🎓 Go Beyond the Brochure

The day I got accepted to Scripps College was one of the happiest days of my life! My time at Scripps was academically stimulating and fun, and I’ve always been happy with my choice. However, not everything was exactly as I expected when I got there. Here are five things I’d tell prospective Scrippsie about my alma mater before they made their commitment.

1. There are plenty of men around. Scripps is an all-women’s college, and when I decided to matriculate I had some uncertainties; was I signing up for a college experience that brought no male perspectives? In reality, Scripps is part of a consortium with four co-ed colleges (Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Pomona) that are within walking distance of each other and share resources. Outside of the Scripps dorms and a few Scripps-only classes, my college experience often felt surprisingly coed. Thanks to liberal cross-registration policies and shared spaces between the five-college consortium, there were men in most of my classes, scattered throughout the dining halls, at all campus parties, and in joint Claremont College student organizations. Scripps itself also has students who don’t identify as female. I feel fortunate to have attended a college that cultivated a feminist environment while also maintaining a wonderful coed group of college friends.

2. It’s hard to get off-campus without a car. Scripps is in Claremont, California, part of the greater Los Angeles area. Downtown Claremont (or “The Village”) is a 20-minute walk from Scripps. It has adorable restaurants and shops, but they’re expensive and mostly boutique-style shops. Other than the train that goes from The Village to Downtown Los Angeles, public transit is virtually non-existent. If you want to go to Target, you’ll need to have a car or get a ride from a friend. Because it’s so hard to get off campus, virtually all Scrippsies and other Claremont College students live on campus, and social life is centered there. If you’re fortunate enough to have a car, Scripps luckily makes having a vehicle easy, even for first-years. All you have to do is register it and pay a small fee.

3. The dorms are great, but the housing lottery is complicated. Like most Scrippsies, I lived in the beautiful on-campus housing until I graduated. On-campus housing is guaranteed, but I didn’t learn until later how complicated the process was. For example, those who want to live in an on-campus apartment or off-campus need to apply by a specified date and be approved. And Scripps bases its dorm lottery numbers on the calendar year you begin college, rather than academic year or number of credits. I matriculated Scripps as a new freshman in January, a different calendar year than 99% of my peers who began college the previous September. As a result, my housing options were never as good as my classmates’. And if you have a poor draw number and the school runs out of rooms before you’re called, you’ll be assigned a room – and a roommate – over the summer.

4. The Claremont Colleges are even more closely linked than you’d expect. The Scripps handbook claims there are limits to how many classes you can take at the other four Claremont Colleges, but the truth is your academic advisor can waive the limit. I took classes at Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pomona for my philosophy major, and some of my friends completed majors that weren’t even offered at Scripps off-campus, and still received a Scripps diploma. Athletic teams are shared, you can attend most events at all five colleges, and all the dining halls and libraries are open to you. You can even live in another college’s dorms through the housing swap! Each college has a distinctive personality, and it’s easy to cross the street to another college and take in their atmosphere if you need a change. I loved Scripps, but I might have also applied to other Claremont Colleges as a high school senior if I’d realized how much access I’d get to Scripps through them.

5. Attending Scripps is an empowering experience. Going to college in a female-centered environment gave me confidence. Until you attend a women’s college, it’s easy to get used to the status quo of men in the majority of positions of power. At Scripps, all of the student leaders, and the majority of the professors, staff, and invited speakers were women. Most of my classes and organizations featured confident, intelligent women having interesting discussions and debates. I was surrounded by strong women who became like family, and supported and encouraged one another. I found strength within me that my teenaged self didn’t know I had.

Kacie Berghoef, MSW, works as a Certified Enneagram Teacher and a writer. She received a BA in Philosophy from Scripps College. Connect with Kacie at linkedin.com/in/kberghoef and at BerghoefBell.com.