Art, Music, Dance, and Athletic Supplements in the Scripps Admission Process

Are you interested in participating in art, dance, or music at Scripps College?  Do you want to continue your athletic endeavors by competing on a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) sports team?  Then, consider sending in a supplement!  Scripps accepts the art, dance, music, and athletic supplements as part of your application.  When you submit a supplement, it is forwarded to the appropriate department where it is first reviewed by a faculty member or coach.  This feedback is carefully considered by the admission committee to gain a better understanding of your potential artistic or athletic contributions to our community. 

It should be noted that these supplements are optional, and not required.  Applicants who are serious in their pursuit of art, music, dance, or athletics at Scripps and wish to showcase their talents to the admission committee are welcomed to submit their supplements by the deadline of January 1^st.  This deadline is for both Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants.

For guidelines and more information on our supplements, please visit our supplements page. Good luck in putting the finishing touches on your applications!

Connie, Admission Counselor

It's Registration Time at Scripps! Here's a Look at Some Interesting Courses on Campus

It is class pre-registration week at Scripps, which means that campus is currently buzzing with students talking about favorite classes and professors. Students revel in the ability to choose 4 or 5 classes that they’ve heard were thought-provoking, incredibly fun, or even life-changing. And the best part is that if you’re a morning person, you’re free to schedule all your classes in the morning. But if your not, choose all afternoon classes! I thought I’d share with you some of the most popular courses at Scripps. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up taking one of these classes!

Cyberculture CORE 3 – During your first three semesters at Scripps, all students take part in the CORE program. For more information on CORE, visit this website: http://www.scrippscollege.edu/academics/core/index.php. In Core 3 Cyberculture, students explore what cyberspace and cyberculture mean and discuss a variety of issues related to Cyber or Internet Culture and its rapid growth and influence. The class includes topics such as Facebook, Google, internet addiction, privacy, cyberbullying, and intellectual property.  In addition to papers, students are lead one discussion and create a website for their final project.  Finally, a class that requires you to be on Facebook!

Personal Finance – This economics course, which is open to seniors in the Spring, covers all the fundamentals of personal finance management, tools of saving, investing, managing credit, paying taxes, and long-term planning. As a senior preparing to live in the “Real World” and be financially independent, I’m extremely grateful for this class offering. Maybe after this class I will be able to eat more than Ramen Noodles next year!

Intro to Photography – For students interested in exploring their creative side, Intro to Photography is often a popular choice because there is freedom to choose the topics of your photo shoot, depending on your interests. This class uses film cameras and students learn to develop their own photographs in a dark room, located on in Lang Art Studio on campus. In a final project, students have explored everything from street performers, to exploring Los Angeles to photographing their friends.

Cell Biology – Many science majors interested in molecular biology choose to take Cell Biology, which is a class where students learn about processes on a cellular levels including different components of the cell, how they interact together and how it can apply to global topics like HIV/AIDS and cancer. Students discuss how molecular biology is related to genetic diseases and current events related to biology. At the end of the semester, students complete an independent project exploring a topic of their choice using techniques learned in the class lab section. Some science teachers even compose songs or interpretative dances to help students remember complicated material!

Writing for Non-Profits – Interested in going into the non-profit world or learning how to write an effective grant? Writing For Non-Profits is one of the most popular writing classes because it teaches students how to write grants for organizations and also helps students with scholarship and fellowship applications. This class certainly has real-world application, especially since the final project is writing an actual grant for a non-profit of your choice and many students have actually submitted their projects and earned money for an organization!

While next semester will be my last at Scripps, there are still so many classes that are on my “to-take” list. I honestly wish there was endless time to take classes here, but unfortunately we have to graduate. I’m sure your four years at Scripps will be filled with equally as wonderful and interesting classes as I have experienced!

Hannah ('11), Office of Admission Student Intern

Life Outside The Classroom: Extracurricular Activities at Scripps College

As a senior at Scripps, I’ve had ample time to explore academics in a number of disciplines, finish two majors, complete a semester abroad in Vienna, Austria, and be part of a Psychology research team, but what played one of the most significant roles for me in exploring my interests and finding where I wanted to fit among my peers were on-campus clubs and organizations (CLORGS). As a first-year, I worried about balancing the time of extracurriculars with my academics, so I began with a minimal commitment—volunteering with the Admission Ambassador Team (AAT) giving weekly tours and hosting students overnight. I could direct my energy and excitement about Scripps to prospective students, and since I had just been through the college search and admission process could give helpful advice. This required only a few hours of my time each week, and by second semester, I remember deciding with my roommate that we would both take on significant extracurricular activities.

I turned in an application to Jumpstart, an AmeriCorps non-profit that requires a 300 hr term of service over the course of one year. Jumpstart ended up playing a huge role in the remainder of my time at Scripps and in my life. I spent two mornings a week with a team of 5C students at a local HeadStart preschool with a partner child helping her develop reading and social skills, as well as two hours a week in team meetings planning lessons for the next session. I took on a bigger leadership role within Jumpstart my sophomore year as “Team Leader,” coordinating the student teams, overseeing their work with the preschoolers, and leading the classroom sessions. This directed my passion for working with children and the option to pursue education as a career…plus, by the time I got to my 11am class, I already felt so accomplished and had received 20+ hugs that day!

While I was deciding to join Jumpstart, my roommate signed up to be a DJ and volunteer at KSPC, the 5C independent radio station. Three years later she has taken on many roles within KSPC including promotions director and music director, has worked planning concerts, and still DJs each week. KSPC and Jumpstart are both 5C extracurriculars that have given me a strong friendship base across the colleges.

I had found so much satisfaction in the CLORGS I had become a part of that I thought I’d keep picking them up. I play violin, and towards the end of my sophomore year realized that I wanted to try something other than orchestra. With the encouragement of my friends, I joined Mariachi Serrano de Claremont, the all student run 5C Mariachi group. I became obsessed. The Tuesday practices were the highlight of my week, and I made friends I wouldn’t have found in any of my classes. The dynamic was different than anything I had experienced in playing music—there was history, culture, passion, and fun. We hung out with our instruments outside of practice and tried new things, taught each other new songs, and as a group committed to weekly gigs both on and off-campus. I am now a co-president of Mariachi Serrano, coordinating the weekly practices.

I helped plan a few concerts through KSPC radio station and fell in love with booking bands and getting musicians we wanted to support to play on the 5Cs. I also had shared emotions with others with the underrepresentation of women musicians brought to the campuses, and that Scripps had seemed to fall into a singer-songwriter niche when booking women musicians. With two of my friends with experience at KSPC, we founded Scripps LiveArts this year, which works to bring independent musicians, most of whom have women members, from different genres to campus, and to use different spaces on campus in ways they’ve never been used before. Members learn the ropes of booking concerts, designing concert posters, promoting concerts, and how to discover independent artists.

Incredibly important at Scripps and on the 5Cs are clubs and organizations that provide resources and empowerment. The ones at Scripps are housed in SCORE, which is a community space of people committed to enhancing and supporting diversity at Scripps and The Claremont Colleges. Some of these CLORGS include the Asian American Student Union, Wanawake Weusi, which seeks to support women of African descent, Café con Leche, which is a forum for the discussion of social, political, and economic issues that affect women, particularly those of Latina descent, and Family, the Scripps Queer-Straight Alliance.

The point is that we have endless opportunities to join an extracurricular that you have experience in, for something that you want support in, or something completely new you want to try.

Other popular clubs and organizations on campus include:

* Challah for Hunger: organization that bakes and sells loaves of Challah to students, sending proceeds to Sudanese refugee populations

* Outdoor Women Leaders: Organize outdoor activities (think rock climbing, hiking, surfing) or check out gear to do a trip of your own!

* Scripps College Mock Trial: members portray lawyers and witnesses in national tournaments

* Student Investment Fund: Students interested in financial markets and investing, manages a portfolio of around ten companies

* Voice: Scripps’s student-run newspaper, published bi-weekly

* [In]Visible Magazine: student-run magazine devoted to addressing the issues of body image on campus while promoting appreciation of inner beauty

* Fine Cheese Club: Scripps students gather weekly to appreciate delicious cheese

* Claremont Colleges Equestrian Team: 5C team of both competitive and recreational riders

* Intercollegiate Inner Tube Water Polo: Yep, this exists.

* Various a cappella groups (Women’s Blue & White, Midnight Echo)

Erin, Admission Ambassador Team Coordinator, Class of 2011

What happens now: A glimpse into the application process from inside the Admission Office

It’s now the second week of November and the first of the college’s application deadlines has passed. Ever wonder what is happening to that application you’ve just submitted?

During this time of year our hardworking staff members are getting applications assembled and ready to read. Bins of mail are brought over from the Scripps Mailroom each day. Common applications submitted online are printed. GPAs are recalculated. Supplements are sent to their respective departments for review.

All of the pieces of the application—from the Common Application and Scripps Supplement to the teacher recommendations and Graded Writing Assignment—are logged in and put together for each applicant. A labeled, color-coded folder is created for every candidate (green file folders for our merit scholarship applicants, pink for Early Decision candidates). Applicants with missing credentials are notified by the office.

What are we looking for in an applicant? First, someone who has done well in a rigorous curriculum and has the support from her school as well as the test scores to back up her academic achievement in high school. Obviously we want to admit applicants who are likely to be successful in the challenging academic program offered at Scripps and, beyond that, we look for students who have shown intellectual engagement in and passion for at least one academic field.

In addition, we try to imagine what the applicant would be like as a member of the Scripps community. In what ways would she contribute outside the classroom? Is she likely to be an involved community member—in student government, on the newspaper, as a member of Challah for Hunger, or on an athletic team? What will she be like as a roommate?

Each piece of the application is significant and reveals something about the prospective student. Our goal, as admission officers, is to take a holistic approach to reviewing each file with the goal of putting together an accomplished, promising, and diverse group of young women to add to the Scripps community.

Best regards,

Margaret, Admission Counselor

Living in Claremont and the Los Angeles area

Location, location, location.

That’s the first rule of real estate, and it’s often high on a student’s priority list when it comes to choosing a college. After all, four years is a long time to be in a place you’d rather not even visit. One major difference is between urban and rural or suburban campuses, while another important factor is the region of the country where a college is located. Those who thrive at urban universities love all of the off-campus options for food, entertainment, even work opportunities. Rural campuses often offer a beautiful or peaceful natural environment with few distractions and a focus on campus life, while suburban campuses can offer a bit of both.

Scripps is located in Claremont, CA, a town of 35,000, located just within Los Angeles County’s border. We claim L.A. status, but we live in the shadow of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains, which offer great hiking, biking, and even skiing opportunities in the winter. Drive east an hour and a half, and you’re in Palm Springs. An hour west, and you’re at the Pacific Ocean. If you like outdoor adventures (and there is a Claremont Colleges club for that), you will be in a prime location for surfing, rock-climbing, hiking, camping, or horseback riding. The heart of the town itself is “the Village,” a downtown area with shopping, dining, and entertainment in walking distance (about 20 minutes) of Scripps’s campus. Students wander the farmer’s market on Sunday mornings, and enjoy all the ice cream and frozen yogurt options, cafés, the independent movie theaters, and the jazz and comedy clubs. When the parents visit, you will also have plenty of restaurant options—from diners, to Afghan food, to sushi or Italian fare.

When Claremont gets too small, there’s always L.A. We have a MetroLink station in the Village, where you can catch a commuter train into downtown L.A., or you can check out one of our Zipcars, cars shared by Claremont College students and rented by the hour. We also sponsor student trips to Dodger games, theater productions, museums, the beach, Disneyland, or other attractions on a regular basis. Just get on the bus!

Living in Claremont offers a bit of everything: outdoor adventures, small-town charm, and easy big city access. Not a bad place to be for the next four years if you choose to come to Scripps.

Tina, Admission Counselor

Scripps and the 5-College Environment: The Best of Both Worlds

Longing for an intimate community but don’t want to feel claustrophobic? Excited to meet new people but don’t want to get lost in the crowd? Drawn to the personal interactions at a small college but also to the freedom and diversity of a medium-sized university? Maybe you can have both!

One of the most dynamic elements of the Claremotn Colleges consortium is the way in which we play with size. As an institution of about 950 students, Scripps College offers students a small college environment, nestled in the center of a community of undergraduates that numbers nearly 5,500. While our students benefit academically and socially from our smaller size, they also have the opportunity to spread their wings beyond the walls of the Scripps campus.

Our students are some of the most active young people around. I am constantly amazed by the number and variety of ways in which they are engaged on campus or within our broader community. Scripps women often share their passions and interests with students from the other Claremont Colleges through their involvement in five-college (5C) clubs and organizations. In fact, the annual 5C Turf Dinner and Activities Fair happens right here at Scripps. Held during the first week of the fall semester, this event is a chance for new and returning students from all five undergraduate campuses to learn more about the clubs and organizations they may want to join. And, believe me, there are many options!

Another way in which Scripps students connect with the 5C community is by taking part in campus events around the consortium. Campus speakers, film screenings, music groups, arts events, and other social activities occur on a daily basis throughout the academic year. I thought it would be fun to provide a sampling of what happened around campus this past weekend:

On Friday evening, Without a Box, the 5C improv comedy troupe, performed a show full of laughs on the Scripps campus; Bill Gross, Founder and CEO of Idealab, gave a lecture at Harvey Mudd titled “How Renewable Energy Can Beat Fossil Fuels;” and the Salsa Addicts, an outreach group coordinated by the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC), offered a night of lessons and dancing at Salsa Night.

On Saturday, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) men’s soccer team played La Verne at home and the Claremont Concert Orchestra performed “Sounds from the New World” in Garrison Theater.

 

On Sunday, the 5C Outdoor Women Leaders (OWL) led a hike and beach bonfire trip to Laguna Beach and Crepes for a Cause hosted a snack night in one of our residence hall kitchens to raise money for an international nonprofit.

Coming up this week: the Joint Science Department hosts an Alumni/Alumnae Medical Student Panel, NPR commentator Frank Deford speaks at Claremont McKenna’s Athaneum, Scripps math professor Winston Ou and Gary Sndyder hold an Aikido Kokikai Japanese martial art demonstration, writer Abdourahman Waberi offers a lecture (in French) and book signing, and the Williamson Gallery celebrates the opening of Sense and Sensation: Laurie Fendrich, Paintings and Drawings 1990-2010.

I can’t wait!

Cassie, Assistant Director of Admission

November 1 Deadline Is Approaching for Early Decision I and Merit-Based Scholarships

Today, I flipped my calendar from October to November and saw a big red circle around the date “November 1.”  November 1 is an important day.  First of all, it is the date when I (along with most of the Admission staff) return to Scripps after two months of visiting high schools, attending college fairs, hosting receptions, and interviewing prospective students.  We really enjoy seeing our friends and families, sleeping in our own beds, and eating home-cooked meals!

But more importantly, November 1 is an important deadline for Admission at Scripps College.  If you are planning on applying to the College through Early Decision, November 1 is the date by which you need to submit the Common Application, Scripps College supplement, and supporting documents (including high school transcript, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, and graded analytical paper).  Keep in mind that November 1 is a POSTMARK deadline.

Additionally, if you are applying as a Regular Decision OR Early Decision candidate and would like to be considered for merit-based scholarship, you also need to apply by November 1.  Scripps requires merit-based scholarship seekers to apply by an earlier deadline because we will name scholarship finalists in early January; finalists are invited to campus, at the College’s expense, in early February for our Scholars Program.  This program includes a faculty interview, multiple academic and co-curricular sessions, the opportunity to sit in on classes, and full coverage of all costs related to the program.  Keep in mind that November 1 is a POSTMARK deadline.

While Early Decision and scholarship consideration share the November 1 deadline, they are not tied together.  Prospective students may apply for merit-based scholarship under both the Early Decision and Regular Decision application plans.  Under the “Future Plans” section on the Common Application, you must check the Merit-Based Scholarship box to be considered for Scripps College scholarships.

If you have any questions about Scripps’ admission deadlines or application requirements, feel free to email our office at admission@scrippscollege.edu or call 800-770-1333.  We can’t wait to read your application!

Take care,

Laura, Director of Admission