This works out to be true for precisely one reason and one reason only: my teammates. One of the best parts about going to CMC is the quality of students as people in the student body and my teammates do a fantastic job of carrying on this tradition. In a way that is not easy to understand, they formed a brotherhood that welcomed me and the other incoming freshmen from the first day that we arrived. Stepping on to campus for the first time, we had a group of friends and more importantly, a group people who genuinely cared for our well-being. No matter what I needed nor when I needed it, someone would always be there to help me out. Knowing that this support network existed immediately calmed any unrest that I might have had. As I got to know the upperclassmen, my fellow freshmen, and our coaching staff, I knew that I was in for a special four years.

CMS Athletics are unique in the sense that two typically distinctive qualities of a school are combined into one: competitive sports and outstanding academics. Winning numerous league championships over the past several years (two of those proudly added to the count by the basketball team), the system that coaches use seems to be doing something right. Across the board, I have witnessed an uncompromising stance that places academics as a priority to athletics. From the outside, this may appear to be strange. One would think that certainly some of the competitive nature must disappear if coaches are encouraging students to study for an exam in lieu of practicing before the big game. I have found what occurs to be just the opposite. We appreciate the privilege and responsibility that our coaches give us by placing academics first and in turn are more motivated to work harder in both. This creates an environment that sets us up to thrive in each field. Knowing that my coach would understand if I had to miss a practice to finish up a lab or meet with a professor took a tremendous load off of my shoulders. We student-athletes at CMC feel fortunate to be able to continue to play the sports we love at the collegiate level yet still maintain our focus towards school.

Our basketball season this year went by quickly but we had a great time. Winning SCIAC for the second year in a row was definitely the high point of the season. Losing out first NCAA playoff game left us wanting more. We are all excited about getting the next season going and I know that I can't wait to see what next year brings. Regardless of what happens, I am certain that I have found a place I love and where I belong.

I have a stubborn amount of CMC pride. As a high school senior I visited three out of the 5-C's, but in the end, even after my mom had turned in the application fee to Pomona, I refused to apply to anywhere but CMC. Something about the combination of CMC's very practical approach to learning and our community of ‘work hard play hard' students just has always struck a note with me. Even three years after making the decision to attend CMC, I can't see myself being this happy with campus life or satisfied with my education at any other school. Yet ironically, if it weren't for the existence of Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer right next door, I probably wouldn't have even considered CMC, and still today I believe the consortium to be one of the greatest strengths and unique advantages of the school.

With that said, I'd like to give you an example of the kinds of opportunities there are to get engaged with the greater 5-C community. Pomona hosts an awesome 5-C club called On the Loose (OTL) - an outdoors club that helps students organize camping, climbing, surfing, skiing, and any other outdoor adventure trip you can think of, all the while providing subsidies for these trips and giving students access to a wide variety of free gear to temporarily check out. Every year OTL coordinates with Skeeze, the 5-C skiing/snowboarding club, to organize a trip to Mammoth Mountain over Cesar Chavez weekend. The trip includes subsidized lift tickets for two days and two nights of room and board at a beautiful cabin in Mammoth. On this year's trip, there were about 30 students representing the Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and CMC campuses. I didn't know the majority of the non-CMCers, but what better way to bond and get to know people than over two long days on the slopes, riding up countless lifts together and commiserating over the occasional wipeout?

I'm extremely loyal to the Tahoe resorts I grew up skiing, but I have to admit that Mammoth blew me away with the combination of thick, fresh powder and the shear number of wide open bowls on the top of the mountain. Through the course of the weekend I discovered that Pomona has quite a few very avid skiers, so it was an added bonus to ski with a group that knew the mountain so well.
After each tiring, but exhilarating, day on the slopes, we drove ten minutes down from the main lodge to our beautiful cabin in the Convict Lake Resort. I'm not sure how the trip leaders managed to get such a good deal on this place, but with the cabin's cushy beds, big screen TV, and hot tub out back, I definitely felt like my $30 for two nights of room and board were well spent. Plus, I couldn't think of a better way to hang out and unwind with my new ski buddies than over a spaghetti dinner, taking turns relaxing in the hot tub, and watching as our back porch was invaded by a number of mischievous raccoons. All in all it was one of the best ski weekends I've had in a long time; not only was the skiing at Mammoth amazing, but I had a blast meeting so many fun new people, and once again reminding myself that as much as I love the CMC bubble, every once in a while it's refreshing to break outside of it and take advantage of all the incredible opportunities the consortium has to offer.

What's up future frosh?! First off, I'm looking forward to meeting all of you next year and please feel free to email me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) with any questions about life here at CMC. I'm sure you already know by now that CMC is where it's at! It's the only place I've ever lived with a National Academic Decathlon champion, debated economics over dinner, and partied the night away with hundreds of half-naked coeds in a quad full of foam. I'm sure between Kyle (see below) and I, we will be able to answer whatever questions you might have.

I, like many of you, was that kid in high school that never accepted the mentality that "you can only have two of the three: a strong academic preparation, a cornucopia of extracurricular activities, or a satisfying social life." Can you say overachieving perfectionist? When people told me, "you can't have it all," I did my best to prove them wrong: I graduated cum laude, led the student branch of our admission's department, played four years of varsity tennis (twice state-championships), chaired Model U.N., captained a squad of our state-winning Knowledge Bowl team, was the first ever freshman in my high school to be invited into "Advanced Art," and was in Sports Car magazine. How did I do it? Well, I trained myself to sleep around three hours a night and was notorious for sleeping less then five hours total during finals week. I traded sleep for extra time and created my own reality.

After an absolutely amazing first month at "Camp Claremont," my reality was shattered. Medical complications arose from an injury I sustained one summer in a freak accident at sailing camp where I had shattered my orbital socket. A couple of titanium plates, a few surgeries, and eight years later, I found myself in feeling the effects of an old ordeal. I was miserable. As the migraines worsened and the fatigue set in, my focus waned and my three hour nights were replaced with much longer ones. One day my roommate taped a sign above my bed which read, "New record for consecutive hours slept - 18!" I think you get my point - I was screwed!

However, I believe there is a silver lining to everything. While I might have had a rough first semester, it was only then, when I was down-and-out, that I realized I couldn't keep living the grind lifestyle - toiling away for an untold amount of time, striving for perfection. Not only was it unpleasant when I was healthy, but it was crippling when I was ill. I resolved to leave the grind lifestyle behind and figure out a better way to get the grades without the back-to-back all-nighters and crazy perfectionist lifestyle. This is where Cal Newport comes in.

Kyle Jenkins

P.S.

For any of you who like rapper Sam Adams, he played our Saturday party held in the middle of North Quad in a last minute arrangement. Whether or not you like him, it was pretty awesome that we could get him here in about a day's notice.

I never wanted to come to CMC. It's not that I didn't like it; I just had no opinion. I had applied on a whim, because my dad found it when he was being a typical Indian dad and researching MBA programs for me. I also liked the essay topic. When I got in, though, I didn't think I was actually going to go there. My mind was made up: UC Berkeley or an east coast private. That was my ideal college destination. CMC wasn't. But after I visited, everything changed.

It's tough to say exactly what convinced me I was home. Maybe it was how Professor Ward Elliot and his students interacted like they were lifelong friends. Or how Professor Ken Miller stayed to talk to me for at least 20 minutes after his pre-law presentation. Perhaps it was the students themselves, who seemed confident, outgoing, intelligent, and accomplished - but not arrogant. CMCers learned, had fun, and had fun learning. They were pragmatic idealists - applying theoretical learning to real-world experiences. I left feeling like I would be a good fit.

I was right. My first year at CMC has exceeded my expectations. I've already experienced things I'll never forget, and I'm already dreading graduation. I've had jam sessions with my philosophy professor, dinners with my psychology professor, and social outings with my advisor. Working at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government.lets me research under Professor Ken Miller, learning about California law and politics. Working in student government lets me help throw campus events. My classes have been small, my jobs have been rewarding, and my weekends have been great. I've especially enjoyed some of the visitors: Fareed Zakaria, Brian Greene, Steven Levitt, and Lupe Fiasco.

I didn't know about these opportunities when I applied. When I found out, the decision was a no-brainer. You may have a tougher choice to make than I did. But if you're considering other schools, there's probably something you should know: CMC is better. If the other destination is cold, So-Cal weather wins. If the other school you're considering is a liberal-arts college, then CMC's leadership theme outdoes it. If your other top choice is a large university, then think about what their auditorium classes would be like, and how their professors would treat you. Would they have lunch with you on short notice? Ask you to go rock-climbing? Edit multiple drafts of your writing? This is what made me come to CMC; this is what makes me love it while I'm here.

I ended up turning down acceptances I thought I wanted to come to CMC instead. To be sure, CMC is not a good fit for everyone. It doesn't seem as well-known as other top schools. It's not as old. You may not know as much about it. But give it some serious consideration. You might find, as I did, that it's the perfect place for you.