Pitzer is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, about 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles. It’s part of the larger Claremont Colleges comprised of five schools. Pitzer places a large emphasis on sustainability, among other values (more on that below). Its dining options are also consistently rated some of the top in the nation. The student body consists of about 1,000 students and the acceptance rate is 18.3%
At Pitzer College, five core values distinguish our approach to education: social responsibility, intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary learning, student engagement, and environmental sustainability. As agents of change, our students utilize these values to create solutions to our world's challenges. Find out more about our core values. Please choose from the following prompts and answer below (650 words)
Describe what you are looking for from your college experience and why Pitzer would be a good fit for you.
This one can be read as the traditional “Why Pitzer” question. The objective of your response here should be to connect the dots between you and Pitzer and tell them why the two of you are a perfect fit by way of academics. We advise our students to develop an area of expertise throughout high school, the more specific the better. You should tell Pitzer that you want to extend this journey through your niche in your four years at the school. First, identify the major or program at Pitzer that most closely aligns with your area of expertise. Talk about the upper-level classes in that major you’d like to take. Consider mentioning a professor and their research. Finally, talk about the relevant extracurriculars and write a conclusion that also mentions the location and what interests you about it. Simple, but specific.
Reflecting on your involvement throughout high school or within the community, how have you engaged with one of Pitzer’s core values?
First, read the core values section above very thoroughly. We always encourage our students to write stories whenever appropriate. This is a great opportunity to tell one. Identify an activity that really matches one of the core values. Take the reader into the world and setting of that activity and tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end that that really embodies one of these core values.
Pitzer is known for our students’ intellectual and creative activism. If you could work on a cause that is meaningful to you through a project, artistic, academic, or otherwise, what would you do?
Part of Pitzer’s ethos is students who want to make a difference. But this question is more for people who are already doing something to affect change. We recommend using this to reflect on current work you’re doing in the community, especially if it’s in the direction of a very specific issue (for example, cleaning plastic out of the ocean as opposed to just ‘the environment.’) Once you’ve grounded the reader in your current work, talk about future goals within that same area of focus.
Need some help crafting a great supplement? Reach out to us. We’re great at helping students write well-done essays.