By Lauren Mar ’25
This past September, Scripps ranked number one for best overall student experience in The Wall Street Journal. This result didn’t come about by chance—thanks to the efforts led by Sydney Watson ’25, the College’s ranking reflects the power of the community and speaks to the appreciation that students have for the college.
Watson, an economics major hailing from Texas, first heard about the survey when she was researching prospective colleges as a high school senior. In April, Watson emailed the entire Scripps body encouraging students to participate in the survey.
“I knew that there was a student survey component as part of how The Wall Street Journal constructs their rankings, so I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to encourage students to get involved in that way,” she says.
The ranking reflects data collected by The Wall Street Journal and College Pulse, a leading research and analytics company. The survey polled 50,000 students and recent alums from 500 colleges and universities nationwide, including Ivy Leagues like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale and top West Coast institutions such as UCLA, Stanford, and USC.
Now, as a senior at Scripps, Watson felt inspired by her own Scripps experience to encourage her fellow students to participate and potentially help prospective students find Scripps. “I’ve really benefited from my experience here,” she reflects. “I feel like it’s a great place to be and I thought this survey would be a way for people to learn about the school.”
Watson explains that the student reception to participating in the survey was overwhelmingly positive. Of the responses that Watson tracked, 136 Scripps students submitted a response to the survey—approximately 12.6 percent of the entire student body. Watson emphasizes that the outpouring of survey responses reflects not only the overall culture of the College but also the power of the Scripps community.
“The number one ranking for student experience is a direct result of student feedback,” she says. “I think a lot of other students felt as strongly as I did about the school.”
Watson’s efforts in the Wall Street Journal survey also speak to her positive experience at Scripps, best represented in the small class sizes and the relationships she’s built with faculty and peers. “I feel very lucky to have Associate Professor of Economics Nayana Bose as my mentor and cheerleader through the years, as well as the wonderful friends I’ve made here,” she shares.
With Scripps as her home base, Watson also feels the benefits of The Claremont Colleges consortium are a student experience standout, allowing her to take classes and join clubs at the other schools. Scripps clubs and organizations (CLORGS) also strengthened her capacity to lead, such as the Scripps Student Investment Fund (SIF) where she currently serves as co-president.
“I joined SIF as a sophomore and really grew both personally and professionally from the mentorship of the fund,” she says. “I feel very privileged to get to help lead the fund this year. It’s been a great community that has made my Scripps experience more meaningful.”
Now a senior, the survey also presented a chance for her to look back on all the memories she will take with her in her final year.
“Some of my favorite spots on campus are the Toll Browsing Room, Denison Library, and the Rose Garden. I remember seeing the Rose Garden when I visited Scripps and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, people go to school here?’ That’s never lost its novelty for me” she reflects.
Even after she graduates, Watson hopes current and future students will continue to participate in The Wall Street Journal each year not only to connect prospective students to the Scripps community, but also to showcase their shared pride.
Says Watson, “I’m hopeful that we’ll get even more responses in future years.”