I live in Los Angeles, and the drive east to the town of Claremont was quicker than I had expected on the multi-lane 10 freeway.
I was going to tour Claremont McKenna College (CMC) and Pomona College, part of a 5-college consortium that is colloquially known as the 5Cs.
95% of students live on the beautiful, manicured campus & study in an environment that the school describes as collaborative & not competitive.
The school has a policy of no freshman-only dorms—CMC tries to push entering students to expose themselves to upperclassmen who may have a more defined sense of what they want to do.
Being data driven, the school asks students to fill out complex housing survey forms which are then analyzed for days to come up with housing assignments based on noise preferences, lifestyle, & other factors.
The town of Claremont is absolutely lovely, with gorgeous trees that hover over the streets and make you feel far from fast-paced, urban Los Angeles.