I am a former Pitzer College student who is currently deciding between attending Brown University or Pomona College as a transfer student for the remainder of my undergraduate years. As a Claremont College student, I was generally happy, had a great network of friends, close relationships with professors (especially those from Pomona), and enjoyed my first of college tremendously. I was extremely excited to receive the acceptance from Pomona because I really wanted to stay in Claremont.
However, then I got into Brown. The reason I have begin to sway towards Brown is because it has seemingly better departments in the fields I would like to study in: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and English. Moreover, as an East Coast student, Brown seems to offer better opportunities post graduation. For example, I aspire to be a writer for a publication like the New York Times. Finally, Brown has a liberal, vibrant campus culture that seems, on paper, like a place I would really click with and be in my zone at. By contrast, Claremont tends to become a little bit stale in both its party culture and social scene.
But Pomona is safer… I have amazing friends there and would undoubtedly have a great three more years in college. But Brown seems, on paper, like a better place for me. So what do you think I should pick?
Yes, I was able to stop by. It seemed like a great place, although I still find Pomona’s campus very captivating. I visited twice and was not swayed one way or another by either visit. Thank you for you comment.
Go to the school that will provide the best overall experience for you. Additionally, choose the school that will provide the best career opportunities after graduation; in my opinion, Brown would be the better choice for that. You’ll more than likely be able to make strong connections at Brown as you have at your current Claremont institution. Don’t just stay somewhere because it’s “safe.”
CCCtransfer0613, thanks a ton for your input. Okay but what about the following: I would study abroad in the fall (I have to) if I go to Brown and would study abroad for a semester at some point if I stay in Claremont. That being said, isn’t 3.5 years at one place a much more rewarding and “full” experience than 2.5 years in another? Does this argument sway your answer at all?
To be honest, it doesn’t sway my answer at all. The amount of time that you have and what you do with that time are two completely different things. Based off your original post, it seems as though Brown will be the most mental engaging and value aligned college for you of the two that you’re choosing from. You can still have a “full” experience at Brown even though you’ll have a year’s less time.
I’m a transfer too – from CMC. I was choosing between Pomona, Brown and Swarthmore. I picked Pomona, ultimately. I have fantastic relations with the professors here, and great friends. People are took quick in deriding the choice of the “safe option.” If you’re choosing between two equally good options, then the safer choice makes sense. I’m sure you’ve heard about the difficulties some have in fitting in as a transfer; it’s something I’d much rather not deal with if I could. So: Pomona.
But of course that’s working from the assumption that Pomona and Brown are much more similar than they are not. I cannot profess to be familiar from Brown, but from all that I hear the student bodies aren’t all that different. Pomona’s probably more diverse. The major differences are the LAC v.s. research university split, and the weather in my opinion. In terms of academics, I think Pomona shades it. As to future prospects: I don’t think there’s a clear winner between the two either.
Of course, this is a very personal decision to make. I cannot imagine knowing what your calculus is. I’m sure you’ll do brilliant at either.
Thanks again for the input. lonelyheartsclub, as someone who picked Pomona over Brown in a nearly identical situation, was Pomona also your first choice (it was for me)? If you don’t mind me asking, what are you studying at the 5C’s? Also, do you find the argument that Brown has a name that resonates more on the East Coast than Pomona a good one? It seems clear to me, but perhaps you have a different opinion on this.
Also, as someone from the East Coast, I don’t see any college friends back home. It seems that Brown would insert me into a community in which I’ll be more firmly planted on the East Coast (in terms of connections, friends, and job opportunities). What do you make of this?
The truth is, the greatest pull towards Pomona for me is my awesome relationship with friends and professors and a desire to continue my extracurricular pursuits. The trouble is that I don’t know how to exactly weigh the value of this in terms of my decision.
I was a hair’s breadth from picking Swarthmore. I’m not a huge fan of SoCal suburbia and would have liked a change in scenery to be quite honest. But ultimately, familiarity swung the vote – friends and professors, as you say. I was a PPE major at CMC.
You’ll have to take what I say with huge pinches of salt here: my perception has always been that Pomona’s a “tier” of prestige above Brown. You say you’d like to write for the NYT one day – I’ve always thought Pomona’s one of the best places for the apprentice writer to go. We have Jonathan Lethem and Claudia Rankine on faculty, one a top writer (and one of the reasons I came here), the other a brilliant award-winning poet – no other liberal arts college boasts writing faculty quite as stellar. You’ll get as good an education as you can possibly get here, and I think that means the world. And if it means anything, Bill Keller is a Pomona alumnus.
Whether Brown makes it easier for you to succeed on the East Coast I cannot say. You’ll be displaced from the East Coast, sure – you won’t have as many East Coast connections as a Brown student as a Pomona student, that’s almost certainly true. But I don’t know how meaningful this actually is. People disperse and converge in the major cities after graduation, wherever you go. If this is the opportunity cost of choosing Pomona, then it seems to me a minor one.
I ultimately decided to attend Brown for financial reasons.
Congrats on your decision. Best of luck. 
@dariusseizer96 curious how you are feeling now about the decision? my son is down to the wire trying to decide between Brown and Pomona! Such great options make it difficult.