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How to Respond to the Claremont McKenna College Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022/2023
Claremont McKenna is a private liberal arts college located in sunny Claremont, California. Claremont McKenna is a smaller school of roughly 1,500 students with an acceptance rate of 13%. Strong responses to the Claremont McKenna supplemental essay prompts will help you stand out from other applicants to become a CMC undergraduate!
First, a little background on the “7Cs”
Claremont McKenna College is one of the seven members of the consortium known as the “7Cs.” These seven private higher education institutions are located in Claremont, Ca.
The first “5Cs” include five undergraduate colleges: Claremont McKenna College (CMC), Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, and Scripps College. Two graduate schools, Claremont Graduate University (CGU) and Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) bring us to the “7C” total.
Each member of the consortium has their own unique identities. Harvey Mudd is renowned for its STEM programs, Pitzer for social sciences, Pomona for liberal arts, and of course, Scripps is self-described as “The Women’s College” for liberal arts. Claremont McKenna College is well regarded for its social science majors, including economics, finance, government, international relations, and psychology.
Claremont McKenna College essay prompts
CMC requires two supplemental essay prompts as well as an optional video response. 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.
Prompt #1
Why do you want to attend Claremont McKenna College?
To answer this question successfully, you will need to have properly done your research on Claremont McKenna. Spend time scrolling through various sources of information such as:
- The Claremont McKenna website
- Claremont McKenna social media accounts
- A student who vlogs their time at Claremont McKenna on YouTube
It is important that you are finding well-rounded information about the positives and negatives of Claremont McKenna from different sources and perspectives.
Once you have become a self declared Claremont McKenna expert, take note of your favorite features of Claremont McKenna that other schools do not have.
What to highlight
Your essay might address factors such as:
- Location
- Any specific courses
- Majors (if specific)
- Clubs
The most important thing when creating your list is that you are being specific about Claremont McKenna and its appealing features.
For example, instead of writing about how intrigued you are by the number of clubs offered at Claremont McKenna, choose to write about how excited you are to join the K-Pop club. And why are you excited? K-Pop is your favorite genre of music, and you are excited to interact with like-minded people.
See the difference? In the second example a Claremont McKenna admissions officer will notice that you have done your research and what you want to get involved in on campus–they know a little bit more about you!
Try to include the following in your response:
- Show a variety of interests
- Include your academic goals and how the features at Claremont McKenna will help you achieve them
- Connect your interests back to Claremont McKenna!
Prompt #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 prompt will get you excited about studying at Claremont McKenna! They are detailing real classes and topics you could choose to learn about your freshman year while studying at Claremont McKenna.
Therefore, go through the list and choose the seminar that you connect with the most.
Showcase your potential
Your response to this prompt should not only be a discussion of how amazing the seminars offered are. Rather, Claremont McKenna admissions officials want to see what you will bring to the table during these seminars. Think about the following questions after you have selected a seminar:
- What unique perspective do you hold that can cause a conversation?
- Do you have any questions about this particular seminar?
- Why did this seminar most interest you?
A way to organize your thoughts for this response would be:
- Name the seminar you are interested in
- Connect your values to the seminar
- Provide some background information on your interest in this seminar
- Ask a few questions about the seminar you have
The most important thing to consider when answering this question is that you are connecting your choice of seminar back to yourself. Claremont McKenna admissions officers want to get to know you – your values, personality, and uniqueness. Therefore, be sure you are divulging this information to them!
Optional video prompts
After submitting your CMC application, you will have the opportunity to submit an optional two-minute video. According to CMC’s first year admissions, “the most compelling video responses have a genuine voice and highlight your thoughtfulness and authenticity.” Keep this in mind as you select the prompt that will allow you to present your most authentic self. Below each prompt, we included a few questions to ask yourself before you start.
Prompt #1
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?
Questions to ask yourself
- What organizations do you want to be involved in on campus?
- What are your passions?
- How will you take advantage of the opportunities presented on campus?
Prompt #2
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?
Questions to ask yourself
- Who is someone you look up to?
- What historical individual made the greatest impact on you?
- If you could listen to only one TED talk by one person, who would it be?
Prompt #3
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?
Questions to ask yourself
- What was the last thing that made you cry?
- Think of a time in which you learned and grew from an emotional event.
- How did this event shape your life?
Prompt #4
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?
Questions to ask yourself
- What leadership roles have you taken on in your life?
- How do you let people know you are there for them?
- Do you volunteer anywhere? Why?
Next steps after submitting your Claremont McKenna supplemental essays
That’s all there is to it! Just remember the following tips for responding to both of your Claremont McKenna supplemental essays:
- Do not repeat yourself between both of the responses
- Do not copy the Claremont McKenna website word for word
- Be specific! Name specific courses or clubs!
- Write about things you are genuinely interested in
- Connect everything back to yourself and your interests
- Reveal pieces of your personality throughout
Once you have included all of these tips throughout your responses, you are ready to submit your flawless Claremont McKenna supplemental essays! Best of luck to you during the college admissions process.
Additional resources
Scholarships360 will be your best friend during the college admissions process. We have many resources to help, such as the following:
- What looks good to submit to colleges
- How many colleges should I apply to?
- How to find safety, reach, and match schools
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