Claremont McKenna’s once-a-year surf-ski day was a compelling bonus to Robin Peterson’s list of pros for the College.
“CMC offered everything I could have hoped for,” said Peterson’22. “On top of the beautiful weather, the small school made it possible for me to engage in everything from great academics, to running track, to having Army ROTC.”
When Rachana Muvvala ’24 played the stock market game in a high school economics class, she was hooked. “It showed me how fun and interesting the stock market can be,” she says. “Since we were playing at the peak of COVID-19’s market disruption, every morning, I would wake up and be greeted by a loss—yet the thrill from possibly gaining that money back excited me.”
One characteristic that Courtney Hooks ’23 immediately noticed about Claremont McKenna College on her first visit was the welcoming atmosphere. “I didn't know much about the culture of the school until I arrived for the first time fir the accepted students day in April of 2019,” she said. “All of the current students were happy to meet me and went out of their way to answer my questions. It was then that I really saw myself attending CMC.”
Ask Truman Knowles ’23 about his favorite professors at Claremont McKenna College, and he will respond with an entire list.
Economics major Natalie Ionescu ’24 chose CMC for its small, tight-knit community and alumni network. And though her first year was online, she was able to start building relationships, reaching out to alumni, and working toward her career goals.
“Joining the Student Investment Fund my freshman fall was truly life changing,” she says, “not only because I met some of my closest friends, but because it has also helped me decide which path I plan to take in my career when I graduate: investment banking.”
Sometimes when Carson Stubstad ’22 walks around campus at a quiet moment, he’s transported back to when he visited Claremont McKenna College for the first time and realized it was the college for him. “It’s almost surreal when I remember that day and now I am living it, and doing so much more than I ever could have imagined,” Stubstad said.
Wali Shaikh ’24 had never set foot on the CMC campus until last summer when pandemic restrictions finally lifted. Coming to Southern California from Alexandria, Va., for his sophomore year, “was a shock, but a pleasant surprise,” he says.
“I love being out here,” Shaikh says. “Everyone I’ve met has been extremely kind and helpful, both the professors and the students. I’ve met some of my closest friends here, including my best friend and girlfriend, Salina Muñoz.”
After attending high schools in the Netherlands, Iowa, and California because of family moves, Brooklyn Button ’22 knew what to look for in a college. Size topped the list of her priorities. Location was another.
“I value the culture of a small school since I enjoy really getting to know my peers and teachers,” she said. She also realized soon after moving to California for 12th grade that she wanted to stay. “From the good weather to the beaches to the mountains to the happy people, I knew I wanted to make SoCal my home for the next four years,” she said.
Desmond Mantle ’23 chose to attend Claremont McKenna College for many reasons. The good weather, CMC’s proximity to his hometown, Pasadena, and “the small size of the community paired with the resources of the wider consortium” all factored into his decision. But his assessment of his first two years at CMC centers on cultural concepts like open-mindedness and inclusivity.
“I think my favorite thing about CMC is that my peers generally engage in respectful dialogue about controversial issues,” he said
