Scripps College is the women's college of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate colleges in southern California. Scripps offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, and has a unique Core program in the humanities. The Claremont Colleges share athletic and dining facilities; additionally, cross-enrollment in classes at Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, and Harvey Mudd College is common for many Scripps students.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
In terms of admissions, Scripps generally does not take in many prospective transfer students. However, prospective first year students with strong academic transcripts and meaningful extracurricular activities are generally seriously considered for admission. I recommend being meticulous when filling out forms and supplements. Also, stellar letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, and/or peers who know you well should help. The more interest you show in the college, the more likely you will be seriously considered for admission. If you have the option to visit Claremont, do it. If you have the option to schedule an interview, do it.
Scripps offers hour-long campus tours five (sometimes six during the fall season when there is an influx of prospective students) days a week, as well as the option to schedule an â??overnightâ?? stay with a student hostess. Additionally, special events such as Preview Week (for prospective students) and Spend a Day in Our Shoes (for admitted students) are also available. Take advantage of these resources that are generally not offered at larger universities! They are a great insight into the academic, dorm, and overall social life at Scripps. A visit, especially an overnight, will help you decide whether Scripps is the right place for you. On the whole, show Scripps that you are truly a perfect fitâ?? â?? a strong young woman who will flourish in a rigorous academic and vibrant social environment.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
The workload is what you make of it. You can take the average course load of four class or you can take five or more classes. The difficulty you will have really depends on how hard your classes are (and also if they come with lab), whether you are committed to extracurricular activities (and also how many), and whether you also have work study. Some students choose to challenge themselves and take four difficult classes (chemistry, etc.). Other students take four easy classes (anthropology, etc.), but choose to engage themselves in a number of extracurricular and outside activities, such as intermural sports or an internship in Los Angeles. Either way, Scripps students are typically overinvolved and I have never met anyone who had a truly â??boringâ?? or â??easyâ?? schedule.
Nevertheless, I find that most Scripps students can easily find a good balance between work and play. It should be noted that the professors at Scripps and the Claremont Colleges are excellent. They are always willing to help students, but communication is key. If you take the initiative to attend office hours before exams and send emails when absent, you will get a lot out of the small liberal arts college experience. Classes tend to be small (anywhere from five to twenty-five students, though introductory science classes tend to have more, say about fifty students), so expect to get to know your professors and classmates fairly well. Your participation or lack thereof will be noticed!
Describe the dorm life at your college.
The dorms at Scripps are considered to be the nicest out of all the dorms at the Claremont Colleges. Most upperclassmen live in either singles or suites (they range from three-person to four-person to five-person to seven-person), and most if not all students live on campus. Scripps takes great pride in maintaining the architectural integrity of the college and the dorms are well kept by the maintenance staff. All dorms have central heating and the newer dorms have central air conditioning as well. The older dorms are Ellen Browning Hall, Susan Miller Dorsey Hall, Grace Scripps Clark Hall, and Eleanor Joy Toll Hall. They are known for their charm and many students prefer to live in them rather than the newer dorms. The newer dorms are Frankel Hall/Mary Routt Hall, Kimberly Hall/Wilbur Hall, and Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Hall.
Kimberly Hall and Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Hall are generally considered the least and most desirable dorms, respectfully. Where you live depends on an annual event called Hall Draw, a lottery process that is generally a hot mess every year. That said, most students walk away from it happy with their assignments. Some students choose to live off-campus in nearby apartment complexes or even at the other 5Cs via the Five College Exchange. Additionally, a few sophomore students and upperclassmen live in the Oldenborg Center, the foreign language residence hall at Pomona College. The selection process to live in Oldenborg is competitive and applicants must demonstrate knowledge of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The Claremont Colleges share many facilities amongst themselves, dining halls included. There are seven dining halls in total, one at each of the Claremont Colleges (Pomona College however has three dining halls, one of them being the Oldenborg Center, which also serves as a residence hall.). As a Scripps student, you may eat at any of the seven dining halls, save for Oldenborg, which is only open during the weekdays at lunch (for the residents who live there, to practice their language with their peers; this is required of all Oldenborg residents). All of them are very decent, however, Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons (Scripps' dining hall) is generally recognized as one of the better dining halls. There is always a fresh salad bar and pizza in the oven at meals (save for at breakfast for obvious reasons). Organic, vegetarian, and vegan options are also always available, but McConnell Bistro (Pitzer's dining hall) tends to have better options.
Malott is busiest during its weekly sushi nights and steak nights, which are generally considered its best meals. The sushi and steak are both rather mediocre in my opinion, but very decent considering its dining hall food. I have had friends visit from other colleges, and they told me the food at Malott is amazing in comparison to the food served at their dining halls. What Malott lacks is creativity â?? the food is actually quite alright, but the menu is rather repetitive. You can almost predict the menu sometimes â?? burger and fries, quesadillas and grilled chicken, pizza, sweet potatoes and pork roast, something weird in the â??Internationalâ?? section, cookies and frozen yogurtâ?¦ and etcetera. If you are curious what options are available to 5C students, I recommend checking out the Five-College Menu (it is maintained by a current student, though he does not go to Scripps for obvious reasons): http://www.mikemaltese.com/5cmenu/.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
There is tradition at the 5Cs called â??fountainingâ??. Many people are â??fountainedâ?? or dunked in one of the 5Csâ?? numerous fountains on their birthdays. This tradition is however not widely practiced at Scripps (mostly at Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College and their respective fountains).
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There are no fraternities or sororities at Scripps, though there are some (maybe two?) at Pomona College that are very low key. However, there is generally a 5C party every Saturday, the quality ones being at Harvey Mudd College (quantity at Claremont McKenna College). These are a lot of fun!
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
There are very, very few instances of crime at Scripps . They tend to be limited to petty theft or vandalism, and even this is mostly at either Claremont McKenna College or Pomona College. Campus Safety is always surveying the area and there are blue lights all around the 5Cs. If you ever feel unsafe on campus, say at night when walking back from the library, you may use one of the many blue lights to alert Campus Security. They will immediately be notified of your location and will arrive promptly. Theyâ??ll even give you a ride back to your dorm if you want, though people only use this â??serviceâ?? when they are feeling particularly lazy. Also, all the dorms are only accessible via swipe card (your ID card) access and there is always an R.A. on duty in case of an emergency. I personally always feel safe on campus, even when I'm out late at night.
Scripps College is the women's college of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate colleges in southern California. Scripps offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, and has a unique Core program in the humanities. The Claremont Colleges share athletic and dining facilities; additionally, cross-enrollment in classes at Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, and Harvey Mudd College is common for many Scripps students.
In terms of admissions, Scripps generally does not take in many prospective transfer students. However, prospective first year students with strong academic transcripts and meaningful extracurricular activities are generally seriously considered for admission. I recommend being meticulous when filling out forms and supplements. Also, stellar letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, and/or peers who know you well should help. The more interest you show in the college, the more likely you will be seriously considered for admission. If you have the option to visit Claremont, do it. If you have the option to schedule an interview, do it. Scripps offers hour-long campus tours five (sometimes six during the fall season when there is an influx of prospective students) days a week, as well as the option to schedule an â??overnightâ?? stay with a student hostess. Additionally, special events such as Preview Week (for prospective students) and Spend a Day in Our Shoes (for admitted students) are also available. Take advantage of these resources that are generally not offered at larger universities! They are a great insight into the academic, dorm, and overall social life at Scripps. A visit, especially an overnight, will help you decide whether Scripps is the right place for you. On the whole, show Scripps that you are truly a perfect fitâ?? â?? a strong young woman who will flourish in a rigorous academic and vibrant social environment.
The workload is what you make of it. You can take the average course load of four class or you can take five or more classes. The difficulty you will have really depends on how hard your classes are (and also if they come with lab), whether you are committed to extracurricular activities (and also how many), and whether you also have work study. Some students choose to challenge themselves and take four difficult classes (chemistry, etc.). Other students take four easy classes (anthropology, etc.), but choose to engage themselves in a number of extracurricular and outside activities, such as intermural sports or an internship in Los Angeles. Either way, Scripps students are typically overinvolved and I have never met anyone who had a truly â??boringâ?? or â??easyâ?? schedule. Nevertheless, I find that most Scripps students can easily find a good balance between work and play. It should be noted that the professors at Scripps and the Claremont Colleges are excellent. They are always willing to help students, but communication is key. If you take the initiative to attend office hours before exams and send emails when absent, you will get a lot out of the small liberal arts college experience. Classes tend to be small (anywhere from five to twenty-five students, though introductory science classes tend to have more, say about fifty students), so expect to get to know your professors and classmates fairly well. Your participation or lack thereof will be noticed!
The dorms at Scripps are considered to be the nicest out of all the dorms at the Claremont Colleges. Most upperclassmen live in either singles or suites (they range from three-person to four-person to five-person to seven-person), and most if not all students live on campus. Scripps takes great pride in maintaining the architectural integrity of the college and the dorms are well kept by the maintenance staff. All dorms have central heating and the newer dorms have central air conditioning as well. The older dorms are Ellen Browning Hall, Susan Miller Dorsey Hall, Grace Scripps Clark Hall, and Eleanor Joy Toll Hall. They are known for their charm and many students prefer to live in them rather than the newer dorms. The newer dorms are Frankel Hall/Mary Routt Hall, Kimberly Hall/Wilbur Hall, and Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Hall. Kimberly Hall and Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Hall are generally considered the least and most desirable dorms, respectfully. Where you live depends on an annual event called Hall Draw, a lottery process that is generally a hot mess every year. That said, most students walk away from it happy with their assignments. Some students choose to live off-campus in nearby apartment complexes or even at the other 5Cs via the Five College Exchange. Additionally, a few sophomore students and upperclassmen live in the Oldenborg Center, the foreign language residence hall at Pomona College. The selection process to live in Oldenborg is competitive and applicants must demonstrate knowledge of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish.
The Claremont Colleges share many facilities amongst themselves, dining halls included. There are seven dining halls in total, one at each of the Claremont Colleges (Pomona College however has three dining halls, one of them being the Oldenborg Center, which also serves as a residence hall.). As a Scripps student, you may eat at any of the seven dining halls, save for Oldenborg, which is only open during the weekdays at lunch (for the residents who live there, to practice their language with their peers; this is required of all Oldenborg residents). All of them are very decent, however, Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons (Scripps' dining hall) is generally recognized as one of the better dining halls. There is always a fresh salad bar and pizza in the oven at meals (save for at breakfast for obvious reasons). Organic, vegetarian, and vegan options are also always available, but McConnell Bistro (Pitzer's dining hall) tends to have better options. Malott is busiest during its weekly sushi nights and steak nights, which are generally considered its best meals. The sushi and steak are both rather mediocre in my opinion, but very decent considering its dining hall food. I have had friends visit from other colleges, and they told me the food at Malott is amazing in comparison to the food served at their dining halls. What Malott lacks is creativity â?? the food is actually quite alright, but the menu is rather repetitive. You can almost predict the menu sometimes â?? burger and fries, quesadillas and grilled chicken, pizza, sweet potatoes and pork roast, something weird in the â??Internationalâ?? section, cookies and frozen yogurtâ?¦ and etcetera. If you are curious what options are available to 5C students, I recommend checking out the Five-College Menu (it is maintained by a current student, though he does not go to Scripps for obvious reasons): http://www.mikemaltese.com/5cmenu/.
There is tradition at the 5Cs called â??fountainingâ??. Many people are â??fountainedâ?? or dunked in one of the 5Csâ?? numerous fountains on their birthdays. This tradition is however not widely practiced at Scripps (mostly at Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College and their respective fountains).
There are no fraternities or sororities at Scripps, though there are some (maybe two?) at Pomona College that are very low key. However, there is generally a 5C party every Saturday, the quality ones being at Harvey Mudd College (quantity at Claremont McKenna College). These are a lot of fun!
There are very, very few instances of crime at Scripps . They tend to be limited to petty theft or vandalism, and even this is mostly at either Claremont McKenna College or Pomona College. Campus Safety is always surveying the area and there are blue lights all around the 5Cs. If you ever feel unsafe on campus, say at night when walking back from the library, you may use one of the many blue lights to alert Campus Security. They will immediately be notified of your location and will arrive promptly. Theyâ??ll even give you a ride back to your dorm if you want, though people only use this â??serviceâ?? when they are feeling particularly lazy. Also, all the dorms are only accessible via swipe card (your ID card) access and there is always an R.A. on duty in case of an emergency. I personally always feel safe on campus, even when I'm out late at night.