Am I on track for getting into Pomona?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>So I'm a rising sophomore (just finished freshman year), and Pomona is, right now, my absolute dream school. I just wanted to see what everyone thinks about how I'm planning high school to go down, and if it looks like I'll be able to attend Pomona.</p>

<p>Courses:
8th Grade-
Algebra I Honors (average = 98, A)
English I Honors (average = 98, A)</p>

<p>9th-
English II Honors (average = 94, A)
Algebra II Honors (average = 85, B)
Physical Science Honors (average = 92, B)
Global Studies I Honors (average = 86, B)
NJROTC (average = 90, B)
Marching Band (average = 100, A)</p>

<p>10th grade PLANNED-
Biology I Honors
Chemistry I Honors *
English III Honors
Geometry Honors
Marching Band
Honors Symphonic Band
Creative Writing I
Driver's Ed (Ugh. I don't want this class, since it only counts as .5credit, but it is required.)</p>

<p>*Chemistry I can be switched for Global Studies II Honors. However, doing this would mean I take Chemistry I Honors Junior year, leaving me no possibility of taking an AP Science. I'd love your opinions on this.</p>

<p>11th grade PLANNED (definitely open to change!)-
AP USH (2 semesters)
AP Psych
AP Biology* (see 10th grade; 2 semesters)
English IV Honors
Marching Band (I may be able to talk my band director into letting me do marching band without the class my junior and senior years, but he's very strict about everyone taking it as a class this year.)
Some math, not sure. Possibly Pre-Cal.</p>

<p>If I do not take AP Bio, then I'll be taking Chemistry and either French I, Honors Symphonic Band, or Creative Writing II.</p>

<p>12 grade PLANNED (definitely open to change!)-
AP English Lit (2 semesters)
Govt/Econ CP (No honors available)
Creative Writing II* (see 11th grade - may be replaced with French I)
Keyboarding (required, no honors available - may be able to take this online)
French II
French III (possibly)
Some math, not sure. Statistics?
A science (*if I do not take chemistry 10th grade)</p>

<p>Now, there may be some schedule conflicts since it isn't perfect yet, and I'm not sure if my school allows online/community college credits, which would make things much easier.</p>

<p>I'm not sure about my class rank, but I know I'm at least in top 30%, quite possibly higher. This will definitely change though, I had a bad freshman year.</p>

<p>Last year, I scored this on PSAT:
65 CR
54 Math
61 Writing
180 total</p>

<p>This was with virtually no preparation.</p>

<p>My main EC will be band (I play the tuba.) However, I'm thinking about getting involved in Psychology club, Key club, and maybe the school's literary magazine. I know none of these are particularly great, but my school doesn't offer too much. </p>

<p>I'm from South Carolina, and I would need high FA (although I know Pomona is need-blind.) Not a minority, white male. I'm thinking right now I'll apply ED to Pomona, although in 2.5 years that could change a bit.</p>

<p>This may be to early to tell, but if I stick to this track (obviously raising my test grades) do you think I have a good shot?</p>

2

<p>To get into Pomona and any other top college there is a basic formula any high schooler should follow:
I) Take the hardest classes you can handle to get an A, (if its BC Calc senior year then a B is okay)
II) Get in the range of the school’s SAT/ACT percentile, preferably top 75 pcnt of course.
III) If your school ranks, be top 1-5percentile
IV) Be focused in your extra curriculars, show passion and commitment
V) Write stellar essays that set you apart, no cookie cutter essays.</p>

<p>Good Luck! The fact that you are thinking about top schools as a rising sophomore is a very good sign.</p>

<p>-PO’13 Student</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the fast reply! I was actually thinking looking at colleges now would be a little obsessive; glad to know there are other opinions :P</p>

<p>For point one, does that mean you would advise taking Chemistry as a soph, and then taking AP Bio? Also, does Driver’s Ed put me at a significant disadvantage since it’s taking up a class credit? At my school it’s seen as a “study hall” class, but I can’t afford to take it outside of school, so there’s really no other option.</p>

4

<p>Don’t worry too much about driver’s ed, and just do your best with your grades and test scores. You’re going to need straight As from this point forward. Your PSAT score is decent for a sophomore with no prep (I got a 196 in the same situation) and ended up as a National Merit Scholarship winner with a 2320 SAT, so you’re on track there.</p>

<p>My impression is that once you have the academics and test scores lined up, Pomona wants to admit interesting people. Don’t settle for “not particularly great” if you don’t think your school’s clubs are very good. Do something on your own that’s cool, start your own club, etc.</p>

5

<p>Interesting is something I’ll have to work on. I’m not a very outgoing or proactive person. I can change that if it means a better chance at getting into this school, though!</p>

6

<p>Pomona is very fickle, being the only top tier LAC on the west coast, it has a monopoly. If you are enthusiatic about a selective LAC education, should also look at the top east coast schools (Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst) and the mid-west if you can stand the cold (e.g. Carlton). All are highly competitive and have extraordinary student bodies, but it at least diversifies your chances. The Pomona weather is nice…</p>

7

<p>Oh yeah, I’m definitely looking at other colleges too (Furman University, Amherst, and Bates are a few), but Pomona’s just my absolute top choice right now.</p>

8

<p>I agree with lolcats, dont worry about drivers ed. Take it if you need to/ it will improve your quality of life. Im from NYC and most kids dont drive, but I took Drivers ED because it considerably improved my school commute from 1.5 hrs to 1/2 hr so I’m glad I took it (even tho for 17 yr olds in NYC its a 5 month program to get your full license).</p>

<p>Taking chem soph year then AP Bio Jr year is a good start, unless you dont think you will do well in AP Bio.</p>

9

<p>Alright, I’ll stick with Chem this year then. I usually do pretty well in class, but this past year I missed over 60 days and had a very apathetic attitude about everything. It wasn’t a good start to high school for me.</p>

<p>I’m also going to self-study AP World History and <em>possibly</em> Euro History this summer / year. Will this help in admissions? (I’m self studying mainly because no APs are offered for sophs and I’m genuinely interested in history, but an edge in college admissions won’t hurt!)</p>

10

<p>dude calm down how are you gonna enjoy high school when you plan it out like this? Take hard classes, work your ass off, get involved outside of school, and make yourself known to the college e.g. visit a ton, get on the mailing list, talk to deans, etc. But planning it out for the next four years puts way too much pressure on yourself, and the reality is there is no real “track” for getting into college. Admissions just don’t work like that. You don’t know how many kids in high school had the same GPA as me, same classes, and less extracurriculars got into Ivies that rejected me. Its a lottery that you can buy as many tickets as you can for by working hard in high school, but that will never guarantee you to get in.</p>

11

<p>Yeah, you’re not even a rising junior yet…Take a breath, relax, and enjoy your high school career. Take classes that both interest and challenge you; don’t slack, but don’t kill yourself. Join a few clubs you can be passionate about, rising to leadership eventually. If you’re impatient, just start your own club and make yourself president :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: You even said that your school doesn’t offer much, so found something. Colleges will like to see that students bring new ideas, new perspectives, etc.
But, I’m probably inundating you right now. Go outside and enjoy your summer, damn it!</p>

12

<p>Just a quick note, I would highly recommend taking three or four years of a language, if it’s at all possible. Because you seem pretty extraordinarily organized with your classes, take a look at [Introduction</a> to Applying - Pomona College](<a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/apply/introduction-to-applying.aspx]Introduction”>http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/apply/introduction-to-applying.aspx) and try to make sure you fulfill those expectations. </p>

<p>Most of all, make your extracurriculars something you are passionate about, preferably something with at least some amount of originality. You mention band being your biggest priority as well as a lack of ECs that your school offers - think about starting something in your community that ties into band. I know you’re probably been told this a billion and two times already, but try not to have the stereotypical laundry list of clubs, and aim for leadership positions in the clubs you do join.</p>

<p>As for stats, from now on you should try to get straight A’s. Out of the six or seven students from my school admitted to Pomona, I think I probably had the most B’s - 3 semester grade Bs. The bar’s set pretty high! </p>

<p>Standardized test scores, on the other hand, don’t seem to matter as much at Pomona as they would elsewhere (though they are still important! I don’t know if I would have gotten in without my ACT score) as long as you’re strong in everything else. My genius friend is just not a very good test taker, and he was admitted because he showed everything else that Pomona was looking for.</p>

<p>Also regarding band - Pomona is awesome in that they really do want you to send in supplements! I was involved in art, music, and science in high school, and my interviewer (an admissions officer) encouraged me to send in supplements for all three! Unlike some large research universities (cough Ivies), Pomona wants to see all your talent, even if you’ve never won international accolades or prizes or competitions or Nobel Prizes. So this is a great chance to start on that awesome tuba concerto you’ve been thinking about! </p>

<p>Lastly, I definitely encourage finding out if there are Pomona alumni in your area able to do an interview. I live in Southern California (well, Claremont actually), and the interview allowed me to express a lot of things that my ECs and grades and scores and even my essays couldn’t contain. (If anyone is reading this who lives in Southern California, DO THE ON CAMPUS INTERVIEW. It’s pretty much vital to your application. They’re not kidding when they say they expect all students who apply from Southern California to interview on campus, or at least make the effort (they’ll put you on a waiting list if you ask too late, and though they still make note that you took the initiative, the interview really can only help).</p>

<p>(Wow, that was NOT a quick note. Hope it helps though! ENJOY YOUR SUMMER! HAVE FUN! DON’T STRESS TOO MUCH! STAY AWAY FROM COLLEGECONFIDENTIAL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY START APPLYING!)</p>

13

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<p>I don’t think I agree with this. There is a reason why Pomona is like 7th in the nation for average SAT score of incoming freshmen. Your friend must have been very impressive in other ways to get in. </p>

<p>I attribute my acceptance in large part to my 2320 SATI and 2400 SATII scores.</p>

14

<p>lolcats4: Yeah, I’d like to backtrack on that and concede that you’re probably right. I was just speaking from experience of what I’ve seen stats-wise on the Facebook group for accepted students and the like, clearly unreliable sources. And I have to agree, high test scores undoubtedly factored into my acceptance.</p>

<p>But as another Pomona student, do you agree mostly with the other points?</p>

15

<p>My daughter is attending PC this Fall, and during one of the ‘welcome admittees’ I attended, i spoke with one of the admissions officers about what the committee looks for-- i had heard that essays and recommendations were unusually heavy factors at PC. He said that wasn’t true. He described a very complicated process where each application get multiple reviews at various levels, they get discussed, some get eliminated, and this process goes on over and over again-- something like that. SATs, EC’s, curriculum, they all count.</p>

<p>I would agree with the sentiment that you’re only a sophomore. It’s ok to dream, but try to step back once in a while and get away from the romance of one school or another and make a list of pros and cons and be objective as possible, and do this with a lot of schools. Getting into any of the PC caliber schools is like hitting the lottery these days. Applications are hard to distinguish from one another-- you could have every qualification another student has and they may admit the other student and not you. </p>

<p>So, calm down, broaden your horizens, don’t get too emotionally attached to any one school-- even if you get in, if your expectations of your experience there are unrealistic, you’re bound to be in for a let-down. Remember, it’s just a school. there are a lot of them out there.</p>