<p>I thought I heard/read somewhere that Pomona looks at the rigor of the curriculum and the secondary school report but doesnt consider GPA. Basically if you are in a strong environment or taking the hardest classes and obviously doing alright that you are a good candidate.</p>
<p>I've also heard that they focus on scores a lot, is this true?</p>
<p>My son's unweighted GPA was relatively low at 3.7, which I think might have kept him out of HYPS, were he interested in them, which he was not. He had a 2340 SAT and took all APs, etc, so I believe they definitely took into account the rigorousness of his curriculum, and his SATs certainly helped I'm sure. I also believe personality played a large part. Make your essays engaging and be authentic - funny is good too. Good luck, it's an incredible school.</p>
<p>thank you for the quick response.</p>
<p>i tend to be a more math oriented person so my score was a 2200 (680 CR, 800M, 720 Wr)</p>
<p>I also did fairly well on subject tests (760 Math IIC, 790 Bio M)</p>
<p>I don't think my scores are amazing , but hopefully they don't keep me out of the school.</p>
<p>I also went for comedy in the essays and explained that Pomona is one of the only schools where I can study Indian music a lot.</p>
<p>Hopefully they feel that I fit in enough to let the lower GPA and scores get ignored a bit.</p>
<p>I also go to a public magnet so all classes are taught on the honors level, so rigor was definitely a factor.</p>
<p>You sound great - I'm sure they will give your application some serious attention. I like your Indian music reference! And, I know that Bio score will help a lot - they have an incredible science program. What do you want to major in?</p>
<p>To answer such questions, look for a school's Common Data Set. Pomona's is at
<a href="http://www.pomona.edu/institutionalresearch/collegedata/CDS2008_2009.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.pomona.edu/institutionalresearch/collegedata/CDS2008_2009.htm</a></p>
<p>Click on "C. Freshman Admission" at the bottom. Section C7 shows that "Academic GPA" is a "Very Important" consideration for admission.</p>
<p>I intend to do either Biology or Computer Science, but continue to pursue music every year.
I know the Computer Science department isn't super famous, but small classes with some really great professors will make up for that (i think).</p>
<p>Basically, I know that the teachers are very accomplished and I would rather have a small class where I can really learn from my teacher's experiences.</p>
<p>The Ivy League can be overrated in terms of the people they produce. But it strikes me as a no-brainer that GPA counts for them and Pomona.</p>
<p>They focus a lot on GPA, but not prohibitively. I got in RD with ~3.4, but strong test scores made up for it in the 'numbers' department, and I focused on other achievements beyond my transcript. </p>
<p>You need to give them a good reason to reject a candidate with stronger numbers for you.</p>
<p>hey brassmonkey,</p>
<p>you've already seen my scores (2200)</p>
<p>can you give me an idea of my chances based on you?</p>
<p>i think I did well in the essay/diversity/character department too, so maybe that will help.</p>