<p>I am a high school senior struggling with the decision of Dartmouth College or Pomona College. A little bit about me: </p>
<ol>
<li>I am very uncertain of my future college/career plans and I'm hoping for the next couple of years to really help me discover what I want to do with my life. </li>
<li>As of now, I'm thinking pre-med, but that is susceptible to change. </li>
<li>I am a very introverted individual. </li>
<li>Cost is not an issue. </li>
<li>I'd prefer Pomona's location highly over Dartmouth, but Dartmouth's prestige over Pomona's.</li>
</ol>
<p>What are your impressions of each school? In terms of:</p>
<p>1) Overall social vibe/scene. Lots of partying/drinking? Very liberal thinkers? etc. etc.
2) Academic prowess and preparation for graduate school (i.e. medical school).</p>
<p>Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Pomona…except I know someone who goes there who is actually the nicest girl ever. haha</p>
<p>I’m going to Dartmouth next year and have visited a few times/stayed over. The atmosphere is awesomeee! The people are welcoming, fun, witty…you can literally have a great convo with everyone you meet. Also, the student body is very diverse except for the fact that basically everybody is similarly obsessed with the school. When people found out I was a prospi they would just be like, you’ve gotta come to Dartmouth - it’s the best.</p>
<p>There is a lot of partying/drinking, but you can totally go to parties, not drink, and still be completely included in the fun. I had a great time at the frats when I visited, even knowing so few people. Maybe the nice Dartmouth people with make you come out of your shell a bit :)</p>
<p>Obviously Dartmouth is great for getting into med school (I’m going pre-med too, yay science!). Pomona has a great rep too. To be honest, you can’t really make a wrong choice here :). Both awesome schools. Just go with your gut. Good luck!</p>
<p>Obviously a serious consideration should be where you’re from. For at least one of these schools, you’ll be traveling a long way. You might not be able to come home for Thanksgiving, or maybe even for a 10-day spring break. It might be a schlep for your parents to come visit on Parents’ Weekend. How will you feel about that?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Location is definitely a huge factor for me. Everything seems to point at Pomona at this point, but I’m just concerned with its small name as opposed to the huge name of Dartmouth. Should this be a significant factor?</p>
<p>D had the same choice. The distance is a negative as we are in southern Cal. Coming home for Thanksgiving is almost certainly out, although there is talk of starting the
fall semester a week early thereby enlarging winter break so that it starts the week before Thanksgiving. OTOH, for many kids living in a small New England town will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. She chose Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I have long studied and or worked at the University of Chicago. There are plenty of introverted individuals here.<br>
My advice to people who feel most comfortable in the intellectual world, and who feel unsteady or awkward in other areas, is to choose the Dartmouths, Stanfords, and Williams Colleges of the world.
Don’t worry that people there aren’t as smart as students at the Pomonas and U of Cs. They are. Unlike high school, you are unlikely to be mocked for some unusual intellectual interest. Don’t worry on that score.
If you have any kind of firm center at all, I would choose the “stretch” over the “safe” at the age of 18.</p>
<p>danas, excellent advice. My S chose D over the U of C, largely for the very reason you suggest. Many people were started by his choice, since he seemed born for the U of C. He told me that based on what he experienced at the U of C during accepted students weekend, he was afraid that if he went there he would become “one of those people who never come out of their room.” He is happy with his choice, and in recent conversation remarked that he is less introverted than he used to be.</p>
<p>He also got into Pomona, btw. </p>
<p>I love the U of C, but it is always there for grad school.</p>
</p>