Campus tour video
Walk with tour guides Thomas D’Anieri ’20 and Hailey Wilson ’22 as they explore their favorite CMC spots in our new Admission video.
One by one, names and locations lit up the chat portion of the Zoom video screen.
Hey, I’m Tiana from Chicago!
Hi, I’m Nathanael from Denver!
Hello, I’m Defne from Istanbul, Turkey!
Hi everyone, I’m Katherine from the Bronx!
Palmetto, Florida. Hong Kong. Georgetown, Kentucky. Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Namibia. Mumbai. Frisco, Texas. Portland. Billings, Montana. Egypt. Shanghai, China. The list of greetings from around the world kept rolling in: More than 150 admitted high school seniors connecting the only way they can these days, all in an effort to learn more about Claremont McKenna College during a virtual welcome session with President Hiram E. Chodosh.
In a typical admission cycle, students and their families would be meeting face-to-face with CMC faculty, staff, and students during campus tours, information sessions, and special spring events like the overnight Preview Program and Inside CMC Day. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with travel plans halted for the foreseeable future, the next best thing has become a row of smiling, curious faces on the other end of a computer screen.
“This is the highlight of my week, to see your names and remember all the great things we know you’ve accomplished,” Jennifer Sandoval-Dancs, associate vice president for admission and financial aid, told last week’s admitted group in the President’s welcome chat.
“I am inspired every day by what you are doing, by the challenges you are already solving. Remember, you’ve got this—100 percent of the way.”
At the start of his hour-long virtual Q&A, Chodosh also congratulated admitted students on their accomplishments, particularly “the things that no one told you to do, all the things you created for yourself and those around you.” He acknowledged the difficult situation they’ve been put in during their senior years of high school, and expressed further regret that CMC couldn’t host them on campus.
“It’s one of the things I look forward to most each year, our admitted students arriving for a couple of weekends in April,” Chodosh said.
“And yet this is a really important moment for each of us to reflect and realize our greater civic responsibility—the small acts and big thoughts that can take us forward, both through COVID-19 and to get stronger, more resilient, healthier, and more successful as a society.”
During his welcome, Chodosh fielded questions about CMC’s mission and values, integrated science future, robust alumni support network, and distinctions among the five undergraduate Claremont Colleges. When asked by a student what drew him to his role, Chodosh described walking the two blocks from his house to campus, and how passing the familiar faces of CMC’s tight-knit community inspired him “to be centered and to be grounded. It’s how I soak in the ethos and experiences of our student body, faculty, and staff.”
While nothing can replace the in-person intimacy of campus tours and programs, Sandoval-Dancs said virtual formats still provide the social warmth and intentional engagement CMC is known for. Spring opportunities for committed, admitted, and prospective students have shifted online, with admission officers hosting individual and regional group Zoom meet-ups regularly. CMC staff, students, and alumni that would have been present for campus events are also participating in April virtual sessions, including members of Dean of Students for a residence life webinar, medical school students for an alumni in medicine panel, and Board of Trustees president David Mgrublian ’82 P’11 for a series of chats.
Some students, like Rohan Vaidya ’23, even reached out to Admission staff with an offer to help, knowing that current seniors might not get to see a full campus like he did.
“I know that with this situation, things may be different for admitted students. I also know what made the difference for me while walking across campus for the first time and learning about the genuine love and appreciation CMC students had for their school,” said Vaidya, who was hoping to host a prospective student this spring. “It’s important that we still get to share those same joys and experiences with others.”
Vaidya’s outreach is a further testament to CMC’s shared goals—"a commitment to responsible leadership that permeates and inspires all aspects of our community,” Sandoval-Dancs said. Whether in-person or online, the desire to showcase the multiple ways that CMC supports students to reach their highest potential will always be the top priority.
“We have learned to be nimble and flexible as a community during these unprecedented circumstances, and been reminded of the strength of our community,” Sandoval-Dancs said. “Our goal is to maintain the heart and soul of CMC admission engagement—person-to-person attention and interaction—in this this new, virtual world. We will still be as present as ever to incoming students with our expertise, enthusiasm, and support.”
—Thomas Rozwadowski