My mom seems to believe that the academics and workload at Pomona (being a top LAC), is similar to a school like UChicago, a school known for it’s rigorous coursework. How accurate is this? Reading through this forum I get the feeling like the school is challenging, although not overbearing.
I’ve only been here for about a month, but I can definitely say that the coursework is challenging. However, if you get into Pomona it means you can handle the large amount of work and there are a lot of resources to support students. Also, if you’re in a field you enjoy, the challenging coursework becomes fun! The academics at Pomona are top notch and if you can get in, you should go!
If they let you in, you can do it. It probably doesn’t come up to the crazy workloads at a UChicago, Harvey Mudd, or Swarthmore. But you will be plenty challenged if you get into Pomona, and would get an excellent education.
Remember to think of your “workload” as more than just what is formally assigned by professors for the classes you take. At the best SLACs such as Pomona College, you’ll find so many interesting, curious and talented peers and professors (high accessible and inviting) to engage in discussions, formal and impromptu, that you’ll likely blur the boundaries between coursework and non-coursework. So you will have a great deal of “work” at Pomona, but much of it will feel more like invigorating sharing and exploration than work performed to satisfy the requirements for specific clas assignments.
If you have to ask…
If you’re looking at it from a “how hard is it to get an A” perspective, I’d say it’s relatively not challenging to get a low B, but most of the time you’re going to have to work for the A.
My junior always replies, when I ask “How’s it going?”…“I have a lot of work.” there’s you answer in one sentence.
My senior’s boy friend is visiting her from Ohio for the weekend (arrived Thursday). My D told him she can’t afford to miss any of her mentor sessions (for her 2 CS classes and a math class in Computational Statistics). She said he’ll just have to entertain himself during those. D also spent a semester at Swat during her junior year through a domestic exchange program and thought the rigor was comparable.
@preppedparent for context on workload, what is your Jr’s major or area of study?
Our P-kid (neuroscience) claimed that walking across campus was the only free time there was to talk to us (emphasis on “claimed”)
Aha-sounds like a 30+ year old comment I’ve made in similar circumstances.
Our daughter is a double major Psych and Economics with a minor in Chinese Language. Lots of requirements to meet. At Amherst, Williams and Midd I heard that students take what they like, then they look to see how close they are to meeting a major requirements and sometimes they only need a course or two to double major. At Pomona, this is not the case. For the liberal arts requirements there are many and for the majors she has chosen there are many required courses as well.
Your mom is correct. The culture at Pomona is very academic, D’s boyfriend is a freshman and he says that all everyone ever does is schoolwork. He went to a tippy top private known for rigor, so he is used to being challenged and having a heavy workload. He says it’s not just the difficulty of the classes or amount or work requested it is the climate of the student body. He watched on social media as all his friends at other schools (including ivies) partied during the first week of school; he said that at Pomona all anyone wants to do is work. Sounds to me like these were all the kind of ‘perfect students’ in high school that did not socialize much.
I would not say the above comment is entirely true. There is a lot of coursework and all Pomona students are very dedicated to studying and getting good grades but there are definitely parties and most people spend time doing many other things besides schoolwork.
@sienarose agreed, I made a generalization and as with most generalizations, there are exceptions. I meant to convey the general tenor of the school. Personally, I know a recent grad who has put back a serious amount of beers with his college friends while at Pomona. But overall the social climate seems much more academic in tone than some other top LAC’s, such as Midd and Bowdoin.
My D graduated from Pomona in May. Now at Oxford and says Pomona is much harder.
If you have to ask it kind of answers itself. If you aren’t prepared for lots of work then don’t apply. The students came fully expecting and knowing the amount of work necessary.