<p>I've done a bit of research and reading of student reviews, etc, and I notice that a lot of people mention that they think Pomona is a little small, in spite of the fact that it's in the 5-C consortium.</p>
<p>Is this true, or does it depend on what you're expecting out of an LAC experience and the effort you put into branching out to the other colleges? and perhaps your high school background? </p>
<p>I'm homeschooled, so I don't really have any experience with how certain class sizes feel :P</p>
<p>In my opinion, yes. Roughly 1,500 kids seems awfully small, especially when you divide that by 4 and get less than 400 kids per grade. I’ve heard being mixed with the other colleges makes it a bit better, but it still seems suffocating to me. </p>
<p>Take my advice with a pinch of salt; I don’t attend Pomona.</p>
<p>Pomona’s feel is flexible. If you take only Pomona courses, then you’ll experience the intimacy of a small college. But if you cross-register, participate in ECs, or even eat at a dining hall at the other CCs, then you’ll enjoy the benefits of a small university. D’s HS had 1,900+ students, but she wanted a smaller college where she was sure to get to know the professors and other students well. In the past 3.5 years, I’ve never heard her complain that she felt the College was too small.</p>
<p>My son went to a small high school and loved the intimacy and access to teachers and activities. Pomona has the advantages of the small school, but because of the consortium, you have many more options. </p>
<p>My son is studying abroad this semester at a huge university in a major city in a foreign country. It’s a great opportunity for many reasons, but it also caused him to appreciate the small college experience. When he arrived at BigU for study abroad, there was a problem with a class he had signed up for. It took him three days and several phone and personal contacts before he was able to straighten it out. During a skype conversation, he said to me, laughing, “At Pomona, I would have gone to (first name) and she would tell me she’d look into it. Thirty minutes later, I’d get a call on my cell from her, telling me the problem had been handled.”</p>
<p>Aside from the bureaucratic hassles, the great thing about a small school is that, whatever opportunities exist, it’s easy to take advantage of them. You’ll know about them, the profs and people in charge know you, and they really try to help you with whatever you need. Need to take a particular course for you major and can’t fit it in? They’ll help. Need a good rec for an internship? No problem. Want an interesting internship? They’ll help you find one. Or design one. Need to make some extra money during the school year? Work is available.
Reality? No, reality is probably more like the experience my son had at BigU, but at this time in his life when he’s looking to make a path for himself, having enthusiastic mentors and help from caring profs has proved invaluable. He’s been very happy. I can’t believe that he’ll be graduating next year. Fortunately, he feels confident about the future, as he’s made contacts in his field during his time at Pomona that will serve him well.*</p>
<p>*edit: And, I should add, a superior education.:)</p>
<p>The Claremont Colleges are 5,000 strong, so there is no lack of people to meet socially. Pomona is smaller, and you will end up seeing other Pomona students more, but you really are on a campus of 5,000 (we just pretend it’s 5 campuses).</p>
<p>However, you will never get anonymity on the campuses. Every one you meet will have at least one person you both know, so it is easy for something you do to get back to you later.</p>
<p>So in short: Pomona’s size of 1,600 is misleading, but if you meet someone they wont have trouble find out about that time you hit the dean with your bike.</p>