Comp sci Pomona College vs Carnegie Mellon SCS

Hi everyone! I’m a recent admit to Pomona College (the claremont school) as a comp sci major and Carnegie Mellon SCS (actually for BCSA). I’m having trouble deciding before I make my decision on Tuesday. Financials are similar for both schools. I know that CMU is much more highly ranked for CS than Pomona is, but I loved the atmosphere at Pomona so much more than CMU as well as the very small class size. I’m also very turned off by the “stress culture” of CMU. These past couple of years I have struggled with severe anxiety and mild depression and I feel like CMU would not help me in that aspect. I do want to get a good job in CS out of college, hopefully in southern california (where the weather is nice!) and I don’t need to be the “top programmer” or anything as long as I can make a good income to support myself. Does anyone have any advice on this; would choosing CMU over Pomona overall prepare me better/give me a better life out of college, or would it just turn me off to CS through the stress of this particular school/program? Could I still succeed in CS with a Pomona degree (students can also take Mudd electives)? I want to get a thorough/high quality education in CS and hopefully have good industry prospects while not losing my enjoyment of CS, and it’s important to me to be mentally healthy in college. I’m not that social (I don’t go to parties), and I’m not afraid of studying/hard work, but it’s important to me to sleep and be healthy. I’d appreciate any thoughts:) thanks in advance!

Absolutely!

You’ve taken the time to carefully think about what’s best for you. This is the wonderful aspect of making a college choice that forces you to think deeply and learn about yourself. Fit is everything.

It sounds like Pomona is the better school for YOU. You’ll have a pedigreed degree with a wow factor, you’ll have the small classes that you need, and you’ll have access to Mudd and all that Claremont offers you.

CMU SCS is a prize for many, but you’ve given great reasons why it might not be a prize for YOU. You are the prize. Congrats to Pomona for landing you! Sorry CMU!

Congratulations on two incredible choices. I can’t comment too much on Carnegie Mellon, but I do know the Pomona CS department very well and can tell you there’s nothing to fear if you were to pick them. Pomona has an excellent department further enhanced with the added opportunities of the sister colleges Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna. Many big name tech companies come to recruit at the Claremont Colleges, and I’ve honestly never heard of anyone having trouble getting a prestigious tech job or internship (or going to grad school). Among my friends who pursued CS (I myself didn’t major in CS), destinations included Google, Facebook, Apple, Intuit, CIsco, Yelp, Microsoft, Esri, Amazon, Intel, Laserfiche, IBM, Qualcomm, SpaceX, Twitter, Uber, and Palantir. There’s a really strong Pomona/Claremont Colleges tech presence in Silicon Valley, LA, and Seattle. Pomona also prepares students well for graduate school- I know at least 3 people have headed to MIT alone from just the past two years (impressive for just ~70 majors or so, the majority who go into industry), and other have gone to Berkeley, Princeton, and Stanford. I’m presently on the Facebook Community “Computer Science at Pomona College” and have been impressed by how eager alumni are to connecting students with opportunities/advising them and how tight-knit the community is. In terms of the quality of education, you are probably familiar with how good Harvey Mudd is, but many students have told me that they feel the level of teaching/experiences are equally strong at both schools (having taken electives at both).

There’s a lot going for CMU, so I get the dilemma. It’s their claim to fame: a top 5 CS program, with super star professors, cutting edge research, and some of the brightest tech undergrads in the world. But I feel like you could get access to CMU as you go through Pomona, while the opportunities and experience of Pomona might never come again. For instance, I know that about 2-3 Pomona CS students do summer research at CMU, either through a funded REU or Pomona’s research/internship funding. This is a good thing- it’s nice to get out and try out off-campus experiences/build your network elsewhere, be it that you’re a Pomona student or CMU student. CMU is available for graduate studies as well. The unique environment at Pomona- with access to every single department regardless of your experience, an exclusive undergraduate focus backed with a million dollar+ per student endowment, a diverse group of peers whom you will constantly be learning from and who are the most varied, interesting, friendly folks you could find anywhere (virtually all of whom live on campus), professors who are dedicated to teaching and supporting students, and a friendly, happy, balanced lifestyle compounded with the riches of the consortium and the LA region- it’s once in a lifetime. The school may not be a household name, but it ranks among the top colleges year after year and had a 7% acceptance rate this year. Recruiters, grad schools, and employers have heard of it. According to LinkedIn, the six most similar schools to Pomona are listed as Harvard, Berkeley, Brown, Stanford, UChicago, and Yale. I’m guessing that’s either based on where alumni outcomes are most similar, or which schools recruiters are looking closely into, or both.

Good luck! I’m sure you’ll have a superlative experience no matter where you end up. Feel free to join the FB community if you want to hear some more perspective or just connect with CS majors/alumni from Pomona!

Given your goals and how much you like Pomona, I’d choose Pomoma. But you might be aware that it is somewhat challenging to get into Mudd elective CS courses right now. Mudd is adding faculty and sections, but I’d pick Pomona more based on their own offerings than with the assumption you will be able to take classes at Mudd.

Currently at CMU and I will say that CMU has a fantastic CS department. However, it is pretty stressful here. It isn’t like impossible to do well or not get stressed but you do have to work pretty hard. Given your history with anxiety, I would actually recommend against CMU. I know bunch of people who had to leave CMU because of anxiety and other medical issues. Thus, it seems counter initiative if you go to CMU and not finish with a degree. CMU maybe give you slightly better edge than Pomoma but health always comes first, and despite the reputation, not everyone who come out of CMU gets a job (but most do).

Also california weather >>>>>>>> pittsburgh weather. Pittsburgh crappy weather adds a lot to the stress -_-. I got like sick for 2+ month (and counting) because of this ridiculous weather (60-70 degrees in February then snowing in April).

CMU

Hi everyone, thank you so so much for all your detailed and thoughtful replies! The info I’ve gotten from you guys here at CC has really helped me with my decision, and I really appreciate that you took the time to help me with this!