Schools

Claremont McKenna Earns Top Ranking in Princeton Review

According to officials with the annual Princeton Review's The Best 377 Colleges, students love their school so much, they helped it to earn a top spot in one of the surveys.

It’s true that all you need is love.

At least that’s what fans of showed in large amount to earn their university top honors in the Princeton Review’s “These Students Love Their Colleges” category.

According to a news release by the review, the category is newest addition to the annual Princeton Review’s The Best 377 Colleges.  Rankings were partially based on responses from more than 122,000 surveyed students who were asked if they were satisfied with their choice of college, review officials said.

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“The number-one ranking seems to confirm what our students tell us about Claremont McKenna College: they really love it here,” CMC Vice President for Student Affairs Jefferson Huang said through a written statement. “If we’ve developed a campus culture that students love, it must be attributed to a lot of people across the College who have spent the better part of their careers delivering a world-class education and caring for the needs of young adults.”

The 2013 edition of the university and college review was also based on institutional data. It was made available today and includes more than 60 ranking lists, officials said.

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According to The Princeton Review, a college's ranking is determined entirely on the opinions of it students. Questions touched on various aspects of their college life such as the dining hall food to the athletic/recreational facilities on campus.

The Princeton Review's opinion of the colleges did not affect the results in any way, officials said.

“If Claremont McKenna College has become the number-one college that students love, we naturally thank the faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and other supporters of the College who have given so much of themselves,“ Huang says. “I would also include the students themselves, who are a great motivator for us to do the things we do. I feel lucky to work with such an awesome group of students.”

Claremont McKenna student Ethan Gilbert, member of the class of 2013, told reviewers, “I love being here because no matter where I go, I run into other CMCers who love being here and are always looking to make sure everyone is included and having a good time. Even if you are feeling stressed from the rigorous work that CMC requires of its students, there are always people you can turn to for support.

“And even more than that, people actively look out to make sure that their fellow CMCers are doing well,” Gilbert said. “The community and closeness that exists in perpetuity amongst CMCers is probably the greatest thing that this school does.”

CMC landed on a total of nine ranking lists in this year’s issue, with a third place ranking in “Best Career Services” and “Best-Run Colleges.” CMC earned fourth in “Most Accessible Professors,” and fifth for “Best Quality of Life” as well as “Professors Get High Marks.”

Student respondents gushed about CMC’s professors, calling them “geniuses in their field,” “incredibly accessible,” “willing to Skype on weekends to answer questions,” and––noted one–– “this is a place where professors become like family.”

Among the other comments from CMCers was praise for the “amazing career services center” and the student body. “It’s a tight-knit community of driven, competitive, and intelligent people who know how to be successful and have a great time,” said one.

“The best thing about my college is this: Somehow CMC manages to keep its students simultaneously happy and hungry at the same time,” said senior Caroline Nyce. “It's pretty unique that we have a community of such motivated and driven individuals nestled in lazy Southern California.

“CMCers are looking forward, trying to find ways they can help make their mark on the world,” Nyce says. “Looking back on my college decision, I could not imagine myself anywhere else.”

“I think Donald McKenna, George Benson, and the other pioneers and supporters of the College who are no longer with us would be proud to hear that Claremont McKenna College has received this accolade from Princeton Review,” Huang says. “However, I think they would be even more proud to hear that the recognition came from our students.”


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