Pitzer Named Among Top 50 Colleges for Women

CLAREMONT, Calif. (Sept. 22, 2004) – Pitzer College’s resolve to provide young women with the kind of environment that gives them the best chance of success in college and after graduation was recognized by CosmoGIRL magazine in its first-ever guide to the nation’s 50 best colleges. Pitzer joins Amherst College, Duke University, Grinnell College, Pomona College, Stanford University and Wesleyan University, among others, on the magazine’s list of top schools.

In compiling the list, editors at CosmoGIRL worked with admissions officers and guidance counselors across the country to determine a list of six key factors that were then cross-referenced with baseline data from the Princeton Review to determine those schools that best fit the bill. Pitzer was noted for its requirement that all students “must complete a social service requirement to graduate, such as tutoring children or interning at a nonprofit organization.”

“Not only is this first college guide designed specifically for girls, but what really makes it unique is that we’ve identified specific factors that give girls an edge,” said CosmoGIRL’s Editor-in-Chief, Susan Schulz. “This is no arbitrary list.”

The six key factors -- small class size, prominent female faculty members, strong women’s sports programs, a career center that facilitates internship opportunities, opportunities to hold leadership positions in clubs and activities and an active alumni network -- were all seen by CosmoGIRL’s panel of experts to provide unique elements essential to success.

The guide, featured in the October 2004 issue, will become an annual franchise for the magazine.

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Founded in 1963, Pitzer College is a nationally ranked undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences. A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a distinctive approach to a liberal education by linking intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility and community involvement.