I've heard a lot about the Claremont Consortium, and it sounds pretty interesting. Can anyone go in detail about what it's like to be part of the Consortium? Are there shared resources between the colleges? How much interaction is there between the students of different colleges?
The Claremont Colleges Consortium is indeed a fascinating group of seven institutions: Claremont Graduate University, Claremont McKenna College (CMC), Harvey Mudd College (HMC), Keck Graduate Institute, Pitzer College, Pomona College, and Scripps College. These colleges share a common campus and some resources while maintaining their unique identities, known for their different strengths and emphases.
Shared resources among the Claremont Colleges are abundant. The biggest one is the Claremont Colleges Library, a centralized resource catering to all seven colleges, offering access to an array of books, periodicals, research materials, and digital archives. In addition, all students can take advantage of the consortium's shared career service center and health services.
Students at any of the colleges can cross-register for courses at the other colleges, assuming there's space and they meet any prerequisites. That expands course options drastically and allows students to explore other academic areas. For example, a biology student at Pitzer might be able to take advanced engineering courses at Harvey Mudd, which offers a broader STEM curriculum.
As for student interaction, there's a considerable amount. Students often participate in activities and sports hosted by other colleges in the consortium. In fact, Pomona and Pitzer band together to field joint sports teams, as do Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps. Furthermore, because the colleges share dining facilities, students often have meals with friends from across the consortium.
The Claremont consortium offers a uniquely flexible college experience that blends the intimacy of a small college with the resources of a larger university, and in my observation, students of the Claremont consortium appreciate the ability to enjoy the community and resources of seven colleges while being part of one's unique culture.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.