Seniors

Seniors

The Senior Year – Overview

“As college seniors leave their undergraduate careers behind, these new alumni will face the complex demands of a new economy, ever-changing technology, an increasingly diverse America, and a demanding, fluctuating, and highly competitive job market … ” 

“The consensus is that the most basic need of seniors is for opportunities for reflection on the meaning of the college experience, integration and closure, and holistic support during the transition to post-college life”  

Gardner, John N (1999). “The Senior Year Experience.” About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience, vol. 4, no.
1, pp. 5–11., doi:10.1177/108648229900400103.

Our Senior Class initiatives aim to help seniors use this year to:

potted cactus illustration
  • Strategically plan and engage in purposeful Career Development
  • Empower students with financial literacy skills
  • Equip students with transitional life-skills and planning for life after college
  • Engage in meaningful life-long mentoring relationships
  • Balance individual support and helping peers stay connected with their groups
  • Seek life-long sustainable self-care, finding joy, well-being, and thriving
  • Reflect on the meaning of senior’s Pitzer experience and legacy
  • Preserving and continuing traditions; supporting progress towards graduation; the importance of Commencement and celebrating Senior milestones and accomplishment.

Resources & Links for Seniors

The Pitzer Writing Center | The Writing Center is one of Pitzer’s most popular academic resources, holding more than 1,600 consultations last year. This fall, the center will offer comprehensive virtual support to students enrolled in Pitzer classes. This includes one-on-one video conferences with peer Fellows trained to work with writers on assignments across the disciplines and at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing a final draft. The Writing Center will also continue to host a range of online workshops and events, including regular “write-ins” that build community and foster resilience around the writing process. Specialized consultations are available for senior thesis, fellowship, and multilingual writers. In addition, a research librarian offers weekly consultations on all aspects of the research process. For more information or to book an appointment, visit https://www.pitzer.edu/writing-center/

The Claremont Colleges Library  | Website

  • We encourage thesis writers to meet with their subject librarian early and often! Librarians can help you refine your topic, find and evaluate scholarship, assist in questions of citing or copyright, and many other research needs. 
  • Check out New To Using the Library to get oriented to the Library’s core services and resources. Please refer to their COVID-19 web page for the most up-to-date information about Library services, as they are subject to change in response to the state of public health recommendations.
  • All of the online resources—databasesjournals, articles, and e-books—are available off campus. Anyone with valid Pitzer credentials (what you use to login into Sakai or your college email account) has access to them by going through the Library’s website
  • Once you have your login credentials, materials that are available in print can be requested online through the Resource Sharing service. You can request that they be mailed to your home address (mailing limit 5 per person, per semester). 
  • If you find a book or article you would like but it’s either checked out from the Library or not in the collection, you can request it through the free Resource Sharing service. The library will make every effort to find an electronic version of your request. They hope to begin providing this service for print resources later this summer. 
  • Research consultations with a librarian are available via Zoom. They also have chat and email research support. We’re here to help you get acclimated to college research! 
  • Special Collections staff are available to answer questions you might have about accessing their materials or conducting primary source research. For those who are not familiar, Special Collections houses distinctive and unique resources, including rare books, maps, photographs, posters, college archives, and more. You are encouraged to explore and browse the digital collections
  • The library automatically acquires all course readings that faculty submit to the Huntley Bookstore, and they are doing their best to provide access to e-versions of them whenever possible. Search the Library’s website to see if the course readings for your classes are available. If you don’t see them, reach out to your professor and let them know to contact the Library 
  • Scholarship @ Claremont is a growing archive and academic record of the scholarship and publications produced by students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges. Though Pitzer does not require students to submit their thesis in S@C, we encourage students to do so as a way to share your scholarship with the world or TCC community. More information about S@C is available on our Scholarship @ Claremont webpage

Basic Needs & Funding Opportunities 

Contact [email protected] for a pre-screen worksheet or any other questions. You can also visit this website.

Career Services 

Financial Literacy | Check out this free course!

  • The Pitzer College Financial Wellness Center provides online resources on topics such as introduction to budgeting, credit vs debit cards, credit reports and scores, financial planning, types of financial aid (to name a few). Any Pitzer student may create an account and complete the online courses from the library at their own pace.

Graduation Requirement Resources: 

Research, Senior Thesis & Conference Funding (scroll down and click on Student Funding Opportunities):  

Self-Care & Well-being 

  • Campuswell: Pitzer’s Online wellness magazine  
  • Sakai: PZ Self-Care Kit *new* | Featuring wellness cards, mood diaries, grounding techniques, meditations and therapy 101. 
  • Be sure to follow @pzstrive2thrive on Instagram
  • On-Campus, Community and National Resources | Featuring support and resources for those impacted by California Wildfires, Covid-19 & Mental Health, BIPOC support and resources for out-of-state students. Visit this website for more info.  
  • Video Library | Featuring self-care 101, mindfulness, financial literacy, and more (coming soon) *new* 

Senior Year Advising 


Connect with your Senior Year Co-Curriculum Team – 2021-2022

We are here to support you throughout your Senior year at Pitzer. Send us an email if you would like to connect or need some questions answered. We look forward to hearing from you!

  • Cairo Briceno, Residence Life
  • Lexi Lai, Campus Life
  • Brad Tharpe, Career Services
  • Brianna Anania, Residence Life
  • Bryce Sternquist, OSA
  • Jill Hawthorne, Advancement
  • Katie Tewell, OSA 
  • Melissa Burrows, OSA
  • Stephanie Hannant, Pass
  • Zenia Guitierrez, Campus Life