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.

International Leadership Conference 2000
How CMC paid for me to go to Prague…

CMC Sophomores Return from Prague with First Place and Life-Changing Experiences

Written by: Michelle Kim, Miles Bird, Veronica Pugin, and Zephanii Smith

When classes resumed for the Fall semester of 2009, not one of Team Kravis Leadership Institute’s (KLI) team members imagined that the four of us would spend a school week in Prague competing in the International Leadership Association 11^th Annual Conference’s Student Case Competition for $1000, a free membership to the premier leadership association, and the honor for KLI and CMC. After undergoing an application process, Miles Bird; Michelle Kim; Veronica Pugin; and Zephanii Smith were selected to represent KLI and CMC by competing in the Student Case Competition as Team KLI.

Team KLI underwent a twenty-two hour journey each way to make it to Prague and back. On the way there, the team stopped in London, and on the way back we stopped in Frankfurt and San Francisco. We traveled across the globe, attended a leadership conference, competed and won a student case competition, met individuals who we will never forget, and explored a city we had never been to before all in less than a week.

The 11^th International Leadership Annual (ILA) Conference hosted six-hundred attendees ranging from leadership scholars, business leaders, non-profit pioneers, government leaders, and other individuals interested in learning about leadership. The ILA works a deeper understanding of leadership knowledge and practices for the greater good of individuals and communities worldwide. The theme of the conference was transformational leadership, which is defined as a leadership style that raises the followers, transforms them, and turns them into leaders.

For the Student Case Competition, Team KLI had to complete two rounds of the competition. In the first round, completed before we reached Prague, the case centered on Seagate Technology’s change in management in 2001 and the challenges that the company’s culture and leadership experienced as a result of this change. Team KLI was responsible for acting as professional consultants and researched Seagate Technology and the disk-drive industry as a whole in order to answer the list of questions and to provide recommendations for the company and the CEO.

Upon our arrival to Prague, Team KLI then focused on completing the tasks of the second round. Team KLI found answers to the new questions presented this around by attending the conference’s workshops and speeches. We divided relevant lectures and workshops among ourselves and sought to apply information learned at the session to recommendations for the case study. We networked with speakers and used their expertise for help on the case as well, and this may have been the tipping point that pushed us to win first.

This experience, completely sponsored by KLI served as a milestone in each of our lives and careers at CMC and is one of the many great opportunities that CMC presents.

I knew my freshmen year of high school I wanted to go into Engineering, but by May of my senior year I knew Claremont McKenna College was where I belonged. So, I threw out my hopes of Engineering, and packed my bags for California. I figured I would be able to find something I was just as passionate about while at CMC – and there was no way I could say no to all the other opportunities that CMC offers.  A few days of freshman orientation filled with talking about my interests to upperclassmen and professors, led me to Professor James Higdon’s office. Once Professor Higdon started talking about the 3-2 Engineering program, I knew that CMC really was my dream school.

    The 3-2 Program allows students to attend CMC for 3 years pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Management-Engineering. You have to fulfill all the regular general education requirements and take a mix of math, science, and economics courses. Once completed, you are technically ready to graduate from CMC. But it gets better. You then get to go to another school for two years to get a Bachelor of Science in whatever engineering specialty you choose. Our sister school is Columbia University in New York, so most students will head east after three years in the sun. However, you can apply to any engineering school to continue the program.

A lot of students on CMC’s campus say that I am crazy when I tell them I am doing the 3-2 program and many cannot understand why I am doing it.  You have to finish all of your major requirements in three years instead of four. You have to leave the paradise of CMC a year early, missing out on senior activities, etc. But despite these statements, you get the opportunity of a life-time: three years in Los Angeles, two years in the hustle and bustle of New York City, two Bachelor’s degrees, a range of course work that enables you to become a very well rounded student, and two very different college experiences. Yes, the 3-2 program is demanding academically – some students have to overload, and you are always taking challenging classes. But this is not to say that I have not enjoyed my three years at CMC – I took all the required classes, I swam on the Varsity Swim Team, placed at the Division 3 Nationals for Swim, had a job at Career Services, had a social life and I could not be happier. 

Filling out the applications to other colleges was a challenge – but I now have applications in to Columbia University, University of Southern California, and Stanford University. They are all great schools, so no matter where I choose to continue the 3-2 program next year, I know I will be in a good place. It will be hard to leave Claremont, and I will miss senior year traditions such as spending Thesis Day in the fountain with my class of 2011, but I will never regret my decision to come to CMC and to do the 3-2 program.