By Rachel Dinh
After an evening’s worth of planning, Nizhoni Saenz, Emma Moriarty, Abby Everding, Mrs. Moffitt, and I set out on a trip to California. We had all wanted to visit small liberal arts colleges, and California was the perfect place to do that; it is home to the Claremont Colleges (Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Pitzer), not to mention Stanford, University of Southern California, and University of Santa Clara. And to all of those colleges we went.
The first stop was the Claremont Colleges. After five hours of driving (and occasional PSAT studying) we arrived at the campus. The Claremont Colleges are a consortium of small liberal arts colleges, all located within walking distance of each other. If the college you attend doesn’t offer the class you want, you can take that class through another Claremont college that offers it. We attended info sessions and tours and found out that each college is unique. For instance, Claremont McKenna focuses on business and public affairs, and has the Athenaeum, a place where famous speakers give talks in front of students who reserve their seats in hopes of being able to discuss and ask questions afterwards. Pomona was recently ranked above all the Ivy League colleges by Forbes and was alma mater for Dr. Hickernell and Mr. Calahan.
In the same day, we also visited USC and saw masses of students walking all over campus near the end of the day. It was truly a lively, bustling scene that was enhanced by the tall, block buildings and grand fountains.
On the third day, we visited Stanford University. Two amazing things about the campus are the weather and architecture. The weather was absolutely perfect, although we Arizona-based students might have been biased. Stanford has a huge campus that includes two museums, a church, and lots of older, uniquely designed buildings.
The trip definitely had an impact on the students. Emma said, “I didn’t know very much about colleges like Stanford or USC, but meeting the people and learning about the schools encouraged me to apply to them next year. I really love both Claremont McKenna and Stanford! They both have great communities and ideas about education. It would be amazing to go to either one.”
Nizhoni said, “I learned about schools I never even considered applying to and now I’ve added two of them to my application list. If it wasn’t for Mrs. Moffitt, I never would have been able to visit, so I’m super grateful to her. I really like Scripps. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a women’s college, but I ended up loving it. I could definitely see myself going there. They also have a really great Pre-Med program.”
Abby Everding said, “Going on the trip gave me a way clearer picture of what I want in a college. Some of the colleges I wasn’t particularly interested in before, I found that I like a lot when I visited! The college I liked most was definitely Stanford. It really lives up to its fame. The campus was gorgeous and the tour guide was so kind and enthusiastic! Stanford has so many amazing resources and overall it just really appealed to me. It was great to experience the atmospheres of the different colleges and really imagine myself going there someday. It definitely put things in perspective! It was really fun and I’m glad I got to know better the lovely ladies that went on the trip with me!”
If you’re ever in an area with a lot of universities, I encourage you to go. Stepping on campus and seeing the dorms, classes, and student environment is much different from what you see on a brochure or website. And keep in mind that although the application and choosing process can be intimidating, it’s worth it in the end. When we went to Stanford, we had a chance to talk to Chris Moffitt, an alumnus of 2016, who is involved in several clubs and absolutely loves Stanford. He left us with a piece of advice: “No matter which college you end up going to, you’ll have an amazing experience.”
