parts of Los Angeles, take the fly away bus to LAX, take a MegaBus to Las Vegas or San Francisco, and so forth. There are definitely places which require cars, but Pomona has those covered through its partnership with Zipcar and its own private cars, so if there’s enough demand it’s easy to go. I know International Place provides a lot of different excursions for its students, all subsidized, to get to explore California, such as Disney Land and San Francisco Spring Break Trip. </p>
<p>Claremont itself is the right “escape” from the busy rush of the 2nd largest metropolitan area. It’s beautiful, safe, and has necessities like banks, movie theaters, cheap restaurants, and salons. The Claremont Colleges themselves provide so many events that there’s seldom a need to go out- just tomorrow for instance, we have a Sanskriti performance, International Festival, No-Chella Music festival, and the Bashment Party- all of which will attract 100s of students from all around the Claremont Colleges. Today, the Seminannual Hackathon begins, there will be three different movie screenings, a film festival featuring original productions, Salsa Night, and the Surfboardt party.</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna in particular has a thriving international student body- almost a 1/5 of the student population. And I know from personal experience that they’re an extremely welcoming and supportive group- international students love the Claremont Colleges. I-Place provides students with home-stays to help them adjust to life in America, and they also build a family that preserves even while most domestic students go home for winter break (international students tend to stay on campus). </p>