Claremont McKenna asks two required supplemental essays: why you want to attend CMC, in light of its mission to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government and the professions; and a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic changed your attitude, belief or behavior (or theirs), tied to CMC's Open Academy commitments.
CMC's page prints no word limit for these prompts; use the limit shown in your application.
Claremont McKenna's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why CMC | no set limit | Required | Why this college |
| Open Academy: a change of mind | no set limit | Required | Disagreement and dialogue |
Not covered here: Optional two-minute video response.
How to plan the Claremont McKenna supplement
- 1Make the why-CMC answer about leadership in your own terms, connected to something you have done.
- 2For the Open Academy essay, show a real change of mind, including what made it possible.
1. Why CMC
Claremont McKenna's wording · no set limit · Required“CMC’s mission is to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. With this mission in mind, please explain why you want to attend Claremont McKenna College.”
What it is really asking. Why you want to attend CMC, with its mission (responsible leadership in business, government and the professions) in mind.
How to approach it
- 1Show how you already practice responsible leadership.
- 2Name what at CMC would develop it, and check it on CMC's site.
- 3Connect to the field you want to lead in.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leadership titles as evidence.
- Ignoring the mission the prompt names.
Full guide: How to Write the "Why CMC" Essay
2. Open Academy: a change of mind
Claremont McKenna's wording · no set limit · RequiredA critical part of fulfilling our mission is living out the commitments of CMC’s Open Academy: Freedom of Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Dialogue. We want to learn more about your commitment to listening and learning from others with different viewpoints, perspectives, and life experiences from your own.“Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others?”
What it is really asking. A time engaging with someone about a specific topic changed your attitude, belief or behavior, or theirs: what changed, what made it possible, what you learned and how it shapes how you engage now.
How to approach it
- 1Name the topic and the person.
- 2Show the change precisely.
- 3Explain what facilitated it.
- 4End with how you engage with others now.
Mistakes to avoid
- A debate you won with no change in you.
Full guide: How to Write CMC's Open Academy Essay
What our grader checks in your Claremont McKenna answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Claremont McKenna's own wording. Each area comes back Met, Partly or Missing, and those verdicts (with the word limit) set the answer's readiness: Ready, Nearly there or Needs work. There is no score out of 100.
| Question | Claremont McKenna's own check |
|---|---|
| Why CMC | Ties the reasons for attending to CMC's mission of responsible leadership in business, government and the professions. |
| Open Academy: a change of mind | Names the change, what facilitated it, what was learned, and how it informs how the applicant engages with others. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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