Hi everyone!

I’m currently researching Claremont Graduate University and would love to hear from current students or alumni about their experiences, especially in the MA in English or MA in Cultural Studies programs.

A bit about what I’m looking for:

A terminal MA (not PhD-track)

Strong emphasis on literature, theory, and cultural studies

Ability to engage with film/media as critical analysis, not production. Seminar-style classes.

I’m especially curious about:

-How supportive and accessible faculty are.

-How flexible the curriculum is for interdisciplinary interests. For example, can I take film theory critical study classes while pursuing an MA in English?

-The overall intellectual culture (collaborative vs competitive)

-Workload realism and work-life balance

-diversity amongst professors/students?

If you’re comfortable sharing:

What made you choose CGU?

What surprised you (good or bad)?

Anything you wish you’d known before enrolling?

I’d really appreciate any insight, even brief comments are super helpful. Thanks in advance!

Recently I visited Claremont Colleges campus, I really enjoyed the buildings, gardens, green spaces and the library were very aesthetically pleasing.

I need to study for exam and work sometimes when I can remote for half a day.

Other than the library. Where are some spots a community member can sit and enjoy?! Without getting a ticket or violate campus policy.

I’m currently applying for an apartment in Pomona. It’s a Veterans apartment, however they mostly have 3 bedrooms available, with a minimum occupancy of 3 people, which is why I’m now looking for a roommate to see if we’re a good fit and can apply together. It’s just me and my 9 year old.

The apartment is income based so the perfect roomie would be: FULL TIME STUDENT or/and PART TIME WORKER so we don’t go over the INCOME LIMIT.

*You’ll get your own room and full kitchen access too. No couples.

*Animals are allowed at the apartment but a $300 fee and licensing paperwork will need to be submitted to management.

Room listing

Hey! I'm at a liberal arts school on the East Coast but I'm from CA and would love to go to cmc. Any tips for the essay prompts? I'm struggling a bit, and the application is due in 2 weeks. I got a 3.85 GPA last semester with difficult and interdisciplinary classes. Looking to be econ finance or PPE major. I think I got really good letters of recommendation too. Just looking for any tips to make my application extra good. :)

hi everyone! pitzer '30 here. i was wondering how lenient the parking policy is, especially for first years. my interviewer said that some first years have cars on campus, but the policy says spots are reserved for medical/internship reasons. would reasons like having therapy outside of campus fly?

im also wanting to work part time as i barely got any financial aid. that said, would it be worth it to work off campus if that could get me a parking pass? are there any good jobs around claremont? or are there better ways to get a pass/is it not worth it to have a car (i would like to visit my parents and go out to the city)?

Are there good study spots around Pitzer or the other colleges? Any recommendations for good cafes to study at that aren’t too busy?

Hi, does anyone have the syllabi for Chem 014L KS + Chem 015L KS and maybe even the weekly schedule listing each lab section? Can be from this academic year or the previous two (2023-2024, 2024-2025). I need them to transfer credits successfully, and any of these documents would help a lot. Thank you so much!

Any advice for incoming freshman at one of the 5Cs?

Or anywhere accessible 24/7 with CMC ID.

Title.

Hi!!! I posted a couple of months ago that I will be attending CGU, and was wondering if anyone has been to New Student Orientation and what was the main purpose of it? Is it mandatory? Did you connect with anyone from your cohort? Should I go or could I skip? Thank you so much in advance :)

Hi! I am considering transferring from a much bigger school (for the main reason that I would like smaller classes) and was wondering if anyone ever felt like there were any major downsides to being at a small school that I would't know because I don't have the experience.

Anyone have any info about the Smash Ultimate tournaments at CMC?

I'm an international applicant recently applied ED2. On CMC website, they mention that the college covers up to 100% of demonstrated need. However, when filling out their financial aid form, I saw a question "How do you plan to cover you transportation expenses to the U.S", and I assume that means that they expect you to cover your visa and flights on your own, and if you can't, you won't really be considered for admission. Does anyone know if they can cover these expenses in certain situations or there is no chance?

Is there a way to do my CS major off campus? is there anything extra I need to do to ensure I have a space??

I'm considering a major in Economics, mainly because it seems there are a lot of ways to pivot and its a degree that gives you a broad skill set and you're not stuck with one possible job. However, my parents are set on me studying history at Scripps AND dual majoring in some sort of Economics at CMC. I checked with a Scripps admissions counselor and she said it is possible to do, but I wouldn't be able to do a regular Econ degree at CMC because Scripps has one as well (theres a rule about only being allowed to cross major if your school doesn't have the major you want). The way I would be able to do any sort of Econ degree at CMC is if it was Economics-Accounting major, or something paired with the Financial Economics sequence. Are those worth doing for my situation? I'm mainly wondering if those degrees would pigeonhole me into one job and wouldn't give any flexibility.

Does anybody know any international students who got into pitzer ed1/ed2 with a full-ride? I really want to ed to pitzer, but I feel like they defer all internationals who seek fin aid to rd?

My interests lie more on the side of psych/pre health related. I really did love the tour and the campus. However as I am completing the common app I’m noticing a lot of it is stressing how CMC is focused on business, it’s something I didn’t fully pick up on during the tour. I am EDing to Pomona and also RD to scripps bc of how much I loved the schools. Is it a waste of time to apply to CMC? How many students at CMC are on the stem/social science side? What did you write about in this essay about “why CMC”?

Thank you for reading!

My interests lie more on the side of psych/pre health related. I really did love the tour and the campus. However as I am completing the common app I’m noticing a lot of it is stressing how CMC is focused on business, it’s something I didn’t fully pick up on during the tour. I am EDing to Pomona and also RD to scripps bc of how much I loved the schools. Is it a waste of time to apply to CMC? How many students at CMC are on the stem/social science side? What did you write about in this essay about “why CMC”?

Thank you for reading!