Scripps College Admission

Thinking About A Gap Year? Read This!

admission — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:10:00 +0000

The idea of taking a “gap year” between high school and college has been gaining ground in the US in the past few years, while it’s been a popular option in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand since the 1960s. Many choose to apply to colleges during their senior year but then defer admission for a full year while they travel, volunteer, work, or some combination of these activities for the year after high school graduation.

The idea of stopping the clock for a year might sound appealing. The twin impulses of taking a break and jumping into new experiences and activities can motivate different students to make this decision. Whether it’s taking the time to reflect on your goals and beliefs or having the time to travel and volunteer, a gap year has undeniable benefits. Many students feel “burnt out” by the time high school graduation rolls around, and the notion of slowing down and taking a break from school can be enticing. Other students might be frustrated by the lack of time to “do something” in high school, to make a difference in other people’s lives, because they are too overwhelmed with studying, test-taking, and college applications.

Several prestigious colleges and universities have publicly come out in favor of students taking a gap year because they believe that students might just enter college better-prepared for that year off, and better-prepared students tend to graduate at higher rates. Keep in mind that three out of five students who enter a public, four-year college do not manage to graduate in five years, and nearly 30 percent of all first-year students do not return for their sophomore year.

So, what do students do during a gap year? The most popular option is probably participating in international education programs that combine language study and homestays with community service and independent study. Whether it’s teaching English to kids in Thailand or promoting healthy practices in Panama, opportunities to experience the world and help create a positive change are plentiful. Costs of these programs vary, of course, and parents may have conditions for their kids before financing such a trip. Students and parents should have a frank discussion about expenses and how to finance such an adventure.

If foreign travel is beyond your budget or expectations, you might choose to work and earn money that will help you pay for college or future travel. You might look into volunteering opportunities closer to home. This could be your chance to dive into a political campaign or to commit to a Habitat for Humanity project that you couldn’t do while in school. Or maybe you want the time and mental space to devote to creative projects like writing a novel, composing a symphony, or choreographing a show. Colleges will look favorably on endeavors that show you have challenged yourself in some way during your time off of school.

Of course, it’s safer to get into a college before you take time off than to put the whole college application process off for a year. Most admissions offices will gladly grant a year’s deferral to admitted applicants; just contact the admission office by email or phone to make your request. However, some students who are not satisfied with any of their college choices do take a year off and re-apply during that time to different colleges. In these cases, be sure you have some productive activities to show for your time off, whether it’s working, volunteering, studying part-time, or contributing in some way to your community.

Tina Brooks

Admission Counselor and Transfer Coordinator

Thinking of Transferring to Scripps College? Read this!

admission — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:43:00 +0000

We are looking forward to changing gears next week from our first-year application reading to considering our wonderful pool of transfer applicants. April 1 is our deadline for transfer applications for fall 2011, and, every year, we field a talented and interesting pool of applicants who think Scripps might be a better college fit. As the Transfer Coordinator, I am excited to start reading our transfer applications and selecting those students who will contribute special qualities to our community.

Every school is right for someone, but no school is right for everyone. Many students decide to transfer to Scripps because they haven’t found a sense of community at their first college or university. Others find that classes are not challenging enough or that their area of academic interest is too limited. Still others apply to transfer from a community college, after completing many general requirements. It’s important to feel both socially and academically “at home” at your college or university, and we hope that you will find a better fit through the transfer process.

Applying to transfer is not simple—let’s just admit that up front. Although you might be more experienced with the whole application process, you are probably trying to complete your transfer applications in the midst of balancing your college classes and, perhaps, struggling with the decision of whether to transfer and where to transfer. Having learned a few lessons about what you really want and need in a college, you are probably better able to narrow your choices down. If you are considering transferring to Scripps, we hope that you’ll take the opportunity to learn more about us by visiting campus, interviewing with one of our admission officers, and/or fully exploring our website. Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

If you attend a large university, it can be difficult to know who to ask for recommendations. We understand. Do your best to ask at least one professor even if the class is large. Faculty at large universities are used to such requests. One recommendation for a graduate student instructor (or TA) is fine. Some applicants also have difficulty in providing a graded essay if they have not taken writing-intensive classes. Again, do your best with that requirement. If you have any writing sample from a college class, we’d like to see that. If you do not, you can provide a sample from a high school class.

Good luck, and let’s hope that you’ve written your last college application essay!

Tina Brooks

Admission Counselor and Transfer Coordinator

Experience Matters! Internships, On-Campus Work, and Summer Work at Scripps College

admission — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Whether you want to earn money to help pay your tuition or just to have some extra cash, Scripps College offers more than 100 employment opportunities right on our campus. Some positions are reserved for students eligible for work-study, while others are open to all students.

Federally funded work-study is a part of some students’ financial aid packages. It’s meant to help students pay for books and personal expenses while offering them valuable job experience. Hours are flexible around students’ schedules and range from 6-9 hours a week. The Offices of Financial Aid and Career Planning & Resources assist work-study students to find positions on campus, and students are paid their wages directly. Positions include, but are not limited to, helping to plan events for the Humanities Institute or working as a Public Relations assistant, writing press releases or articles for the alumnae magazine.

Career Planning & Resources (CP&R) is a great place to go for any student job-seeker. You can find a variety of jobs of all kinds through their online database, The Gateway. On-campus jobs might include tutoring for the Tutoring or Math Spot programs or lifeguarding at the Tiernan Field House’s gorgeous outdoor swimming pool. If you’re willing to go a short distance off campus, restaurants in the nearby Claremont Village might post listings for wait staff, and faculty might advertise with CP&R for childcare or pet-sitting. Every little job helps!

Paid internships are also available on and off-campus. As part of the Nationwide Internship Consortium, Scripps partners with other schools across the country to find and post internships for you. Additionally, the Wilson Internship in Arts Administration grants Scripps students exposure to and experience in the field of arts administration at our very own Williamson Gallery. Interns conduct research on photographs, prints, and paintings and assist with the conservation of Asian textiles. Several competitive grants also provide funding for off-campus summer internships.

If you want to stick around our beautiful campus during the summer, look into working as a Summer Conference Assistant. Students work full-time in the summer to help with special on-campus events. Students also work with faculty on research during the summer or assist with our award-winning Scripps College Academy (an on-campus summer program for high school students).

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to earn money without leaving the Scripps campus. If you have questions or concerns about jobs on campus, Career Planning & Resources is always happy to help!

Connie Wu, Admission Counselor

“Winter”at Scripps College

admission — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:17:00 +0000

While the rest of the country has been digging out from an especially cold and snowy few weeks, Scripps students have been enjoying some lovely weather. With high temperatures often hitting the mid-70s and low-80s, we do “winter” a bit differently here in Claremont. It’s not that we don’t get our fair share of rain storms and chilly nights during this time of year, but the scale is relative – typically it only takes a dip down into the 50s before the scarves and fuzzy boots start to come out around campus.

One of the perks of living in Southern California is that most outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, tennis, running, beach bumming, and amusement park going can be done year-round. For example, this Sunday, the 5C Outdoor Women Leaders club will be guiding a day hike to Joshua Tree National Park. The forecast? Sunny with a high of 68 degrees. And though many of us in Claremont appreciate looking up at the pretty snow from the safety of the valley floor, just a short drive to Mt. Baldy or Big Bear lets skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts enjoy their version of sport too.

Another bonus to spending winter in a warm climate is citrus season! Now and in the months to come, students can be seen picking oranges, kumquats, and other popular fruits right here on campus. In fact, Scripps is home to 27 varieties of fruit trees – so many that there’s even a special fruit map that can be found in our student-run Motley Coffeehouse. Citrus groves used to dominate the landscape in Claremont and surrounding communities, so it’s fitting that Scripps students can harvest their own crop.

Whether you’re hoping to sip some fresh-squeezed OJ while heading to the (outdoor) pool on a Saturday in early February or to “bundle up” for a day of hot cocoa and sledding up on Baldy, Claremont may be the kind of place you want to spend the winter months.

Cassie Hall

Assistant Director of Admission

SCORE: Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment

admission — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:48:00 +0000

On Tuesday, January 18, Scripps College officially welcomed the spring semester. We are happy to welcome 10 new first-year and transfer students to our community!

At Scripps College, we are proud to have an organization called SCORE, which stands for Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment. The mission of SCORE is to provide resources and support for students who want to promote social and political awareness about issues of gender, race, religion, sexuality, class, and sexual identity. The SCORE Office is nestled in the midst of our residence halls, a central location which provides easy access to a really positive and empowering environment for all students.

SCORE’s vision is to fully develop a community at Scripps that is conscious and understanding of the very unique and diverse experiences of our students and those at the other Claremont Colleges. The SCORE office houses four very important Scripps organizations that seek to further the mission of Scripps to respect and support our diverse student body.

Asian American Student Union seeks to strengthen the Asian American communities on campus and other Claremont Colleges by providing a safe space for members to explore issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality.
Wanawake Weusi seeks to support women of African descent at Scripps in endeavors of educational, cultural, personal, or spiritual growth through outreach to each other and the Claremont community.
Café Con Leche seeks to provide a forum for the discussion of social, political and economic issues that affect women, particularly those of Latina descent. CCL intends to raise awareness of diversity and its implications in our immediate community and surrounding areas.
Family (Scripps Queer-Straight Alliance) strives to facilitate a space in which queer and allied students can come together to support one another and gain strength in community. Family provides a safe space for Scripps students of all gender identities and sexual orientations to come together and discuss, celebrate, support and share issues and experiences of inter-sectionality and identity.

The SCORE space is representative of what Scripps strives to be: a community of scholars and leaders actively working to create an inclusive environment that prides itself on diverse dialogue and transformative activities. Stop by soon!

Congratulations on Submitting Your Application! Here’s how you can stay in touch over the next couple months

admission — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:10:00 +0000

It’s done! You’ve clicked the submit button or sealed the envelope. Your Scripps application is out of your hands. It’s now time for us to do the hard work. If you’ve applied Early Decision II, you will hear from us in mid-February. Regular Decision applicants will be notified of their admission decision in late March.

Is it all about the waiting now? Is there anything else you can do? Actually, even though you have submitted your application, there is still time to add to your file. The Admission Office would be happy to receive updates from you that might impact our decisions.

Most important, if your school hasn’t already sent them, we will need to have your latest grades—midterm, trimester, or whatever you have that shows us your work this year. Perhaps you have just landed a leading part in your school’s musical, received some recognition for a service project you’ve organized, or written a paper you’re particularly proud of. Maybe you have some new test scores that weren’t available when you submitted your application.

We welcome hearing from you with any such updates. You can send any updates to admission@scrippscollege.edu. We will gladly add the information to your file and consider it along with all of your other credentials and materials.

In the coming weeks, be sure to check the Applicant Portal regularly to make sure we’ve received all of the required documents for admission. You may access the Applicant Portal here. If you have not already received your user name and password, an email will be sent to you by early next week with that information.

The entire Admission staff and I wish you all the best in the new year and look forward to reviewing your application to Scripps College!

Margaret, Admission Counselor

The Admission Deadline is Approaching! A couple announcements and tips from the Admission Office

admission — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:57:00 +0000

As I write this post, I can hear the hum of the Admission printer spitting out Common Applications, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and graded writing assignments. What an exciting time of year it is at Scripps! The past week has brought almost 15 inches of rain to southern CA, which a local radio program announced is the largest storm we have seen in 10 years. Just like the deluge of rain water to the area, we have experienced a rush of applications and credentials to the College.

This year, we are proud to announce a number of new merit-based scholarships here at Scripps College. All applicants will automatically be considered for the Trustee ($15,000, four years) and Presidential ($10,000, four years) awards. For more information on those scholarships, in addition to the James E. Scripps and New Generation awards, please visit: http://think.scrippscollege.edu/scholarships.php.

Additionally, we are happy to extend the admission deadline to January 10, 2011 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision admission for Fall 2011. Please remember that January 10 is a postmark deadline. If you have any questions about the admission process, please don’t hesitate to email us at admission@scrippscollege.edu or call 800-770-1333.

Finally, the Office of Admission will be closed December 24 through January 2. After a busy fall where we traveled to high schools, college fairs, and receptions around the country, our staff is sincerely looking forward to some time with family and friends. Which brings me to my tip for the next couple weeks… Although your college application deadlines are rapidly approaching (which I am sure creates a certain amount of stress), please take some time to enjoy this wonderful time of year with family and friends. Go the movies. Read a book (just because you want to!). Walk your dog. Bake cookies with your grandma (or grandpa!). Journal. At Scripps, we believe that students who do well in college are able to strike the balance between working hard and taking time just to be you.

I hope you find the time to enjoy your winter break. Best of luck with your applications and we’ll be back in 2011!

Most sincerely,
Laura, Director of Admission

Scripps College’s Required Writing Sample… Why We Ask For It, How to Send It, What We’re Looking For

admission — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Applying to college is exhausting enough without having to complete all of the fun extras like school-specific supplements and writing samples, right? While we feel your pain, we actually have some solid reasons for requiring a writing supplement with your Scripps College application. In addition to sending us your Common Application and the Scripps College supplement, we ask that you submit a 3-7 page, graded, analytical essay that you wrote in your junior or senior year. Let me tell you why.

Scripps is a writing-intensive environment. All of our first-year students engage in regular writing assignments through Writing 50: Critical Analysis and the first course (Core I) in the Core Curriculum. As seniors, all Scripps students complete a senior thesis, an opportunity to produce a substantial and original piece of writing that contributes to knowledge in their field of study. While Scripps courses will help students develop as writers, we believe that incoming students should be able to demonstrate a solid grasp of analytical writing to ensure their success in our curriculum.

Another reason why we like to see a graded sample of your analytical writing is to assess what kind of feedback you have gotten on your writing. As you can imagine, teachers and schools vary in the quality of their instruction, so it helps us to see an actual sample of both your writing and the kind of writing instruction and grading you have experienced.

If your only sample is longer than 7 pages, go ahead and send it. We cannot promise to read every word, but we will read enough of it to evaluate your abilities. If you have no graded, analytical writing sample from a junior- or senior-year class, then submit a paper from a sophomore-year class. If you do not have any writing samples with your teacher’s comments, you can send a clean copy, but please indicate the grade you earned.

How can you choose your best writing sample? First, make sure that it is analytical rather than creative. An analytical paper is one that makes an argument or analyzes an issue (in politics, economics, history, etc.) or in a work (or works) of literature. Choose an essay that you are proud of, that you worked hard on, or that you feel represents your best work. You may submit a piece of creative writing as a supplement to the analytical writing sample. Please mail your writing sample to the Office of Admission (1030 Columbia Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711), fax it to our office (909-607-7508), or scan it and send it via email (admission@scrippscollege.edu). Please include your name, address, email/phone.

We look forward to reading your work!

Tina, Admission Counselor

Art, Music, Dance, and Athletic Supplements in the Scripps Admission Process

admission — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Are you interested in participating in art, dance, or music at Scripps College? Do you want to continue your athletic endeavors by competing on a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) sports team? Then, consider sending in a supplement! Scripps accepts the art, dance, music, and athletic supplements as part of your application. When you submit a supplement, it is forwarded to the appropriate department where it is first reviewed by a faculty member or coach. This feedback is carefully considered by the admission committee to gain a better understanding of your potential artistic or athletic contributions to our community.

It should be noted that these supplements are optional, and not required. Applicants who are serious in their pursuit of art, music, dance, or athletics at Scripps and wish to showcase their talents to the admission committee are welcomed to submit their supplements by the deadline of January 1^st. This deadline is for both Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants.

For guidelines and more information on our supplements, please visit our supplements page. Good luck in putting the finishing touches on your applications!

Connie, Admission Counselor

It’s Registration Time at Scripps! Here’s a Look at Some Interesting Courses on Campus

admission — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:00:00 +0000

It is class pre-registration week at Scripps, which means that campus is currently buzzing with students talking about favorite classes and professors. Students revel in the ability to choose 4 or 5 classes that they’ve heard were thought-provoking, incredibly fun, or even life-changing. And the best part is that if you’re a morning person, you’re free to schedule all your classes in the morning. But if your not, choose all afternoon classes! I thought I’d share with you some of the most popular courses at Scripps. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up taking one of these classes!

Cyberculture CORE 3 – During your first three semesters at Scripps, all students take part in the CORE program. For more information on CORE, visit this website: http://www.scrippscollege.edu/academics/core/index.php. In Core 3 Cyberculture, students explore what cyberspace and cyberculture mean and discuss a variety of issues related to Cyber or Internet Culture and its rapid growth and influence. The class includes topics such as Facebook, Google, internet addiction, privacy, cyberbullying, and intellectual property. In addition to papers, students are lead one discussion and create a website for their final project. Finally, a class that requires you to be on Facebook!

Personal Finance – This economics course, which is open to seniors in the Spring, covers all the fundamentals of personal finance management, tools of saving, investing, managing credit, paying taxes, and long-term planning. As a senior preparing to live in the “Real World” and be financially independent, I’m extremely grateful for this class offering. Maybe after this class I will be able to eat more than Ramen Noodles next year!

Intro to Photography – For students interested in exploring their creative side, Intro to Photography is often a popular choice because there is freedom to choose the topics of your photo shoot, depending on your interests. This class uses film cameras and students learn to develop their own photographs in a dark room, located on in Lang Art Studio on campus. In a final project, students have explored everything from street performers, to exploring Los Angeles to photographing their friends.

Cell Biology – Many science majors interested in molecular biology choose to take Cell Biology, which is a class where students learn about processes on a cellular levels including different components of the cell, how they interact together and how it can apply to global topics like HIV/AIDS and cancer. Students discuss how molecular biology is related to genetic diseases and current events related to biology. At the end of the semester, students complete an independent project exploring a topic of their choice using techniques learned in the class lab section. Some science teachers even compose songs or interpretative dances to help students remember complicated material!

Writing for Non-Profits – Interested in going into the non-profit world or learning how to write an effective grant? Writing For Non-Profits is one of the most popular writing classes because it teaches students how to write grants for organizations and also helps students with scholarship and fellowship applications. This class certainly has real-world application, especially since the final project is writing an actual grant for a non-profit of your choice and many students have actually submitted their projects and earned money for an organization!

While next semester will be my last at Scripps, there are still so many classes that are on my “to-take” list. I honestly wish there was endless time to take classes here, but unfortunately we have to graduate. I’m sure your four years at Scripps will be filled with equally as wonderful and interesting classes as I have experienced!

Hannah (’11), Office of Admission Student Intern