<p>I’m an undecided major and haven’t really found that “passion” yet. I’ve lived in So Cal for the last 11 years. I’m considering between Bio and some humanity (maybe psych, maybe linguistics, maybe some writing). I’m also considering in double majoring. I’m also interested in being involved in community service, mens volleyball, and journalism. </p>
<p>Pomona gave me $34,000 a year, I’m still waiting on Brown. I’m pretty ambivalent right now. Plz help me, how do I decide?</p>
<p>No question....Brown all the way! Great campus, students and a change of weather and culture is good for anyone. Look at it this way, you will be accepted almost anywhere as a transfer from Brown.</p>
<p>what is your family's financial status?</p>
<p>preemptively...i would def say brown because of the open cirriculum and your ability to find your passion while in your first year or two.</p>
<p>$34,000 a year is a lot of money to pass up. Both are great schools that have friendly teachers and bright students.</p>
<p>Brown might be persuaded to consider your FAid offer from Pomona, which it MIGHT consider a "peer." You have two excellent choices to choose among--have your overnighted at both schools to figure out where you "fit" best? The schools are VERY different in size & feel, from all I've read.</p>
<p>Brown isn't going to care what Pomona gives you. They have enough people banging at their door. Chances are, since both schools guaruntee to meet need, packages will be similar. </p>
<p>The schools are actually quite similar. The two were my top choices. I only got into Brown, of the two, and I couldn't love it more. I say Brown, because of how much I love it. There are more class options, and more people. Providence is also much cooler than Claremont. And you can play on an AWESOME rugby team :). </p>
<p>If you have any questions about Brown, please let me know and I'll be glad to answer.</p>
<p>what is the location like at brown? like is it in a city, suburban area, or what? what's nightlife like? what are your friends like?</p>
<p>hey, aspariguy -- I'm a current freshman at Brown, so maybe I can help answer your questions along with Claysoul.</p>
<p>Brown is in the city of Providence, Rhode Island, which is a moderately sized city. The University is on top of College Hill on the East side of Providence, which is a really nice neighborhood with beautifully preserved old houses, cute historic neighborhoods, and small parks. Right down the hill is the city of Providence, with restaurants, some nightlife, museums, etc. It's not huge, but it's a nice city. Boston is about 30 minutes away by train, 60 by bus, and New York isn't too far either. It's really easy to go to either one for the weekend.</p>
<p>My friends are fantastic! They're from all over the country and all over the world (Alaska, Washington, Colorado, New Jersey, Korea, Canada, Puerto Rico, you name it). They're some of the most outgoing and friendly people you will ever meet. On a typical Friday night, we might be doing anything from trying out a new recipe in the kitchen, to going to a party at a co-ed literary fraternity, to exploring restaurants in Providence, to just hanging out in our rooms and staying up all night talking about life.</p>
<p>The two schools have somewhat different philosphies. Brown expects their students to be independent. Help is there if you want it, but you have to reach out for it. Pomona, on the other hand, pushes it on you more. Besides, Providence>Claremont. </p>
<p>Of course, I'm biased. I got accepted to Brown and rejected from Pomona. I don't really care though, I'd rather go to Brown.</p>
<p>Are you kidding me?!!</p>
<p>Brown all the way... Unless the financial aid is a big deal, it isnt even a question..</p>
<p>You don't know what you want to do? Then it's Brown all the way - after all, they have no curriculum! J/K.</p>
<p>34k is sure alot to pass up, but unless $$$ is an issure I'd pick Brown.</p>
<p>If you have not done so already, you really need to visit Providence, Rhode Island. Although it seems to get pretty good reviews on this board, it's nothing special. Downtown has been revived and spruced up, but there's not a lot there for college students. The Brown campus is charming and very Ivy League, but the shopping and restaurant area around campus and the Brown bookstore won't be mistaken for Georgetown. The weather is typical New England, which means a lot of beautiful days in the Fall, pretty winter snow, punctuated by days of clouds and rain.</p>
<p>I'm also in the same situation as the OP. Guess I will know after I go to ADOCH and visit Pomona the next week...I've been to both neighborhoods before, and I can say that Claremont and Providence aren't really all that special. They're decent towns. Claremont has LA next to it, Providence has Boston.</p>
<p>I received similar FA packages (Pomona's is slightly better) from both schools, so my decision is a lot harder. I guess for me, what makes it so hard is that socal weather is just so much better than the NE.</p>
<p>I think that Providence "has" Boston more than Claremont "has" LA due to the ease of transportation. Boston's public transportation is great, and it's easy and cheap to get there from here... whereas I think Claremont to LA is more of a hassle.</p>
<p>Also Claremont population = 34,000 (as of 2000)
Providence population = 178,000 (as of 2004).</p>
<p>Although Providence isn't huge, that's a pretty big difference.</p>
<p>Lol this just makes for interesting reading... I know people who got into pomona and would kill to have gotten into brown... Even if Pomona was in the middle of LA with a billion people around, I dont see how it really compares to brown... To those deciding... Which aspects of Pomona do you think are comparable to Brown?</p>
<p>Prestige - No
Education - No
Reserch Opportunites - No
Recruitment after college -No
Providence vs. Claremont - No</p>
<p>I could go on but you get the point.. The only real factors that youll might want to consider are weather and aid packages.. And if they play a major role for you, then choose pomona.. Otherwise, dont even think about it..</p>
<p>I agree that Pomona definitely doesn't have the name recognition that Brown has, but in terms of selectivity and prestige in the academic world, they are definitely comparable. Also, its relative anonymity ensures that kids aren't just choosing it for the ivy name tag. One of my friends this year got into Stanford, Columbia, Duke and not Pomona, so I don't think that it can be written off as lightweight or anything. As for the quality of education, I think they are very different experiences. Brown draws more big name professors but also has about 13% of classes taught by TAs and classes can get as big as 500 students (not most though). Pomona has no classes taught by TAs and the average class size is 14. It's a lot of personal attention and close relationships with profs if that's something that's a priority to you. One other advantage Pomona has is the fact that it is part of the Claremont colleges, which means that you have small classes but over 5,000 students on campus. As for research opportunities, I've actually heard that they are extremely easy to find and Pomona also has a program where they pay you to do non-pain internships. There is also the Claremont Graduate University, which has research opportunities. I agree that Providence wins out over Claremont (which is rather sleepy but kinda cute) and LA isn't my favorite city in the world. The weather is a plus but shouldn't be your deciding factor (it certainly wasn't mine..even though people often jump to that conclusion). I chose to apply early to Pomona over Brown for the small classes/mid-size student body combo, the bright unconventional and unpretentious kids, and also to experience something new (since I've grown up in the Northeast). I think they're both awesome schools though and it would be hard to go too wrong : )</p>
<p>How easy it for Brown undergrads to get into grad school? Vague, I know... but generally I guess?</p>
<p>more than 80% of brown undergrads eventually go on to further graduate training. brown is one of the top feeders to med school, law, school, etc. ...</p>
<p>How come nobody on the OC seemed to be lusting after Pomona? I saw sweatshirts from Yale, Berkeley, and of course Brown, but no Pomona. Strange.</p>
<p>Just a suggestion to the original poster -- you may want to try posting this on the Pomona board, as well, to get a more balanced set of responses. Both schools are amazing and highly respected...the decision is certainly not a black/white one, and should not be painted as such.</p>