Another vote for the Claremont consortium, with a recommendation to also consider Claremont McKenna and/or Pomona. The latter is one of the highest ranked LACs in the country (in the top 5 in most publications, including USNWR) and the former is especially strong in economics and social sciences (and ranked #9 in USNWR).
Claremont McKenna is considered to have the most conservative environment of all of the 5Cs and Pitzer the most liberal; Claremont has more of the “mover and shaker” types, while Pitzer is much more laid back with a strong social justice/environment/sustainability focus.
I personally can’t see the connection between Pitzer and Colgate as the vibes seem like they would be totally the opposite to me (Colgate likely will have more drinking and partying and more Greek life than Pitzer). If anything, I think Colgate has more in common with Claremont McKenna than it does with Pitzer.
And, yes, you can get to LA fairly easily from Claremont, and, if weather is a concern, California is a no-brainer. Colgate is truly in the middle of nowhere.
@LoveTheBard Do students have time during the week to spend over 3 hours roundtrip on a train to visit LA? That train doesn’t even get you downtown. You have to get on a bus after. I sincerely doubt they have the time. On the weekends I’m sure it’s possible but I doubt it is as common as you think. College kids don’t get up early and are generally pretty lazy.
I think proximity to a city is highly overrated and discussions with nieces and nephews as well as friends of my kids confirm it. In many cases much closer to cities. My nephew was not even aware Bruce Springsteen was playing in a couple weeks a few miles from the Rochester campus.
@TurnerT I don’t think it is necessarily access to a big city that is the issue, it is more about having access to something. And part of that is psychological, knowing that you have that outlet if you need it. Colgate is very remote. It is not only not near a city, it is not really near anything. For some kids that is a deal breaker. They may be fine at a school in a small town, but not one in a tiny, rural village. They may want the option of having a mall or decent retail and eatery options nearby just in case. I heard an International Asian student speak at a recent info session at his college. Said it was important to him to go to a school that had access to good Asian food in the surrounding area. Now he doesn’t go into the big city that is about 30 min from campus all that often, but he does regularly travel to surrounding towns 5-10 min away for things he can’t get on campus. Just as an urban city campus is not for everyone, neither is a rural one and most kids do have a preference.
International students often spend breaks I campus (Thanksgiving, fall break for the 5Cs, and spring break). My 5Cs kid has also spent a couple of summers on campus. There has certainly been time for a fair number of off campus expeditions.
Pomona and CMC are quite a bit harder to get into than Pitzer or Colgate, they might not be an option for the OP.
@TurnerT, I’m a t hop away from TD Garden and if Springsteen was playing tomorrow, I wouldn’t know either…a bit before our (by our I mean college-aged students’) time As with any suburban school, there are kids that make a priority to get into the city and kids who don’t. The beauty is in the option.
@TurnerT - LA is a 58 minute trip on the Metrolink, which will take you to Union Station (i.e., Downtown LA) - perfectly doable. There are plenty of Claremont students with internships in LA (they even can get funded for their travel costs). There are Zipcars aplenty, lots of students have cars, and there are online ride-share boards for students to find rides.
While I am a believer in campus experiences, I personally would be miserable in a rural, isolated campus in the middle of nowhere (especially somewhere cold), no matter how nice the campus. When I was an undergraduate student, I went to bars, restaurants, clubs, community events, museums and theaters. Not everyone is looking for a college experience 24/7.
@intparent - if OP is competitive for Colgate, he/she might have a shot at CMC. Pitzer’s also not a shoo-in either – it had a 12% admit rate last year and that will likely continue to be the case, especially since they went test-optional. My only concern was that the OP seemed to want a more conservative vibe than I think Pitzer will provide.
Statements like that drive New Yorkers crazy. The Claremonts are a great string of schools, but if one more Pomona Claremont McKenna Pitzer partisan calls the area around Union Station, “Downtown, LA”, I think I’ll scream. It’s comparable to being dumped in the middle of Queens. No one spends more than a minute there before catching a bus someplace else.
I didn’t say that, you are quoting someone else. I also don’t think schools in the middle of nowhere are the worst thing if that is what the OP wants. But the bottom line is that LA is more accessible from Pitzer than any metropolitan area is from Colgate.
@circuitrider - Actually, that was my quote. And I happen to be a native New Yorker, born and raised in Manhattan, where I lived - apart from my college years and time spent traveling and living abroad - until my mid-thirties, when I moved to CA and never looked back (except to visit, which I do several times/year).
And no, going to Union Station is not at all like being dumped in the middle of Queens, Union Station is exactly 1 mile from Disney Hall, and .8 mile to the Ahmanson/Mark Taper Forum. More like arriving at Penn Station than Queens. The point is, it’s no big deal to get into LA from the Claremonts – plenty of people have cars, and if you want a culture fix, it’s right there for the taking. That’s not to say LA is a panacea…probably quite difficult without a car, but it is certainly reachable from Claremont.
My point was that it is not a rural campus in the middle of nowhere. The OP asked about Pitzer as compared to Colgate and inquired about transportation…it’s not like we’re pulling the Claremonts out of left field.
Penn Station is one block from Macy’s, and anyone in reasonably good shape can walk from there to Times Square, Fifth Avenue, The Public Library (the marble steps with the lion statues), and not to mention - Madison Square Garden. No. Arriving in LA by train is NOT like Penn Station!
Oh god from the perspective of an international student myself, to be honest, location should be one of the last things you want to consider, especially when deciding between two starkly different schools like Colgate and Pitzer.
First of all, Colgate and Pitzer have very contrasting vibes. I would say Colgate is more preppy and Pitzer is MUCH more hippy/liberal, even when compared to the rest of the consortium.
Secondly, if you want to major in Economics, Colgate clearly has a stronger department. That said, however, you will still get a fantastic education at Pitzer thanks to the 5Cs Consortium - and mind you, the econ departments at both Pomona and CMC are top-notch. Students at the 5Cs DO utilize the resources available to them, thanks to the schools being literally next to one another.
As for the social scene, I would say Pitzer has the upper hand here, thanks to the 5Cs again. There is almost always something happening at one of the schools and is available to students of the 5Cs, so you will never feel like it is “socially dead”, even during finals weeks.
In the end, it all boils down to the type of person you are. And yes, getting from Pitzer to downtown LA IS easy, and you can do that every weekend.
@circuitrider - That’s only because LA is not like NY. Apples and oranges, and context is everything. Again, we were comparing Colgate to Pitzer and the ease of going to a city.
As for the analogy, Union Station may not be Penn Station, but it sure as heck ain’t Flushing either!
And I think we’ve derailed the poor OPs thread long enough.
Might as well put this out there, too: Colgate sports (for some people) could be a draw. It’s a DivIsion I athletic program, meaning, the level of play is quite high in the big spectator sports. The Claremont 5Cs can barely field one football team between them. Just sayin’.
I have a very good friend that lives in Santa Monica. He told me from Clairmont to LA is at least 90 minutes each way to downtown and well over 2 hours to the pier by public transportation. Downtown LA is nothing like a central location in NY, Chicago, Boston or DC so you would need to add even more time.
If we haven’t driven away OP with OT minutia, I’m sure he/she has access to Google maps and can figure out how close these colleges are to various outposts of civilization (or lack thereof). Yes, downtown LA is definitely not like the other cities mentioned - particularly with regard to public transportation - but, FWIW, while traffic can stretch commute times considerably, last week I did manage to drive from USC (which is more “Downtown LA” than Santa Monica) to Claremont in about 45 minutes.
Being that you are coming from China, I would research which schools are the most diverse, have a good sized international population and are the most welcoming. Even though Colgate is great, is it the right fit since it’s a preppy, fraternity oriented school? I have no idea, but I think fit is really important.
I wonder for all those questioning downtown LA how long has it been since you spent time there? When i lived in LA, it was a ghost town at night and on the weekends but that has changed. I visited last month and was surprised on how different it was. Asked my brother about this (who still lives there) and he said it is undergoing quite a change. It is apparently now a happening place.
My daughter would also take the Metro to DT (Pomona) and it is not a bad trip at all and there was a direct subway ride to Staples Center when going there for concerts. I think the Subway cost was covered by the Metro ticket.
As with any suburban school, there are kids that make a priority to get into the city and kids who don’t. The beauty is in the option.