<p>How hard are the classes at Pomona? I know the faculty is excellent, but are the classes like Williams where the courses are really hard and the competition is really high on the verge of being cutthroat? </p>
<p>Thanks I appreciate responses because I need to start thinking about ED/EA schools and Pomona is one of them.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on what your high school was like, what kind of grades you are aiming for, and what type of student you are. It's a very subjective to judge the difficulty of classes. But to try to answer your question in an unbiased way, some classes/majors are notorious for being ridiculously hard, while others are known for being really easy. You could probably get away with taking mostly easier classes if you wanted to. I saw somewhere that the average GPA is slightly above a B+ average. I think science majors tend to have lower GPA's than other students, but in science classes, there is almost always a built-in curve, and have only heard in one class (a math class) where there is a bell curve. I don't think people are at all cutthroat at the school, and people are always willing to help people out.</p>
<p>I went to one of the best public schools in Missouri and took the hardest classes, and I feel like it was probably a step up from that in regards to workload (and I'm on the pre-med track), though there is less time you are actually in class for college. The nice thing is that Pomona students generally (and are only expected to) take only four courses a semester, which isn't that bad at all.</p>
<p>"like Williams where the courses are really hard"</p>
<p>Can't say for sure but I bet Williams is much like Pomona... some courses are hard, and some are easier. Plus it depends on the person. I had a friend who took intro acting to fulfill a gen ed requirement. She was quite shy, and for some reason none of the readings made much sense to her. She had breezed through organic chem and other notoriously tough courses, but acting was hard for her. She worked hard, and I believe she ended up with a B, which was a lower grade than she got in most, if not all, of her science courses.</p>
<p>When choosing your classes for the semester, you just have to be careful that they will be a good balance for YOU.</p>
<p>So...are the classes really hard to get A's in? I want to go into med, but I need a school that isn't too tough but is still prestigious. I know some people at Williams that turned down Harvad and Princeton to attend Williams. They said the classes there are really tough and the people were really competitive. so that got me thinking whether or not Pomona would suit my purposes; I mean it is pretigious, but if it is as hard as HYPS, then why not just apply to HYPS EA/ED instead? This is the big deciding factor for which school I do EA/ED and Pomona is one of the candidates. Thanks for your responses. Anymore thoughts?</p>
<p>jrseekinghelp, relax! having just completed the college selection process, i can tell you that no school is as bad and no class as hard as people might say it is. i chose pomona over brown and dartmouth because the people seemed genuinely interested in what they were learning, and, even though they all had great aspirations, they seemed more laid-back about it. i was a little scared that the kids at any liberal arts school would just vape bowls all day long and all be philospohy majors, but that's definitely not true. i'm sure hyps are all great schools, and you'll probably be happy wherever you end up (BUT SERIOUSLY CONSIDER POMONA ALONG THE WAY!)</p>
<p>Thanks rhsfreshyflyguy! Pomona is among the top candidates for EA/ED, but if the classes are really really tough were they just "weed out" every one, then I might have to reconsider Pomona and look for other schools. As of now, I think pomona is a great school and I might end up doing EA/ED depending on this saturday's SATs because I know Pomona is very selective of their students.</p>
<p>JSH--From what I understand, classwork can be challenging; however, students are more collaborative versus competitive. The people there are very supportive which is one of the reasons D applied ED to Pomona, and that was borne out by input from H's cousin's D who graduated in the 90s. She still maintains close ties with students, faculty, and administrators whom she met there.</p>
<p>Good luck in your college search!</p>
<p>At an information session a Pomona rep. indicated that you do need a certain gpa to stay pre-med. That may be true at many places. Frankly, if your goal is to get a high gpa, there are other lacs and larger schools that will feed you into med school more easily. Maybe you should sit in on classes before you decide.</p>
<p>My D is just finished her freshman year at Pomona and intends to be a
a biological science major for pre-med. Based on her experiences, it's pretty hard to get an A- or A in biology or chemistry. You have to study very hard to get a B+. Sometimes, I wonder if it's easier for her to go to UCLA or Berkeley to get better grades. Although Pomona does not have cut-thoat competition but it's just difficult to get nearly perfect gpa in science area. The first and second year biology and chemistry classes are definitely weed-out classes. On the other hand, you may find more opportunities to do research at Pomona than other major universities.</p>
<p>What we have learnt from pre-med advisor is that students with gpa over 3.5 definitely can get into a medical school. To get into a top medical schools such as UCSF or UCLA, you need at least 3.7. However
medical schools like to take students from LAC like Pomona or Amherst
because of the liberal arts education they have received.</p>
<p>I (personally) think that it can be hard to get A's in many classes, though not impossible if you want to work hard. A-'s are fairly easy to get if you go to class everyday, do the readings and homework, and ask questions when you don't understand something. I agree with Irene in that it really depends on the person. Science classes have been fairly easy for me, but the classes I have had the worst grades in are Philosophy and English. For others, A's in those classes are a piece of cake.</p>
<p>I really wouldn't worry too much about trying to get into a prestigious school that isn't too hard. I think it's best for you to go to a place that you feel will fit you the best (socially, geographically, the size you want etc.) but it also a competitive for you. The only places that are really notorious for having students that are always working hard are Swarthmore and UChicago. If you are very concerned about getting into medical school, one positive aspect about a small school is that it will be much easier for you to get to know your professors. A place like HYPS will have tons more people in their pre-med classes and a professor could go through the entire semester not ever knowing your name or that you've even been in his/her class. Thus, a small school like Pomona will definitely be advantageous when it comes to getting recommendation letters.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for your insights. Here is some more information about my preferences. The weather and surrounding doesn't really matter for me. Because my school doesn't have too many challeging classes other than the basic AP's, I've taken classes at Cal, various community colleges, and other private universities in California. While I was there, I didn't really find the class sizes bothersome. What was nerve wrecking sometimes was the quarter system; it simply moves too fast for me get comfortable in the class and excel. I've also considered Uchicago, but if it came down to chicago and Pomona, I'd rather go to Pomona because it's in california. The major factor for me in deciding which college is whether the college can send me to a top tier medical school so I can be a good doctor (i.e. know what I'm talking about.) The reason why I even consider HYPS is not because of the name, but because they send so many students to the best medical schools in the U.S. I know Penn accepts a lot of their own students into their med school, but I mean, I heard the classes there are tough to get A's in unless you really can survive the competition. If it is my future that is in jeopardy, I don't want to take a gamble and just go to Penn or HYPS because of it's name; many HYPS graduates dont even make into professional school and end up doing other jobs that don't pay as much. I guess I really just want to be there and be able to provide for a family of my own in the future. </p>
<p>Again I thank all of you for your insights and opinions.</p>