<p>Need help!!
Considering undergraduate research opportunities, facilities, challanging peers, opportunities to have varied experiences, faculty strength which should weigh in more for Pre-med? One is large cutting edge research university and other is a great liberal arts school.
Berkeley is closer and similar to where our son grew up peer wise, and Pomona seems to be small.
Those who had similar situation/experts please help.</p>
<p>Are you in-state in California? What is the cost differential? What does your son think after visiting? Both are strong, one could do fine as a pre-med in either place, it probably comes down to his preference and your cost tolerance. Remember that med school is expensive, so limiting debt or saving any money possible toward med school is a good thing.</p>
<p>Primarily med schools care that he completes the med school pre-reqs, has a high GPA and MCAT scores, and that he has some ECs that show an interest in the medical field (and those ECs can be summer ECs, do not have to be during the school year).</p>
<p>Undergraduate research opportunities: Pomona.
Facilities: UC-Berkeley.
Challenging peers: Pomona.
Opportunities to have varied experiences: Pomona.
Faculty Strength: Berkeley. </p>
<p>“Facilities: UC-Berkeley.”</p>
<p>Disagree. Having explored both colleges, Pomona has higher quality buildings. More graduate level equipment may be available at UC Berkeley, but Pomona has the better undergraduate classrooms, labs, and facilities, in my opinion.</p>
<p><a href=“Pomona College - Niche”>http://colleges.niche.com/pomona-college/facilities/</a>
<a href=“University of California - Berkeley - Niche”>http://colleges.niche.com/university-of-california----berkeley/facilities/</a></p>
<p>“Opportunities to have varied experiences: Pomona.”</p>
<p>Honestly a toss up between both schools. It’s not decisive. UC Berkeley really does benefit from its large population.</p>
<p>“Faculty Strength: Berkeley.”</p>
<p>Ehh. Faculty might be “stronger” by research output, but what does this speak for the experience? Pomona professors are quite a distinguished bunch, but they’re also really known for being open and accessible. Unnaturally so. You might have to ask your TA for a recommendation in Berkeley for medical school or not be able to get a very personalized recommendation letter, but you’ll be assured that you’ll make strong faculty relationships at Pomona. </p>
<p>Pomona is not that small. The Claremont Colleges make it a much more balanced experience than most other liberal art colleges. </p>
<p>What’s the cost difference?</p>
<p>pomona is really bougie so be careful and think about fit. </p>
<p>I suppose I have to explain my answers. In terms of facilities, I was thinking more about the research facilities that each school has - as an internationally-acclaimed research university, Berkeley probably wins there. </p>
<p>I chose Pomona for the ‘varied experiences’ because of the different types of students that are drawn to the various claremont colleges.</p>
<p>As for Faculty, I definitely agree that you’ll get much more personal interaction at Pomona. But the OP specified “Strength”, and in terms of credentials and accomplishments, I’m pretty sure that Berkeley’s faculty are in the top 5 in the country. </p>
<p>Thank you all. We are in-state for California. So cost is cheaper for berkeley.
Religion, what do you mean by bougie? thanks.</p>
<p>Bougie refers to being upper class or acting elitist as if you were. Personally, as a low income student, I haven’t felt like Pomona was exclusive for students from less socioeconomic backgrounds, and since 56% of students receive financial aid…</p>
<p>How much is the cost difference? </p>
<p>cost difference is actually about $25,000 per year. But worried about GPA at berkeley and very homogeneous
group of Asians ( we being one of those!!) applying to med schools. It is hard to differentiate when you are in a group of top of top. No matter how good you are someone is better than you!!</p>
<p>We are not rich either but can pay in state for Berkeley and will get student loan for extra. </p>
<p>GPA at Pomona is not going to be easy to achieve, either. If he was worried about that maybe he should have picked different (easier) schools. His classes likely will be smaller, so if he is the type to ask for help he might find that beneficial. But you could pay more and he still could end up not making it to med school.</p>
<p>$100k over four years is just too much, IMO. Save the $$ for med school.</p>
<p>I don’t think Pomona’s any less rigorous of an academic experience than Berkeley, unless the student ends up taking the majority of their classes elsewhere. </p>
<p>Go to Berkeley. Pomona’s not worth 100K more.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it.</p>
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<p>Taking the $25,000 per year extra for Pomona as student loans (which would require parental co-signing) for a total of $100,000 of student loans over four years is a very bad idea, especially for a pre-med who then has to consider the cost and debt of medical school. Medical school can cost $300,000 or more, and then there is several years of residency where your pay won’t be enough to do anything to cut down the principal. Only about 12 years after high school graduation will you have a post-residency “high paying” (depending on specialty; see <a href=“Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines - Today on Medscape”>Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines - Today on Medscape; ) job. Even with such a job, after paying income tax, payroll tax, and malpractice insurance, it will still be several years before the mountain of debt is paid off (you will be in your mid-30s or so by then), especially if you choose a lower paid specialty like primary care. Of course, this assumes that you will live a frugal low-spending lifestyle through undergraduate, medical school, residency, and the first several years as a practicing physician while paying off the debt.</p>
<p>Regardless of the relative merits of the two schools, Pomona is just too expensive, since making the debt mountain after medical school even larger is not a good idea. And if you do not go to medical school, $100,000 is generally too much student loan debt, especially if you major in something with low paid job prospects like biology.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that Berkeley takes about 5 to 6 years to finish now. Very difficult to get some classes. You might want to factor that into cost when comparing with Pomona. </p>
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<p>Bunk. ~70% graduate in 4 years. most of those who do not graduate on time change their major incessantly and/or are low income and have to work to pay the family bills. Thus they take a minimum load.</p>
<p>UC is extremely generous with AP/IB credits, so many top high shoolers have enough entering credits to be a Soph.</p>
<p>72% of Berkeley students graduate in four years <a href=“http://opa.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/GradRatesBriefJan2013.pdf”>http://opa.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/GradRatesBriefJan2013.pdf</a></p>
<p>The 8 semester graduation rate at Berkeley is likely higher than 72% if UCLA’s 12 quarter graduation rate (much higher than the simple four year grad rate) is any indication. </p>