I don’t think that Claremont McKenna College is a good example of the point you’re making for several reasons. First, CMC is a very small college, only 1300 students. As such, it is not going to have the breadth of offerings that a larger school will, which is almost every other college or university. Second, its mission is education in the social sciences. It is not trying to replicate what can be found at other Claremon5 colleges across the street. Third, CMC shares in the Keck Science Department with Pitzer and Scripps. It is an inter college enterprise, housed on the CMC campus and CMC students can take a Physics major there.
If you look at physics in Academics: Departments, Majors and Programs | Claremont McKenna College , it opens up to an integrated sciences major.
CMC is an example of my point that some small schools (that are not just arts schools) may not have that much to offer in physics.
Agree. If it were my kid, unless an extremely knowledgeable college counselor told me otherwise, I would submit that SAT score given the rest of the narrative.
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Just wanted to chime in here seconding Scripps. It’s a bit easier admit, but has full access to the 5C’s. My C27 loved the tour we did there. My S25 is currently at LMU and is loving it there. Be very careful with the net price calculator. They are not super generous with aid, so might not affordable, but academically it would be a target or easier. I’d be happy to answer any questions about LMU.
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This has changed in the past few years. CMC pulled out of the joint Keck Science department, which is now just Scripps+Pitzer, and created their own Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences. The resulting Integrated Science major, which “is currently structured around three global societal and scientific challenges: Health, Brain, and Planet,” does not seem like a fit for a student who wants a true physics major, much less physics-and-maybe-engineering. That said, off-campus majors based at other consortium schools are pretty common at the 5C’s (although Mudd engineering isn’t available to students at the other 4 schools other than as a 3:2)… I suspect that a CMC kid who discovered they truly wanted physics could access a physics major that way. But I agree that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to choose CMC for these interests. It was never a place that drew a lot of physical-sciences kids but it seems even less accommodating of such interests now than before CMC pulled out of Keck. (Not that OP is even considering, but just to close that loop for anyone else reading.)
As for Pomona being within reach, I didn’t say the student shouldn’t apply, and I hope you guys are right that there’s a chance. If we’d had this conversation in June, I would’ve recommended applying to the POP fly-in, which would have helped to gauge Pomona’s interest in the student and vice versa, and would have put the student on Pomona’s radar. At this point, I feel like a comparable applicant who went through that process has a real advantage over the OP applying “cold.” There’s still a chance, but that process is how the school identifies a lot of the FGLI students that they ultimately admit. At any rate, I think we all agree that it’s a long shot, but nobody’s saying it isn’t worth taking that shot. I can see foregoing the engineering option for a school of Pomona’s caliber (as with Reed), whereas I feel less sure that it would make sense to choose a school like Oxy over someplace like USF or USD with an engineering option. (Trinity in San Antonio could really hit the sweet spot for this student IMO - strong physics & engineering, need-blind domestic admissions, full-need-met aid, lovely setting… but obviously TX isn’t on the table here… the CA private options that give enough aid but aren’t Stanford-level reachy are somewhat limited.)
OP, have you run the NPC for USC? It may not be generous enough but it doesn’t hurt to check.
p.s. Engineering-wise, it’s worth noting that non-Mudd students can take Mudd’s E4 Intro to Engineering Design class, followed by the Human-Centered Design classes offered by The Hive… so that could be an enhancement to a Pomona or Scripps physics major.
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No comment about California colleges, but I want to mention that if your cousin is interested in a physics major there are specific scholarships for women in physics.
AWIS has scholarship for female college sophomore and juniors majoring in physics or geophysics.
There’s another AWIS scholarship for first generation women majoring in a physical science in college.
See– Scholarships - AWIS
The American Physical Society also award scholarship to undergrad women majoring in physics. Women in Physics Group Grants | American Physical Society
Individual colleges and universities may also have special scholarships for women physics majors or first generation in college physics majors. Your cousin should ask the physics dept chairperson about them. (I know, for example, the University of New Mexico has one for first gen students.)
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This is such an insightful post! Thank you for your thorough explanation of all of these things. I love the 5Cs and in truth really hope my D26 ends up there, in part because it is closer than the other places she is seriously considering, and in part because I think it is an incredible setup. Pomona is not on her list though. Only Pitzer and Scripps sung to her of the five, and frankly I think she’s right that those two are the ones that are fits.
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Confused about the budget - because you say Grandparent 529 available with about $20,000 per year.
Yes, you list the SAI but is this the entire budget? Or is your family able to contribute a bit more to get up to $30K per year, as an example. Have you run an NPC for, say, a meets need Occidental. Note, if you need a lot, need aware schools may reject you just for that.
I put an NPC below. Have your family fill out.
CA is a big state - so why CA vs. potentially other schools.
Id say maybe yes to Oxy, and yes to those after. how about St. Mary’s - it’d be a safety and would Pacific - but I’m not sure they’d meet cost. Why not USC - given their generous aid. Or Pitzer.
I don’t think Stanford or Pomona can happen but at Pomona, you must go test optional. At Oxy, I would too - your SAT is below the 25th percentile.
I suspect your financial need will be your biggest issue at the schools you will get into.
Best of luck.
I’m confused as to why your are commenting as if the OP hadn’t already shown NPC-literacy.
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Because I responded to the initial post and it’s not mentioned there.
To OP, if you have San Diego to the Bay area which is arguably two different places, would you be willing to go up coast to Oregon?
Or is there any flexibility to go over the budget and if so by how much.
Just because NPCs show they’ll make budget doesn’t mean you’ll get in.
Those on your list that are likely are not need blind.
I’m wondering if you have the ability to go higher - because some of the state schools, while over $20K are in the mid-30s.
Maybe your grandparents could handle the higher amount? I’m think schools like CS San Marcos. CS Bakersfield notes possible merit aid. The show a price in the low 30s. I didn’t know your family income so I put under $30K and it came back with a # in the mid 20s. Some of the secondary CSUs might be a possibility - if you can go up a bit in cost.
I’m asking because your required amount of need might be what keeps you out of a college you listed and not your GPA/Test score.
Another option if CA doesn’t work out - if you go to Austin Peay, MTSU, or Memphis, you can go to a California School for a semester (I’ve heard a year on here but only see semester on their website) as part of the National Student Exchange - at your tuition in TN.
CA schools would be CPSLO, Chico State, Cal State East Bay, Monterey, Northbridge, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, San Jose State, Sonoma State.
Good luck.
Good luck.
My niece went to USD and had a Jesuit speaker at her graduation. USD includes many of the other Catholic orders in their professors and administrations. She went to a Lasallian hs and her brother to a Jesuit hs, and my sister found all 3 similar in their ‘religiousness.’
It is definitely less of an urban vibe at the school than at some of the Jesuit schools that are ‘city center’ like USF.
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My vote – FWIW – is that Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, USD, and USF would all be “safety” schools, and Pomona and Occidental would be “matches”. Stanford is a “reach” for everybody unless you were the study body president or you’re a star water polo player.
Best wishes to @MamaLilKat‘s relative! What a great personal story and achievement. She sounds like a total champ to me. She’ll do great no matter where, but I think she’ll get to California.
Occidental is a target (I think the odds are good, but it’s not a safety by any stretch). Pomona is a reach for everyone (which is why people have suggested Pitzer and Scripps – Pitzer is an easier reach, and Scripps is a target). Stanford is highly unlikely. Santa Clara, LMU, USF, and USD are extremely likely for this student
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But OP has high need so I think need aware schools can and sometimes do hold that against students, which does provide the need for a safe and affordable alternative just in case - regardless of the where.
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I would respectfully disagree with this recommendation not to submit the SAT score to Occidental. I would most definitely submit there for several reasons.
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1400 = 25th %ile at Occidental. For all practical purposes 1390 and 1400 are the same score. Not a dime’s worth of difference between them.
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The SAT %iles are not the important SAT numbers at Occidental. The important numbers are that only 20% of the freshman class even submitted SAT scores and only another 8% submitted ACT scores. So, 72% submitted no standardized test scores. With this in mind, a 1390 is really one of the top scores when the entire class is submitted.
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Occidental says that standardized test scores are not important for their admissions process. “Considered” - but not important - meaning they look at them but don’t treat them as a high priority factor. So, what will submitting them do? 1390 = 97th %ile. It’s a really high score. So when the admissions review “considers” it, that score will validate the 4.0 gpa as coming from a really bright student.
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