<p>Which is a better school and why?</p>
<p>My favorite question! I transferred from Pomona to Brown. Pomona just wasn’t working out for me and I absolutely love Brown. However, I still have great things about Pomona, so here’s a pro list for each school (this is based on what I personally consider to be a positive attribute to each school):</p>
<p>Pro Pomona:
Better academic advising. This is easily what I miss the most about Pomona.
Better food (but fewer off-campus options).
Better housing (except that it’s nearly all on-campus).
Smaller classes.
Better chance you’ll know your profs (but not a huge difference).
Better weather (duh).
Easier to get to know deans/president/etc.</p>
<p>Brown:
Better location–both shops in Providence and really easy access to Boston (hard to get to LA from Pomona).
Good public transportation.
More class options.
More options for friends.
More political activism/people being involved in issues.
More personal freedom/independence (e.g. living more on your own, having fewer mandatory check-ins, eating more off meal plan, etc.)
Better/more extra-curricular options, especially more options in volunteering, academic clubs, and political clubs.
More diverse from my observation.
More nightlife/chilling options.</p>
<p>If I also wrote my cons for Pomona that aren’t necessarily pluses for Brown, Brown would look better, but I think those are less helpful than doing a pro list comparing the two schools.</p>
<p>I have a lot to say about the difference between these schools since I’ve now spent a year at both, so feel free to ask me more about them, either here or in a message!</p>
<p>Why wasn’t Pomona “working” for you?</p>
<p>Brown in almost all respects except the weather.</p>
<p>Let’s see…
I was really bothered by the sponsor group system (you live in a group of 10-20 freshmen and they’re supposed to be your “family away from home”). I didn’t fit in very well to my sponsor group but the way the system was set up, it felt like I had to hang out with them even though I didn’t want to/they pressured me to and it was harder to meet other people because it felt like they already had their predetermined group. Also, the freshmen are much more isolated from nonfreshmen than they are at other schools: you all live in four or five buildings on the same street and eat in the same dining hall on the South side of campus. </p>
<p>That sort of freshmen isolation coupled with the isolation of the campus itself really frustrated me. Because nearly all students live on campus, there are fewer options for chill, off campus house parties. Claremont has a few restaurants and a lot of clothing boutiques, but you can’t get what you need without a car, which I never would have been able to have while at Pomona. I missed public transportation and the East Coast attitude/stereotype.</p>
<p>I also just found it sort of weird that instead of frat parties, Pomona/the 5Cs had these campus-wide parties run by the college where (at least if at Harvey Mudd or CMC) campus security would hand you free alcohol without an ID. I guess that’s cool, but it’s just not real life. I felt like I was at summer camp living a fake life. Sure, Brown is in a bubble as well, but not in the way Pomona felt like to me.</p>
<p>Haha wow. I’m sorry but I find some of Cranberry’s claims ridiculous.</p>
<p>“hard to get to LA from Pomona” yeah, I don’t know, it’s not like there’s a Metrolink literally across the street that goes to LA everyday from 7 AM-12 AM in less than 45 minutes.</p>
<p>“having fewer mandatory check-ins” This never happens at Pomona.</p>
<p>“More diverse from my observation.” Considering you never took the time yourself to make the most of the 5C’s and the various niches on campus, that seems to be your fault! </p>
<p>“More class options”</p>
<p>The 5C’s have 2500 classes and Pomona students are most likely to get permission to enroll.</p>
<p>“More options for friends.”
7000 students in the 5C in the same area as Brown means more options, not less.</p>
<p>“I didn’t fit in very well to my sponsor group but the way the system was set up, it felt like I had to hang out with them even though I didn’t want to/they pressured me to and it was harder to meet other people because it felt like they already had their predetermined group.”</p>
<p>There is no system. You can use the sponsor group system, or you can ignore it. You decide which people you meet, not the system. Take some responsibility for not having ventured out. </p>
<p>“Also, the freshmen are much more isolated from nonfreshmen than they are at other schools”</p>
<p>Sophmores live in those dorms, Oldenborg is right next to those dorms, and North Campus is a 5 minute walk. Just because you didn’t take the initiative to meet new people doesn’t mean you should characterize it for everyone. </p>
<p>“eat in the same dining hall on the South side of campus.”
Because no one eats in the other 6 dining halls, am I right?</p>
<p>“you can’t get what you need without a car”
Wrong. Target and Walmart are available through the bus station, and you can take dial-a-ride for whatever grocery shopping you need to do. </p>
<p>“it’s just not real life.”
Because Brown’s social scene is SO characteristic of the real world.</p>
<p>I would take this poster’s replies with a huge grain of salt- he or she is misinformed about a lot of things at Pomona. Just about everyone here would disagree.</p>
<p>“Brown in almost all respects except the weather.”</p>
<p>Oh yeah? Where’s your argument? Don’t make judgements about places you obviously don’t know about.</p>
<p>@nostalgicwisdom
I’m speaking from my personal experience, which is just as valid as yours. </p>
<p>For example, sure, it’s not the hardest thing in the world to get to LA, but compared to going to Boston from Brown, and doing things once you get there, LA looks difficult. </p>
<p>Sure, the 5Cs mean there are lots of people around, but it can be hard to meet people and hang out with people from the other colleges. Not that it’s impossible or even improbable, but there is zero barrier like that at Brown, so that is a difference. </p>
<p>There IS a sponsor group system set up. It doesn’t affect some people that much. My sponsor group was particularly tight-knit and were bothered when I didn’t want to hang out from them. Some people have no problem with their groups and meeting people outside their groups. I said that it felt like I had to hang out with them. Not that I actually did have to. </p>
<p>There are more mandatory check-ins at Pomona. You have to meet with your advisor more than you do at Brown. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. </p>
<p>I strongly maintain the freshmen thing compared to other schools, but obviously there are freshmen who don’t feel isolated from other class years. But seeing what it’s like at Brown and talking to my other friends at other school, in comparison it seems more isolated at Pomona. You don’t have to let that affect you, of course. Sure, I ate all the time at the other dining halls, but it’s also true that Frank is majority freshmen. </p>
<p>Ok, I shouldn’t have said that you can’t get what you need without a car, but your life without a car is limited in a way that it’s not at Brown. </p>
<p>I didn’t say Brown was real life. I said it was in a bubble. Again, just my own feeling of this aspect when I compare the two schools. </p>
<p>Again, I’m not misinformed about Pomona. I just had a different experience. It’s true that it’s a great school that most people love.</p>
<p>Blueworks - where you admitted to both? Did you visit them?</p>
<p>Pomona is a great school and one negative on Brown is that the surronding city is dangerous once you get a few blocks away from the school. You can check the crime stats on-line:</p>
<p><a href=“CityProtect”>CityProtect;
<p>Claremont is a very safe area. I also think the Claremont Consortium offers a lot of diversity. If you really want activism, head over to Pitzer and join the revolution!</p>
<p>What are you planning to study? Your major has a big impact on “which is better”</p>