<p>How welcome are conservatives (politically and religiously) at Pomona College? What are the main Christian fellowships on campus (and the 5 C's) and how active are they on campus?</p>
<p>I’m a Pomona sophomore, and while I’m not exactly conservative, I am pretty undecided in my political opinions and am in the process of forming my beliefs. I would say that it’s hard to be conservative here. I feel like most of the people I’ve talked to have been liberal (politically and religiously), and being conservative can be an issue when trying to converse with people (for example, in terms of the jokes people make). That being said, I think Pomona has a pretty laidback and tolerant vibe overall, and I think this liberal vs. conservative thing is probably an issue for many college campuses.</p>
<p>There are two main Christian fellowships for the 5Cs - one for Pomona-Pitzer and one for Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps. They are very active and are amazing communities. I’m in the Pomona-Pitzer fellowship and it’s one of the main reasons why I’ve returned to my faith. It has helped me grow so much over the past year. I really hope you check out the fellowships if you end up coming to one of the 5Cs!</p>
<p>While I wouldn’t rule out coming to any of the 5Cs (particularly Pomona), I would be cautious. Be absolutely sure that you want to attend, and that you fit in.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, one of the people in my sponsor group (basically, in my hall), dropped out after the first week of class. He was a very conservative Christian type. Though I’m not entirely aware of the situation surrounding his decision to transfer, I think that it was due to a variety of factors, which I’ll list below.</p>
<p>[ul][<em>]During the first week or so of school, Pomona preaches extreme political correctness and acceptance of other people and groups. Pomona immediately confronts you with your assumptions about people and social situations in general. This is definitely not for everyone.
[</em>]He cut himself off from other people. He primarily stayed in his room, with his door closed (most of us study out in the hall, have our doors open, etc). He rarely went to meals with us, etc. He hung out primarily with the basketball team.
[li]Homesickness. College, and Pomona in particular, is a really new experience for everyone, especially for someone from an upper-middle class conservative Christian family from North Dakota.[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>So you’ve been “warned.” I would say that the most important thing for someone of that background to have when visiting or considering attending Pomona is to have an open mind, but not to be afraid to realize that it may not be the best place for them. On the other hand, I know several other conservative Christians who love it here (and one of them lives in my hall as well).</p>
<p>Is it true that CMC is more conservative?</p>
<p>I’m not a student at either but I’m looking at both colleges. Although I’ve read and heard about CMC being more conservative than most LAC’s (but still atleast 50% liberal), I believe that’s more related to being fiscally conservative due to the prominence of economics at the college.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you mean by conservative. Most people are Pomona are liberal, so they tend to disagree with political conservatism. But this is merely an intellectual difference that most people should be able to deal with. Pomona is also a very socially liberal place. The salient thing is probably that people of the same sex and/or different races date. If this bothers you, and you express that opinion, you’ll encounter a lot more than intellectual disagreement.</p>
<p>The Christian fellowship is active. I usually encounter them when they knock on my door and give me coffee and cookies. Also, there is a Latina/Latino religious group (Catholic, I gather) that I hear is very tight-knit. You should probably know that Pomona is one of the twenty schools with the least religious students, according to the Princeton Review survey. Forget the question of how devout students are - half of them aren’t religious at all.</p>
<p>Agreed that CMC is more economically conservative but probably not much more religious than Pomona.</p>
<p>Thanks to all who have posted their comments. You’ve been quite informative!</p>