Pitzer College Top Questions

My Pitzer classes have all been fantastic. They challenge me to think creatively and write - a LOT! For finals week my first semester, I had about 40 pages in research papers across three (out of five) classes. Where Pitzer lacks in computer science or engineering programs, it's easy to supplement by taking classes at Pomona or Harvey Mudd, while fulfilling Pitzer's personalized graduation requirements and majors. All of the professors that I've encountered at the 5C's have been exceedingly friendly and willing to talk to and get to know students.

Pitzer's general education requirements are limited. It's very easy to go through Pitzer and finish in four years, no problem. Out of the 32 courses which are required to graduate, only 7 of them are general education requirements, and the gen ed. courses can often count towards your major. This means that you have a great deal of flexibility with your courses, which can be both good and bad. Your education will be as good and as interesting as you make it. It may take a bit more planning to do a traditionally well-rounded liberal arts college experience, but that same planning could also go into creating an amazing self-designed major. Honestly, to quote our former dean of admission, "it's your education, and you will be in charge of it."

Pitzer's general education requirements are limited. It's very easy to go through Pitzer and finish in four years, no problem. Out of the 32 courses which are required to graduate, only 7 of them are general education requirements, and the gen ed. courses can often count towards your major. This means that you have a great deal of flexibility with your courses, which can be both good and bad. Your education will be as good and as interesting as you make it. It may take a bit more planning to do a traditionally well-rounded liberal arts college experience, but that same planning could also go into creating an amazing self-designed major. Honestly, to quote our former dean of admission, "it's your education, and you will be in charge of it."

There are plenty of students from/at Pitzer who rave about the academics, because they don't want Mom/Dad/Future Employer to know the truth. Pitzer reminds me of the college depicted in the college-movie classic 'PCU'. The classes are watered down, the professors give out A's and B's like candy and there is no rigor to speak of. A student coming out of Pitzer is likely to know a lot about gay/lesbian/bisexual writers from Africa/Asia/South America and diddly squat about literature. There is potential at this school, no doubt. Please dig deeper before shelling out an absurd amount of money so your kids can smoke weed instead of study.

Most professors (unless you're in a huge intro class) work hard to learn students' names. I have never had a professor in my two years at Pitzer who didn't call on me by name. My favorite classes BY FAR have been the Political Studies classes (I'm a poli-sci major) because we have an excellent political studies professors but I've enjoyed every class I've taken at Pitzer. Spanish language classes are also strong as well as Environmental Studies classes. Pitzer students DEFINITELY have conversations outside of class, which is something I really love about the school. It is clear that rather than just learning the material for tests, Pitzer students incorporate their education into their everyday lives to help them shape and articulate their opinions. I've had many an intriguing debate about how to reform the Los Angeles school system or about the 2008 Elections with my friends. Professors always have office hours and are very open to making themselves available to help students. The education at Pitzer is definitely geared toward enabling the students to appreciate learning for its own sake and to take what they learned into the world after graduation and aid people or communities that need help.

classes are small, and professors know your name. Participation in class is always important, and what we learn in class is often talked about later outside of class. Students are not very competitive, and everyone is just there to learn. Pitzer's academic requirements are pretty lax, so you can focus on whatever you want to. If you dont like doing a lot of work, Pitzer is the place for you, but you can also challenge yourself as much as you want, if your that kind of person.

The Claremont Colleges are the best resource available. Academically, it offers the amounts of courses offered by five colleges together while still going to a small school. And because each college are known for their studies in different topics (example, Math and Sciences at Harvey Mudd and Psychology, Sociology, and Media Studies at Pitzer), you can take classes at all the colleges, meeting Professors who are researching and enthusiastic about such a wide range of fields.

Academics are great. I know numerous professors whose classes I am not in, I know most of the professors in the science department, too. We share a science department with Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College. Students spend time studying depending on what their major is and what classes they are in. I know many who study all the time, or are always working, but I also know some who don't seem to have to be working at all. I like that Pitzer students have academic and intellectual conversations outside of class, and also debate often about global issues. In the classes that I have been in, class participation is frequent. We can also take classes at any of the other five Claremont Colleges, so it is not too difficult to get into a class you want. If there is a specific class, it is important to have a good registration time. The most unique class I've taken is a new integrated and accelerated science program, which is a first year class that combines intro biology, intro chemistry, and intro physics into one class. Personally, I have liked every class that I have taken, but people I know complain about certain professors or classes. Another thing I love about Pitzer is the amount of research experience I have available to me in the science department - I don't have to wait to be a senior or grad student to be in a lab.

Interesting topic. The best thing about the Claremont Colleges is that you can take classes at any of the five colleges. Taking advantage of this I take the majority of my classes at Pomona and as a Sophmore now, I have only taken two classes at Pitzer and one was the required Freshman seminar. Pitzer academics are really 50/50. The teacher is either really smart and engaging or totally a waste of time. Pitzer also rarely offers Philosophy classes, and the major is actually in cooperation with Pomona.

The professors are great, but the class choices are limited in many subjects. The school is not geared toward jobs as much as I would like.