A lot has changed since that one August afternoon I walked up three little flat steps and through two massive doors and stood next to the fountain under the tower that always rings at the 47th minute of the hour (though I didn’t know that back then) and realized that I had fallen in love with the Claremont Colleges; maybe that was when my fate sealed. I still remember. Our feet were aching, but I ventured further; the moment I stepped onto the Scripps campus I felt safe and welcomed. I knew then, deep down- that Claremont would be my new home. Although it may sound cliche, there was an emotional click that I had not previously experienced at any other college I toured- and it’s this click that I recommend rising seniors to search for when they look at schools. It’s almost magical, this feeling- this knowing that this is where you are meant to be. As I walked around the Claremont Colleges, I saw a glimpse of the future, one that I now get to live out. Now, I look through those two massive doors and see some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, crowded around that same fountain under that same tower.
Some of my high school friends and I had been walking around the Claremont Colleges, doing our own version of a self-guided tour that consisted of a somewhat haphazard exploration of the various campuses. Although the doors I described in the previous paragraph are located on Pomona’s campus, I felt most at home at Scripps. We had just finished walking through Pitzer and were walking down the path that stretches from the front of the Tiernan Field House all the way to the edge of the Jaqua Lawn. I was struck by the sprawling ivy growing up the Margaret Fowler Garden walls, the fresh aroma of the fruit trees and roses, and the coziness of the GJW Hall living room, which I snuck a peek at through the alcove’s large glass window. I remember standing in Balch Hall, near the spot where I now start off my tours, and I thought to myself, this is it.
So, it really isn’t all that surprising that I now work in Balch as an Admission Ambassador, helping prospective students see in Scripps the same beauty I witnessed that fateful summer day.
My friend and I at Scripps the day I visited for the first time.