currently looking at Pomona, Brown, Yale, and Wesleyan as my top choices. Love the academics, diversity, vibrancy and community at all. Wesleyan is the only one I can really see myself getting into as a white unhooked girl with strong stats without having cured cancer or won Intel or whatever. Can you suggest any colleges that have a similar “happy” and “diverse” vibe? I know it’s vague, but Pomona students seem to know what I mean. Intellectual vibe, too, but not in a painful way (Swarthmore, hahaha). I would appreciate mostly colleges that are easier to get into, but feel free to suggest a few more reaches as well if they match that vibe. 
thanks!
Reed or Bard? They might be a little “painful” (esp. Reed) but definitely intellectual. Kenyon?
Not knowing your interests, hobbies, preference for weather, EC’s and academic stats,I would look into these schools:
Reach - Dartmouth & Williams
“safer” schools - Oberlin, Scripps, Sarah Lawrence, Bowdoin
St. Johns (Annapolis/New Mexico) is definitely intellectual and fairly happy, although not diverse in the least. 81% admit rate.
Also, what about Occidental? And Pitzer. Both nearby LACs and easier to get into.
Scripps, and Wellesley College.Wouldn’t give up on Pomona though. Show your enthusiasm and love and passion for something. Be angular. Go Sagehens!
I agree with comment about Occidental. Reed is great, but campus culture is different. Look at Vassar and NESCAC schools although to schools like Bowdoin are not much easier to gain admission. Kenyon and Carleton also match.
@preppedparent i’ll try! i just have this friend who applied this year, she’s the most wonderful person I know. so thoughtful, a great writer, never got a B, full IB Diploma program, passionate about art and was incredibly talented with art, cared about using her art for social justice. She was WLed at Pomona and it made me feel like if she can’t get in, no one can. but yeah, Go Sagehens 
What are your geographic preferences?
I’m actually looking primarily at East Coast Schools, but I love Pomona, so pretty much no geographic location is a deal breaker. Midwest is fine too. I don’t want to go too far South, i don’t think. @DadTwoGirls
Vassar
I second Vassar and Carleton! My sis goes to Wellesley and I wouldn’t say it has an especially happy vibe because students are very stressed with grade deflation.
I have to disagree with some of the suggestions in this thread. Many of the schools listed are great, but they have major differences from Pomona.
However, I’ll second the suggestions of Vassar (I’d say it and Wesleyan fit your query the best), Oberlin, Carleton, and Scripps. Grinnell and Macalester are two other good Pomona-ish schools in the midwest.
EDIT: Oh, and Haverford fits your query extremely well, too. Based on what you’ve said, I’d definitely take a strong look at there and Vassar if you haven’t already.
Agree 100% with @sdkb01. Some of the suggestions upstream could be poor fits.
I also agree with sdkb01. Haven’t visited but Colorado College comes to mind.
Why is a “happy vibe” so important? Aren’t there more important goals for a college experience? How about surrounding oneself with a diversity of thoughtful, reflective, inclusive and curious peers and faculty. How about setting challenging goals outside one’s comfort zone, working toward a worthy cause, overcoming hardship and adversity, serving the needs of those less fortunate, etc. College should be more than just a long resort experience.
Also, it’s tempting to dismiss those who get into top colleges as having “cured cancer or won Intel or whatever”. While many who do gain admissions to top colleges have achieved these things, many get in with far less explicit achievements. I know of several who gained admission of Pomona College who did not do these things, but who revealed their extraordinarily character ( insightful, reflective, imaginative , bold, etc.) through more pedestrian activities.
@PeaceOfMind - wanting a higher “happiness quotient” is a perfectly valid criterion in seeking a good fit. It was certainly a factor in my D’s decision-making process.
Schools like Yale and Rice consistently rate highly in having the greatest number of “happy students;” I daresay that most of the kids that pick those schools are not looking for a resort-type experience, and that many of them are reflective, inclusive and curious, appreciate diversity of thought, have overcome adversity, and contribute to worthy causes.
Schools like U.Chicago, Reed, Swarthmore, U. Penn., and Columbia are known for having lower numbers of “happy” students – there is said to be more pressure, more competition and less collaboration.
Fit includes all sorts of factors: economic, intellectual, geographic, and overall vibe.
Oh, and OP - I’d include Bryn Mawr on your list along with some of the others that were mentioned by @sdkb01.
I was thinking Pitzer too. It’s, of course, right there with Pomona. In fact, you could snub all your Pitzer classmates and only socialize with the Pomona students if you wanted to. And you can take classes in any of the consortium schools. And Pomona and Pitzer share sports teams. Pitzer seemed to have more of a hippy, progressive, socially conscious vibe, but hippies tend to be pretty happy, too. Easier to get in, as well.
I was also thinking Occidental. They pride themselves on being cooperative versus competitive. Sounds happy to me.
I don’t personally know it, but what do others think of Washington U in St. Louis for this list?