<p>Neuroscience is incredibly popular at Pomona, especially among my class (something like 40+ neuro majors). Many, including some of my friends, are also pre-med. It’s a pretty standard combination and definitely doable from what I’ve heard (obviously it will be hard work, but that’s Pomona). I’ve heard really good things about the Neuro professors from my friends, and some of them are already doing research with the professors (starting as early as freshman year).</p>
<p>That’s too bad. It sounded…delicious. Thanks for the info!</p>
<p>So…I didn’t change any user options, and I haven’t posted here before, but I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it. =)</p>
<p>I’m Pomona 2014, and I hope I can answer some of these questions effectively (not really the choosing ones, but the more technical ones with answers…)</p>
<p>“thanks for the offer to inform. we’ve heard that pre-med is quite intense, especially intro classes to ‘weed out’. would you have any thoughts on an effective way to sequence those classes?”</p>
<p>Pre-med is not quite the weeding-out process in freshman year. As lolcats mentioned, you take either one or two semesters of general chemistry (determined by placement test), and a semester of bio.</p>
<p>One thing that’s new for the upcoming year that lolcats did not mention is that the Biology department has changed some policies, and are offering their first two courses in the intro sequence both in the first year. These two courses are also the pre-med Biology courses, and initially, the restriction was that the first course is not offered until the Spring of freshman year.</p>
<p>While I agree that weeding-out does not quite occur, people invariably change, and maybe realize that they do not want to go through organic chemistry or cell biology, or some other course in the pre-med sequence. (For more information on the pre-med sequence, go here ------> [Pomona</a> College Health Sciences Program](<a href=“http://www.medsci.pomona.edu/]Pomona”>http://www.medsci.pomona.edu/).) One could consider this weeding-out, but Pomona encourages pre-meds to go through the courses and do well.</p>
<p>"and food and social scene (eg, what happens on weekends? Do you meet people from other schools?) "</p>
<p>It totally depends on you. Some people party (of course). Others play board games, play computer games, watch TV, talk, work on homework, etc.
On the topic of meeting people from other schools, there is always room and time to meet others from the 5-C’s. You’ll most likely run into some in classes, at parties, or in dining halls. If you want to meet some, you can.</p>
<p>@sunsettled "I absolutely loved Pomona when I visited, but one of the reps I talked to implied that double-majoring is rare/difficult. I definitely want to double major in Spanish and International Relations, and I also want to study/travel abroad… as much as possible Is it going to be difficult given the rigor of the courses at Pomona to double major and travel? "</p>
<p>Hm…double majoring will result in quite a few course requirements needing to be completing. Because studying aboard will cut a semester, you will need great planning and motivation to complete. That being said, it’s possible, but it will be difficult. (Might as well try though! =) )</p>
<p>@entomom “One more question, how is Pomona for a recreational runner? Bike lanes, trails, nearby parks, etc.?”</p>
<p>For a recreational runner, it’s not very difficult to find a place to run. While there aren’t bike lanes, trails, and I haven’t looked around for nearby parks, I see people all the time running up and down College Ave (the large street on the west side of Pomona), as well as others running in Marston Quad.</p>
<p>@dulcecab13: santeria answers the question pretty thoroughly. I just wanted to add that Gibson is another dorm that freshmen live in.
“Make sure you write about any preferences, like substances, sleeping habits, etc, because they read them.”
Also put down any interests you have, because it is always easier to bond with a roommate who shares similar interests (like music, sports, stuff like that).</p>
<p>@RunningBear "At this point, I’m thinking I either want to major in neuroscience or physics. Do you have any personal experience with either of these programs, or do any of your friends? Looking for a review of the courses, teachers, research opportunities, or anything else that comes to mind. Also, would neuroscience and pre-med be a possible combination in terms of workload? Thanks! "</p>
<p>lolcats answered this pretty fully too, but I’ve only seen the neurosci part answered so far.
If you’ve read the catalog and the requirements for pre-meds, you’ll see that neuroscience covers quite a lot of the pre-med requirements while maintaining a great deal of flexibility. I’ll add that while I’m not a neuroscience major (or minor for that matter), I believe it is growing in popularity quite quickly.</p>
<p>For physics, there’s not really much I can say, but sometimes, they put some of the less enthusiastic teachers in the introductory sequence, which I feel could scare away some of the potential majors/minors in the field. There are great professors, a couple of whom I’ve had/I have, and while it’s not a big department in terms of majors students, this does offer more research chances for underclassmen.</p>
<p>Hope this helped everyone (or at least everyone whose questions I answered)!</p>
<p>Perhaps this is too general, but I was hoping that you guys/girls could tell me about your class, the kind of people they are, what you do in your free time…really anything that relates to the general social experience at Pomona. Or the academic experience, if you have anything you want to say about that. I’m just trying to gather some information.</p>
<p>Can you take classes at the other four schools in your first semester?</p>
<p>How do you feel about the members of the other 5Cs taking Pomona classes? Aren’t your classes supposed to small and hard while the classes at the other 5Cs are not as demanding? How do you avoid at Pomona getting overrun by other 5Cs?</p>
<p>@Runningbear- This is a very broad question but I’ll attempt to answer it as best as I can. Background info on me- I am currently a sophomore Econ major/ EA minor at Pomona.</p>
<p>The people at Pomona are in general social, friendly, extremely intelligent and easy going. Of course not everyone fits this trend, but if you visit campus and ask some students about their experience here I’m sure the majority of answers will be overwhelmingly positive. One reason I chose Pomona over a top northeast LAC is due to the type of students who come here. At the LAC in the northeast I felt as if the students were not nearly as friendly. When I visited that school for an overnight admit weekend, I was crisscrossing campus with a garbage bag full of bedding, looking for a dorm building and obviously in distress (lol). However, no one really paid attention or seemed to care, or maybe I just did not look like I was distressed enough. If the same situation were to occur at Pomona, I am sure a student passing by would ask if they could help you find your way. Moreover, my host at that other school did not even attempt to show me a good time, and was much more concerned with an ongoing basketball game. At Pomona, your host will most likely try to show you the best time as possible.</p>
<p>For a freshman-A great thing about being a freshman at Pomona is the ease in which you are able to make new friends and meet new people. This occurs through your sponsor group, your Orientation Adventure, eating with classmates at meals, as well as the myriad of social events hosted in the beginning of the year by the college (ice cream socials!). Pomona really makes you feel like a million bucks the moment you arrive on campus. I really enjoy the fact that there are tons of great people here to interact with. I often times find myself stopping to chat with a friend/ acquaintance whenever I go somewhere.</p>
<p>In my free time, (which is not very much because I work three jobs simultaneously which often cuts my down time), I go to the gym, attend athletic events (and cheer on friends) take walks in Claremont/ around the 5Cs, go to parties, film screenings, talks (Bill Gates recently came), check out new exhibits at Pomona’s Museum of Art (has some really fantastic modern Chinese photography as of current), and other events such as Thursday Night’s “Art after Hours” where some bands will play and super great snacks are served. Moreover, I am not even an “artsy” person. These events attract all types of Pomona students.</p>
<p>Frank is the dining hall where most freshman eat at least once daily due to the proximity to freshman dorms. The food has improved quite remarkably since last year (even though it was good last year IMO), and I find most days to have very solid options, and often times am impressed by some items. Just remember the freshman 15 can creep up on you (if not by dining hall food then by drinking ;), not that there is any pressure to drink at all. The other dining halls are also great. Sometimes I have trouble choosing which dining hall to go to due to several very tempting options on the same night.</p>
<p>@judgemental- I think during first semester of freshman year you cannot take any courses from any of the other colleges unless its a class not offered by Pomona- such as Arabic (which is at CMC). Second semester,however, you are free to roam.</p>
<p>@placido240- In general I believe Pomona students welcome students from other colleges being in their courses. This allows you to branch out (if you desire) and meet students from other colleges. Classes will still be small, due to the predetermined limit of students who can enroll in a class. There are also other measures making it slightly more difficult for students in other colleges to enroll in Pomona’s courses (as the same measures apply for Pomona students trying to enroll in another school’s courses as well), such as requesting permission from the professor during your enrollment time (which is done online). A smart idea would be to email the professor before enrollment to illustrate your interest in the class (whether it’s for another 5C class or even a Pomona course which fills up quickly). You do not have to worry about your classes being overrun by students from other colleges. The vast majority of Pomona’s classes are comprised of Sagehens (Pomona Sagehens, not Pitzer Sagehens since Pomona and Pitzer combine to compete athletically).</p>
<p>Whether other courses in other colleges are as demanding is debatable. I do believe my econ major friends took some Scripps econ courses and considered it much less demanding. The joint science program (shared between Pitzer, Scripps and CMC) is also less tough than Pomona’s science courses in general (but thats just what I’ve heard).</p>
<p>Do the two graduate schools offer any resources to undergrads? Can upperclassmen take graduate-level courses? Is it possible for an undergrad to do research with a graduate professor? There’s one professor at Keck who’s researching exactly what I want to study…</p>
<p>If you jump up and down can you get permission? I am interested in taking Calc 2 during the fall semester, just because my calculus skills are pretty sharp right now, but Prof Levitt is teaching it. I’ve heard bad things about her and I’d prefer to take it at one of the other schools.</p>
<p>@placido- Actually, the 5-C system is an excellent resource. You’ll often find classes that aren’t being offered at Pomona or where the profs at the other schools get better reviews. Don’t confuse Pomona’s prestige with the ability of students/professors at the other four schools. Also, I’d say HMC classes can be much harder than Pomona classes. I’ve seen HMC students take Pomona classes because they’re easier (and they aren’t easy). CMC has some top-notch profs and classes, and I’ve heard people say that the best classes they’ve ever had have been at Scripps. Sometimes Joint Science classes can be easier, but it’s a highly respected science department with some great profs. As for class size, sizes are always capped at a certain number, usually around 15, across all the colleges. There are restrictions on taking classes at the other schools (like majoring, etc). I always think it’s a plus to interact with students at the other schools.</p>
<p>@Runningbear- Here is a video of an ID class, which is taken freshman year: <a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube; . Most of the classes are like this (small, discussion-based, around a table), depending on how much the professor lectures.</p>
<p>Would anyone happen to know whether, if a student lives on the opposite coast and demonstrates the financial need, Pomona includes flight costs in their finaid package?
I remember reading a post somewhere on CC that gave a tentative yes, but that was from '07 so I’m worried it may have changed (or just wasn’t accurate to begin with). I was waitlisted but would love to know what to expect re: aid if, God forbid, I got an acceptance in May :)</p>
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<p>Pomona has one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. What they do is calculate an estimated cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, room, board, personal expenses, books, and travel. It was close to $56,000 this year.</p>
<p>What they do then, is calculate your contribution, and subtract it from the estimated cost of attendance. The rest is your “financial need”, and is filled entirely by grants and student employment.</p>
<p>As an example, my financial aid package worked out something like this:</p>
<p>Cost of Attendance: $56,000
Grants: $50,000
Student Employment: $2,400</p>
<p>Family Contribution: $3,600</p>
<p>Cool! So I’m assuming they would adjust the “travel” amount depending on where a person lives - i.e. cost of a couple plane tix for someone back East vs. smaller cost for someone from San Diego? Thanks very much.</p>
<p>any special suggestions for taking GE req’s- how many per semester, fav profs, classes? thx</p>
<p>Can anyone answer my question? :S</p>