Realistic for "relaxed intellectual"?

ErlindaP
Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:13:58 +0000

My daughter is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna. Admissions there have gotten a little tougher since she applied, but her profile was very similar to your son’s. She had a higher writing score on the SAT 1, lower SAT 11s and slightly fewer APs. As many have said, lots of people write their way into Claremont McKenna. They have a standard essay topic on a leader who inspires you. Tell your son to try to choose a fairly serious and if possible unusual subject. My daughter wrote a very nuanced essay about Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker’s Party. I’m sure she was the only person writing about Dorothy Day that year and she put a lot of thought into why she was inspired by her work on behalf of the poor. CMC really means it about ideological diversity . We are very liberal and my daughter feels perfectly at home there, but I know there are also strong libertarian and conservative contingents among the student body. This makes for a rare atmosphere of true debate and exchange of ideas across the political spectrum. The programs at the Athenaeum are remarkable and there are wonderful paid internships for anyone who makes the effort to go for one. My daughter has gone from being a “laid back intellectual” to being a real go getter since she started CMC. Her writing, which despite the high SAT score had always been her challenge, has taken a HUGE leap. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Claremont. Of the top ranked schools on your list I think he has a good shot at Claremont, if he pours his heart into his application. An added bonus is the fact that the five schools of the consortium share one huge campus and students can take classes at any of the five schools, and can even major at one of the other schools. Claremont is stellar in Government, Economics and International Relations as well as being the top ranked school in the country for undergraduate neuro science. With Harvey Mudd, Scripps and Pomona right across the street or around the corner there is really no major where a fantastic opportunity is not available.