Claremont McKenna is a small liberal arts college with about 1,300 undergrads in Claremont, CA. It’s one of the “Claremont Colleges.” Each school has a slightly different emphasis in terms of community values and academic focuses. Claremont McKenna’s focuses are on leadership and immersive/experiential learning. They have strong academic programs all around, but their specializations lie in business, public policy, international relations, government, political science, and economics. Their acceptance rate is around 10%.
Let’s dive into their supplement, which consists of two supplement essays.
Why do you want to attend CMC?* 250 words
This is a classic “Why X College?” essay. Do your research ahead of time and identify the specifics around your major of interest, minor(s) of interest, and concentration areas. Be prepared to explain WHY you want to study these specific things AT Claremont McKenna above all other colleges. Many colleges have Poli Sci programs, but why do you specifically care about Claremont McKenna’s program? This is your chance to show that you’ve done your research.
Then, take some time to envision and lay out for your admissions reader what admitting you would look like outside of the classroom. How do you spend your time and how do you envision your time being spent when you’re not in class? Be explicit about this. You want your admissions reader to read through this and think, “Wow. I want this person to do these things at CMC because they’re going to really use their time at CMC well.” If they know you’re going to be equally engaged in and out of the classroom, it’s going to leave a good impression. Again, do your research. Tell the readers a story about you, how you operate, what your interests and priorities are, and how you envision executing them at CM.
One of the hallmarks of a CMC education is the first-year humanities program that all students take in their first year at the College. The program has two components: the Freshman Humanities Seminar (FHS) and the Freshman Writing Seminar (FWS). While each FHS and FWS seminar has a distinctive approach in terms of texts and topics, their pairing gives first-year students a shared academic experience in small, writing-intensive courses that foster critical thinking about a wide range of important issues.
FHS introduces first-year students to some of the crucial questions that human beings face with relation to society and the world. Individual sections are taught by faculty from a range of departments. Past and current topics include:
1. Democracy and Leadership
2. Women in Science
3. Unconventional Thinking
FWS, taught by faculty from the literature department, develops students’ abilities in written and oral communication at the college level. Past and current topics include:
1. Art of the Personal Essay
2. Blackness in American Cinema
3. Post-Apocalyptic Humanity
For the purpose of this essay prompt, pick one FHS or FWS seminar to study at CMC. What part of your personal experience—or your desire to know more about an area outside of your experience—best explains your seminar choice? 250 words.
Alright. We sort of wish that CMC had asked you to create your own seminar choice here, because we think that allows for more creativity, but we’re not dying on this hill. Take a good look at the list of options here, and be thoughtful about which one you choose. Click the link and explore ALL of the choices.
Most importantly, pay attention to the prompt. They are asking for two things: 1: “part of your personal experience,” -- so, get ready to lay out and present something that is an integrated or important part of your life; and 2: “desire to know more about an area outside of your experience.” So, something that is in fact NOT in your scope of comfort, academically.
Make sure that the topic “makes sense” given your profile and interests, but isn’t so on the nose, that it’s basically a replicated rundown of your interests that you highlighted in the first supplemental essay. We want to showcase the diversity of your inner academic life, so use this as an opportunity to highlight something a bit different (but maybe tangentially related). One of the things that CMC values is being aware of and knowing what you don’t know, which is what they’re getting at with this question. It’s a measure of your academic flexibility, adaptability, and curiosity. It’s OK to not know something, and they want you to be humble in your response.
For bonus points, we would even lay out some additions to a seminar’s syllabus that you see maybe being applicable or something that you’d be curious to explore on this topic. This shows that you’re thinking outside of the box. And, that you’re thinking actively about how to expand the current curriculum based on your interests, knowledge, and inner drive to better your academic life and the academic lives of your peers.
Let us know if you have any questions about these -- they’re not easy, but you will surely excel in your responses if you just use these guiding principles as your framework.