Claremont McKenna College is a private liberal arts college located in Claremont, California. It’s small, with just 8,500 students and is part of the consortium of Claremont Colleges along with seven other schools. Each one presents a different focus of sorts. McKenna’s is the social sciences. Last year’s acceptance rate was 11.2 percent. The school has two required supplemental essays and one optional video assignment. But as we always say at TKG, nothing is optional when it comes to college applications
Why do you want to attend Claremont McKenna College?
Wherever you see it, this can be read as “why x school?” In short, what you want to do is position yourself and the school to which you’re applying as a perfect match by way of academics. Do a deep dive. Hone in on a specific program or major the school offers. This should align with a particular academic niche you’ve been building for the last few years of high school. Hopefully, your extracurriculars and the classes you’ve chosen tell the story of why you’re an expert in a particular area. Tell the story of how you first became interested in that niche area. This shouldn’t be grandiose. Maybe it was a class project on supply and demand in the 8th grade that led you on a path to pursue economics in college. Tell the story then briefly discuss why Claremont McKenna is the perfect place for you to continue that field of study. Name the (upper-level) courses you’d like to take and talk about the professors who teach them. Finally, talk about the extracurricular offerings at Claremont McKenna that relate to your field of expertise.
Essay #2
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:
Democracy and Leadership
Women in Science
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:
Art of the Personal Essay
Blackness in American Cinema
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? View the full list of FHS and FWS topics.
This one might be long-winded, but it’s not rocket science. They just want to know what freshman year seminar you’d like to take and that you’ve done your research. The trick here is to avoid regurgitating what’s already in your application or what’s in essay #1. You want to hone in on one that connects with a personal experience you’ve had or something that’s really different from what you’re used to studying. This is all about being curious and showing the school you’re interested in learning new things. Once you pick a seminar, check out the syllabus and consider talking about the assigned readings or modules and why those interest you.
“Optional” video response
In the COVID-era, showing demonstrated interest in a school can be difficult with campus visits and interviews up in the air. We strongly recommend submitting the below optional video. Take every opportunity you have to stand out against the competition.
After submitting your application, you will receive instructions by email from the CMC Admission Office on how to submit an optional two-minute video. Similar to interviews, the optional video response gives you an opportunity to tell us more about yourself beyond the information you provided in your application. The most compelling video responses have a genuine voice and highlight your thoughtfulness and authenticity.
While the video response is not required, if you were unable to schedule an interview, the video response is a great opportunity for you to tell us about yourself beyond what you provided in your application.
Video response prompts for all first-year applicants:
Claremont McKenna College is a special community because it is composed of talented people who individually and collectively contribute to improving the life of the College. How do you hope to contribute to the CMC community?
The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum represents the intellectual mantelpiece of the Claremont McKenna College community, bringing students, faculty, and staff closer together through active engagement and discussion on a daily basis. Knowing that diversity of thought and respectful dialogue are vital elements to the Athenaeum’s mission, who is someone you would want to hear speak at the Athenaeum in order to better understand a diverse perspective or experience from that of your own?
Developing a personal narrative is key to understand one’s own values and unique voice. Instances of personal adversity are key markers when determining an individual’s character, resoluteness, and sources of inspiration. When was the last time you were moved to great emotion and how did you positively respond from that moment in time?
People support each other and their communities in various ways. How do you support those around you and how has this shaped your unique perspective?
We don’t recommend choosing prompt #1. #2 is not a bad one to answer. We recommend getting as creative as possible. There’s a reason this is a video prompt and not an essay. If there’s a filmmaker you’re really into and you have memorabilia from their movies in your room, do a little show and tell. If there’s a world leader or academic whose books you’ve consumed, take out a book and read a quick passage.
#3 is another opportunity to get creative. You could do something like write a scene (with dialogue) from something related to that moment in your life and film it like a movie scene with a friend. Just make sure this one isn’t super life-altering, melodramatic or over the top. Simple moments are better. For #4, get out into the world and show us something you’ve accomplished.
Claremont McKenna is a school for creative people and the application prompts reflect that. Make sure you take the time to plan out your responses before putting pen to paper. If you have fun doing the application, it’s probably a great school for you.
Need help with your supplement? Reach out to us here. We’re experts at helping students match with their dream schools.