During the month of March, the 5Cs released admission decisions to tens of thousands of hopeful applicants looking to continue their academic journeys at the Claremont Colleges.
Pomona College was the first of the 5Cs to release its decisions, which were marked with 28 bell chimes from Sumner Hall on Friday, March 15. They also released academic information, countries of origin and general data about the class of 2028.
Adam Sapp, assistant vice president and director of Admissions at Pomona, expressed his excitement about the 2028 admissions cycle.
“This was an admissions year like no other,” Sapp said in an email to TSL. “I’m so proud of the entire admissions team, they brought the energy, creativity and compassion required to ensure the Class of 2028 will be among the most academically talented classes we’ve ever admitted.”
Yvonne Berumen PZ ’97, Pitzer College’s vice president for Admission and Financial Aid, echoed similar sentiments about the caliber of Pitzer’s class of 2028.
“I am constantly impressed by every new cohort of Pitzer students,” Berumen said. “The Class of 2028 represents the best of Pitzer in their desire to change the world and see new possibilities and opportunities. We’re really looking forward to seeing them on campus.”
The selection of the incoming first-year classes at the Claremont Colleges, as well as those at other institutions across the nation, differed from previous years in that students’ race was not considered. This change resulted from the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in 2023.
Thyra L. Briggs, vice president for Admission and Financial Aid at Harvey Mudd College, commented on how this change impacted the admissions process.
“This was obviously a different year in admission given the SCOTUS decision that removed the option of considering race as part of our holistic admission review,” Briggs said. “I’m proud of the work our staff did to adapt and to ensure that we followed all best practices in reviewing applications. I’m not sure anyone knows the amount of care and attention that goes into application review, but changes this year took this to a new high.”
Despite the challenges posed by the SCOTUS decision for admissions across the 5Cs, Sapp shared promising trends he observed in Pomona’s latest group of undergraduates.
“I was pleased to see a slight increase in first-generation students in this class, as well as high interest in students choosing two majors from different academic divisions,” Sapp said. “Pomona is a place that can serve intellectually curious students with many different interests particularly well, [so] it was nice to see this data point show up so clearly at the end of our process.”
James Rietz PO ’28, a prospective classics and art history double major, said he is eager to take classes across disciplines while exploring his passions. Rietz said he is looking forward to working at the Pomona Farm, getting involved with music across the 5Cs and participating in workshops at the Hive.
“Every day I’m like, oh, there’s a new thing that you can do on campus or do at one of the other 5Cs and it’s just insane,” Rietz said. “I’m just generally excited to figure out what to do because there’s a thousand things [to do]. I’m not used to [it]. I’m really excited.”
Rietz said he was particularly excited about the personal connection Pomona made with each committed student via a gifted book personalized to their interest.
“[Mine was a book of] short stories that are all mythological retellings because I’m majoring in classics [and] one of my essays was about a lot of myths that I really connected to as a kid,” Rietz said. “I’m just so excited. I’m overjoyed.”
Alyna Prucnal HM ’28 said she was drawn to Mudd because of its emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, which will allow her to study math and physics while also benefiting from the taking non-stem courses.
“I really like that [Mudd] is mostly a STEM school but still has a touch of the humanities,” Prucnal said. “I like that I don’t have to give one up just to pursue the other. I [also] really like that I [can be] in a small school and have small class sizes, but also have the ability to meet lots of people and be in that environment as well. And the weather’s nice: I’m from Illinois, so it gets really cold in the winter.”
Sitara Putrevu SC ’28 said she was initially drawn to Scripps because of its welcoming environment, noting both its status as a historically women’s college and its aesthetics.
“I really like that [Scripps College] is a women’s college because it creates a sense of community,” Putrevu said. “I think I’ll be able to make really good connections … Also, I know a couple of people who went there and they just absolutely adored it. [And] obviously, the campus is so pretty.”
For Deborah Aguirre CM ’28, the sheer number of opportunities available to explore, especially in a close-knit liberal arts setting, is what drew her to Claremont McKenna College (CMC).
“I applied to CMC because I liked the size,” she said. “I liked the focus on government and economics.”
For Rietz, the final outcome was a cathartic experience.
“Pomona was my goal: I toured more than once, I went to the President’s Day Preview thing [and] I emailed with my admissions officer,” Rietz said. “I opened [the decision letter] and I screamed and started crying, my mom started crying, everyone was freaking out.”
Aguirre also had her mom with her when opening her decision, which she received through QuestBridge, a nonprofit program which connects low-income and first-generation students with colleges across the country.
“I opened [the decision] with my mom,” Aguirre said. “I remember she was out of the house, so I had to wait like an extra hour and a half to open the letter. I screamed when I saw [the decision] … It was definitely really exciting. CMC was my top school. I [was] like, oh my gosh, I did it.”
The class of 2028 features many students eager to leave high school and jump into their next four years.
“I’m done with high school,” Aguirre said. “Right now, it’s from school to home, I don’t really get much in between … [so] I’m excited for the college experience. I definitely look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities. CMC has internships, connections. That’s probably what I’m most excited for, all these new experiences that I’m finally gonna get my hands on.”
Admitted students have already been connecting with one another on social media, whether through official college panels or Instagram accounts dedicated to spotlighting the class of 2028.
“I’ve met some people through Instagram already and everyone is so nice,” Rietz said. “I’m in this massive group chat with all the Pomona incoming people and it’s always active, everyone’s always talking.”
Incoming students will continue making their final commitments to universities until the May 1 deadline.
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