<p>So I recently got off the waiting list at Pomona, after I had put my deposit in at Carleton, and I have to decide quite soon. I keep going back and forth. I'm sure I'd be happy at either, but can anyone speak to the differences between these schools? My impression is that they're generally equal academically and the main differences are location and the consortium for Pomona.
How is the social atmosphere different at these schools?
Would you agree that they are relatively equal academically?
Besides the location and consortium or lack thereof, are there huge differences between them?
Any input is much appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know how these schools compare on the following:
Study Abroad
Help finding internships
Research
Post-College Planning</p>
<p>I’m having a really hard time deciding and I need to decide by, like, tomorrow, so I would love it if anybody had anything at all to say about these schools.</p>
<p>You have the two main differences right (location, consortium), where location includes weather. Those two should be enough to make a decision. Where do you want to spend the next four years? The weather alone is a huge difference. </p>
<p>The academics are comparable. Pomona has more courses to offer because of the consortium. I believe Carleton has more general requirements, and they definitely effect your life. I also think Carleton has trimesters (?), which lets you take more classes, which is a plus in my opinion (although you won’t get as much depth).</p>
<p>Do you have any specific concern about the social atmosphere at Pomona? I don’t know much about Carleton, so I can’t really compare them.</p>
<p>I’ve heard conflicting things about the strictness of Pomona’s alcohol policy, in your experience how strict is it? Is there a big variety in weekend options (parties, not parties, etc.)?<br>
Generally speaking, what do you like and dislike about Pomona?</p>
<p>D2 and I visited Carleton last spring break, unfortunately they were on break too, so she couldn’t get a good feel for the student body. But both the tour guide and admissions video pushed the geek/nerd/individualist factor. She’s more of a middle-of-the-road, tending towards rah rah school spirit type, so it didn’t seem to fit her really well. On top of that, it was far from spring (blizzard) and while only a half hour out of Minneapolis, it definitely has a rural/small town feel.</p>
<p>We got home to find out that she’d been accepted with a very nice FA/merit package but by then she had doubts due to the combination of not being sure she’d fit in well and it being a small, relatively isolated school.</p>
<p>She later got admitted to Pomona and visited. She liked it based on the social atmosphere which seemed laid back and to neither extreme, suburban location, weather and the fact that the consortium makes it a ‘bigger’ school both academically and socially.</p>
<p>I want to emphasize, this is based on brief visits and her personality type, YMMV.</p>
<p>p.s. Here’s an extensive thread on the Parents forum right now about P, it may give you some insights and you might ask your question there:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1146466-any-opinions-pomona.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1146466-any-opinions-pomona.html</a></p>
<p>My daughter partially chose Pomona because she IS a geek/nerd/individualist. She felt very welcome there during her overnight visit. Pomona has a general atmosphere of acceptance, and you could probably find your niche there. </p>
<p>The weather was definitely a deciding factor, as was being far from home but still in California.</p>
<p>Making use of the Consortium, even in her freshman year, has been an added plus.</p>
<p>There is plenty of partying at Pomona, and you can choose how heavily you want to be involved. You can also attend parties at the other colleges.</p>
<p>Freshman year can be challenging, no matter where or who you are. She gave her freshman year an 8 out of 10, and feels it can only get better. I think that’s pretty amazing.</p>
<p>Good luck, racheljs, what ever you choose.</p>
<p>Rachel,</p>
<p>I have daughters at both Pomona and Carleton (I think I PM-ed your mom in response to some of your questions). </p>
<p>While both student bodies are known for being easy-going, relaxed, and not hyper competitive, Carleton students and administration seem to take themselves less seriously than their Pomona counterparts. Carleton has the silent dance party, the 24-hour show, various pranks (decorating the Goodsell Observatory as R2D2, various April Fools pranks) and contests (setting the spooning record) that are both clever and unusual. Pomona students seem a bit more serious and reserved (however the Harvey Mudd kids make up for it). </p>
<p>Regarding the alcohol policy, the RAs at Carleton might possibly be known to purchase alcohol for people in their dorm. The RAs at Pomona are instructed to monitor the dorms for illegal alcohol use and report infractions (the “gotcha” policy - where if you leave your room unlocked they can open it and if they see alcohol, they can report you - although they are not supposed to actively search for alcohol). That said, there is a lot of partying/drinking at both schools (and probably any college that is not religious-oriented). There are also lots of alternatives to partying at both schools (and plenty of non-partyers). Most of the major parties of the year are at the other colleges however (notably Harvey Mudd and CMC). </p>
<p>I honestly love both schools so much and you will likely love whichever one you pick. My Pomona daughter who mocked her sister for going to Carleton, has visited her sister twice now (she just went back there this morning) and unexpectedly loves Carleton (the Carleton kids are actively harassing her on facebook to transfer). She loves Pomona more though and told me to tell you to pick Pomona. </p>
<p>Seriously there is no wrong decision here.</p>