<p>All reports from Pomona, so far at least, have confrmed that D made the right choice and is enjoying herself immensely. How are the rest of you Sagehens feeling?</p>
<p>I'm having a lot of fun. Pomona treats us so well! However, the work load is pretty nice and fat.</p>
<p>its good. im glad i decided to come here. but soooooooo much reading... i feel like im gonna fall apart. i cant complain about my awesome large room and my sponsor group and oa trip.</p>
<p>KOSUKE!! He's in my sponsor groupp. =D</p>
<p>so is it true that pomona gives an incredible workload compared to other colleges... as in it's a place for the serious student</p>
<p>mchllhcm and Kosuke--glad to hear that you're happy! D's was very happy about her OA trip and her sponsor group (although she's still trying to figure out what the common thread is). She was even assigned an Asian American mentor, so there's another resource available to her.</p>
<p>"so is it true that pomona gives an incredible workload compared to other colleges... as in it's a place for the serious student"</p>
<p>sorta...any top school you go to youll have work to do. but pomona is more of what you make of it. like this morning i woke up early because i hadnt done my reading and crammed most of it, went to class, then to lunch, naped, showered, went to go buy a bike, ate sushi for dinner and came back at 10pm and now beginning my homework. so its not really all studying.
little mother, glad your daughter is having a good time.
hi michelle!</p>
<p>...........what is the common thread?</p>
<p>K, what are the professors/classes like? Do the students seem well-prepared for class and actively participating? Is it an intellectual environment, very laid-back, etc? Thanks! PS Glad you are enjoying your experience.</p>
<p>most of my classes seem like just lecture, so the only class that really has any active participation is my ID, writing intensive, class. and in this class all we do is have large amounts of reading (200~300 a week) and have free flowing discussions during class, and it feels like they expect us to know exactly how to write essays. they just tell us to write an essay, turn it in, and the teacher returns it with feedback, and for someone who's terrible at writing, like myself, its really frustrating. the same goes for my 4th year japanese class. but the environment is really open so no one gets shut out of class discussions or anything. just a lot of work.</p>
<p>as for the environment, despite all the reading/work, everyone is really laid back and nice, and most people dont get too arrogant. the sponsor group is also really nice to have.</p>
<p>as for the "common thread" thing, its just each sponsor group is suppose to have one "common" thing that they share with each other. i have no idea what my sponsor groups is. maybe music or something.</p>
<p>Second hand info from my S. His classes are all small, very discussion based, tons of reading and papers but all professors are amazing, interesting and the work is very stimulating. Professors are very receptive to working with students in research . Students are very involved, lots of late night intellectual discussions go on. Everyone there is multitalented besides being bright and have all kinds of interesting talents and experiences. Pomona students are nonassuming however, not at all arogant and are laid back. They work very hard, play hard and are not competitive or seem unduly stressed.They are treated very well by the school, spoiled in fact but with high expectations. The claim that it is like one of the greatest summer camps with a lot of work is true.</p>
<p>What's the culture like? What would it be like for a tomboy? Is it preppy, overly casual? I don't like having to think about appearance on a daily basis, basically, lol.</p>
<p>You will fit it well soccerfanatic, very very casual. Lots of girls don't wear makeup.</p>
<p>the atmosphere here is really, really laid back, probably half the kids in my italian class wear either gym clothes or pajames to class. nobody judges you for what you wear. as far as the work load, it totally depends on what classes you take. so far it's challenging but not overwhelming. and as far as the students, pomona is amazing! like if i saw a lot of the people here on the street, i wouldn't say "wow they look really smart!" but then after you talk to them you find out all these amazing things that everybody has accomplished. the people here are def. smart and talented but not in your face about it. yay pomona!</p>
<p>I'm very glad to hear that. Thanks, guys</p>
<p>my S is a freshman and is happy at pomona, but he is not exactly thrilled with his classes or profs. of his 4 classes, 2 of the profs aren't pomona faculty. when he registered he had trouble getting the classes that he wanted and had to settle for 2nd choices. he says that the other kids are pretty cool, but has one class full of brown-nosers that agree with the prof no matter what she says and finds the experience to be annoying (to say the least)... he says that the workload is pretty heavy, but not impossible. grading seems tough, but not unfair. certainly a lot more challenging than h.s. as for social life, he says that it's a bubble. he wanted a campus with access to a city, but has barely set foot off campus (sounds typical, right?) he says that the campus activities are fun and that the food is good. he even found one dining hall that serves mexican food (his favorite ethnic cuisine) and is quite satisfied.</p>
<p>fairburn,
My S is a sophomore and has yet to spend a wekend on campus, so the bubble lessens after 1st semester. If he likes Outdoor activities there are always Outdoor adventure Club camping and backpacking trips, hiking to hot springs etc planned for 1 day or overnight. Cost is free, the school provides all supplies, including food. Once he knows kids with cars there are beach trips going off campus as well. Make sure he signs up for the ski/beach day. That is a lot of fun. There are also vans and buses provided for lectures and events in LA. My S heard some good authors in the city last year. My D is in San Diego and is adjusting as well to not having a car to access all that is there. Good luck.</p>
<p>fairburn,</p>
<p>D is also a first-year and went on an overnight retreat to Halona last weekend. She's also gone with friends on trips to the mall (more social than business), the movies, and out and beyond. Fortunately, some of her friends have cars. She's already dropped two classes (one of which was a second dance class) and picked up one, so sometimes the instructors or subject matter aren't necessarily what one had hoped they would be. It sounds as if your S is settling in quite well. Getting into the groove will take time, but as long as our kids are happy, that's the most important thing, I think.</p>
<p>My D is loving Pomona. Her sponsor group is great (their common thread is the outdoors and sports, she thinks). It's really functioning like it is supposed to: a ready-made support group. She says she hasn't met anyone she doesn't like which is typical of her, however. Her classes are going well. She has a few reservations about one of her teachers, but loves the lab assistant. Her math class is probably too easy, but she's decided to stay in it after all. Even though she didn't get her first choice for freshman seminar, she's enjoying it after an initial shock about subject content. The teacher is interesting and there's lots of discussion. She was disappointed not to be able to take Spanish (because she can only take 4 classes) so she has been going to lunch at Oldenborg to keep it fresh. She really likes her advisor and was pleasantly surprised by his commitment to learning about her and advising her. She loved her OA and feels that she met some good friends there. Food's good, dorm's good (fairly large, air-conditioned! and single sex bathrooms - in case you're interested), planned activities are fun. She's already found a job on campus, and she likes her teammates. My only concern is that she isn't getting enough sleep (can't break those mom worry habits yet, I guess). She doesn't think the workload is any greater than HS, so far. Good luck to the rest of you(r) Sage Hens! .....Hoping that the more I say Sage Hens the better it will sound!</p>
<p>My D is loving Pomona. Her sponsor group is great (their common thread is the outdoors and sports, she thinks). It's really functioning like it is supposed to: a ready-made support group. She says she hasn't met anyone she doesn't like which is typical of her, however. Her classes are going well. She has a few reservations about one of her teachers, but loves the lab assistant. Her math class is probably too easy, but she's decided to stay in it after all. Even though she didn't get her first choice for freshman seminar, she's enjoying it after an initial shock about subject content. The teacher is interesting and there's lots of discussion. She was disappointed not to be able to take Spanish (because she can only take 4 classes) so she has been going to lunch at Oldenborg to keep it fresh. She really likes her advisor and was pleasantly surprised by his commitment to learning about her and advising her. She loved her OA and feels that she met some good friends there. Food's good, dorm's good (fairly large, air-conditioned! and single sex bathrooms), planned activities are fun. She's already found a job on campus, and she likes her teammates. My only concern is that she isn't getting enough sleep (can't break those mom worry habits yet, I guess). She doesn't think the workload is any greater than HS, so far. In fact, she has more free time now. Good luck to the rest of you(r) Sage Hens! .....Hoping that the more I say Sage Hens the better it will sound!</p>