<p>A few days ago I picked up a book from the College ******* series for my high school senior: students reviewing their schools, rating everything from the education quality to drug scene on an A to F scale. At the end of each chapter there is even a list of ten best and ten worst things. D started reading about the Claremont Schools. Scripps - students are happy, professors are smart, dorms and food are great, and so on. Ditto for CMC, Mudd and Pitzer. Next came the chapter on Pomona, Ds dream school, and
oh, my! Some of the quotes sounded like they were written by whiny spoiled brats hanging out at our local mall. Check out the list of things that, according to this book, Pomona kids treasure about their college the most:
1. The caring and nurturing environment.
2. Climbing the flag pole and placing the Jolly Roger atop it.
3. Free strawberry-flavored condoms.
4. Table manners.
5. Sneaking into Frary.
6. Rolling on frat boys and ganking their booze.
7. Impromptu campus center rocknroll concerts.
8. The streets flow with free beer.
9. Grade inflation (when it benefits you).
10. Three words: Dehli Palace Express.
???
I know it is just a bunch of isolated opinions written for the shock and awe effect, and not a scientific sociological survey
Free speech or not, this reviewer did a huge disservice to his Alma Mater. I hope the school, which is trying so hard to promote itself as the Ivy of the West, is aware of this. It dampened Ds enthusiasm and somewhat spoiled her view of the college as the intellectual school of the consortium, but she still wants to apply, may be even Early Decision.
On top of this masterpiece of a review, two adults that I know very well and who had personal experience with the college are not saying anything good about it either.
Any Pomona alumni out here? Any parents of currently enrolled students? Your opinions about Pomona are greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Bunsen - FWIW, when touring colleges my daughter and I found the greatest "book to visit" disparity at Pomona. My recommendation is to dump the book and visit the campus. JMHO.</p>
<p>The "College *******" is, in my opinion, a bottom feeder. Pomona is a great school filled with serious students.</p>
<p>I graduated from Pomona in 2003.</p>
<p>Don't pay much attention to the book. Remember that even smart 18-22 year olds are not necessarily all that mature, and they say things like that just to be silly, without necessarily realizing how it will reflect on their school. I'm not even sure what "rolling on frat boys and ganking their booze" means, though I can guess. The Greek scene isn't even big at Pomona. As for "sneaking into Frary"-- I've never known anyone who actually did that. And "the streets flow with free beer"-- well, not really.</p>
<p>I DID know kids who did some pretty stupid things in the name of partying-- joyriding in golf carts that belonged to campus security, for one. But for every student who did something like that, there were 10 others who shook their heads in disdain when they heard about it. </p>
<p>Ignore the book. Visit the school.</p>
<p>Visit the school--pick up the current campus newpaper. That should give you a flavor of student life. We did this on many college visits and at a few schools, there were some pretty interesting things printed in the student newspapers. I was shocked at a few schools that would allow info to be printed knowing that visitors might be visiting campus.</p>
<p>Irene, thank you very much for your reply! We did visit Pomona last winter. It was the visit that made my D fascinated with the college. Ive never heard about this school before our trip, we just ended up on their campus after touring the other better known colleges (friends kids go there).</p>
<p>I do take the book with a grain (more like a ton) of salt. Im just concerned about the sharp contrast of this review with the other ones in the book. By the way, CC has a link to the CP website under the table of ratings for each college, and this is how I found out about this publication. Unfortunately, it did not do any good to neutralize other unfavorable opinions coming from a former alum and a parent (not statistically significant selection, but their opinions planted a seed of doubt).</p>
<p>Could you please elaborate on what you liked the most about your years at Pomona?
And many thanks to all who replied!</p>
<p>My D is a graduate of Pomona and she loved her 4 years there. I've only heard very positive comments from her and her friends about their experiences there. Perhaps the unfavorable opinions you heard are from students who found Pomona was not a good fit for them. If your D wants to apply ED based on a visit, then I'd go with her instincts.</p>
<p>I think what I liked most about Pomona was the people-- both fellow students and professors. (Nearly) everyone is interesting, and mostly laid back and friendly. The majority of profs are accessible, and some are just insanely brilliant. Of course, the gorgeous campus doesn't hurt, and neither does the proximity to LA. As for academics-- I had many fantastic courses.</p>
<p>I have, by the way, been affiliated in one way or another with THREE other schools since leaving Pomona-- a large public, an Ivy, and a large private. In all cases, I miss(ed) the intimacy of Pomona courses. Some people love large lectures, but if you don't, then Pomona is a great choice.</p>
<p>My son is a current Pomona sophomore. He's a serious student who works hard both in and out of school. He doesn't drink, do drugs, or engage in heavy partying, and he's been extremely happy at Pomona.</p>
<p>What has he liked about the school so far? The people, mostly. he has said. They are a bright, interesting group. He's made a lot of good friends who enjoy the kinds of things he does - good films, music, sports (he tried squash second semester and is now really into it), discussions about culture and politics, and one another. His teachers have been very good for the most part, although he has had one who was just "ok", and one who was not good at all, but is no longer there. My son thinks he will major in environmental analysis with a policy concentration, and he's found that department very helpful and says all the professors involved in the program are outstanding. </p>
<p>Another interesting development that we didn't expect is that he was able to get several short term jobs as an employee for the school, which he manages during his free time. He was hired for web-site design, yearbook photography and short film-making during his very first year. He seems to have wasted no time in finding the resources that a small school can provide, and he's been more involved than I ever expected in such a short time. My H and I are very pleased with the school and our son's experience with it. </p>
<p>We've met a few of his friends, and we've been very impressed with each of them. I don't know if he just picks great kids for friends, which is possible, or if they are representative of the school as a whole. The other kids from his high school who went to Pomona in his year are also really neat kids- actually more mature than most, and extremely intelligent and hardworking. I don't think it's just his friends. My son speaks highly of the student body as well as of the school generally.</p>
<p>Feel free to pm me - I'm a relatively new Pomona parent, but I will try my best to answer any questions. I can't explain some of the comments you referred to in your initial post, as that kind of attitude hasn't been our experience.</p>
<p>Irene and A.S.A.P., many thanks for your insightful replies! Wow, I will have to show them to my D.</p>
<p>BB.</p>
<p>I'm sure Pomona students do all the silly things listed--so do students at every college. Why the Pomona students were more honest, I don't know. Did your daughter do an overnight and attend classes? That's the best way to judge the fit for her. My son picked Grinnell over Pomona, but not for a minute did he suggest it wasn't a great school. It was about personal fit.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Pomona, and although it's early, she's having a great time so far. She was HS valedictorian, but is pretty "laid back" and didn't like the pretentiousness of many of the other top schools she was initially interested in. She came home from her visit there and said "this is where I belong". She's never looked back. BTW, she's pretty social but not in the heavy drinking/fraternity style, and she says there's tons of kids just like her there. </p>
<p>I was particularly impressed by Pomona's methods of encouraging freshman interaction. She was (and was required to be) a member of three different freshman groups - her sponsor group (10-15 kids living in the same dorm wing pre-selected by the school to have similar interests, led by 2 live-in sophomore 'sponsors'), her advisor group (kids with the same faculty advisor), and her Orientation Adventure group (10-20 kids bunched together for a 3 day field trip - some went sailing, D went hiking near Palm Springs - prior to the start of classes). </p>
<p>99% of freshman return for their sophomore year, the highest of any school in the country, which speaks volumes to the kids' enjoyment. They like it there. And the Dean of Admissions said during freshman orientation that this class has a median SAT of 2190, also one of the highest in the country. Ivy league without the pretention, and without the slush. Wish I could trade places!</p>
<p>You can only take in one poll's opinion so far...I've always thought Pomona was always the nerdy, intellectually involved kind of school (IN A GOOD WAY)!</p>