Intellectualism at Pomona

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
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<p>So I've narrowed my college choices down to the University of Chicago and Pomona. I'm currently leaning towards Pomona, due to my impressions received during my overnight visit, the intimate community, the undergraduate focus, and a host of other factors (the weather...). </p>

<p>What's holding me back is the vaunted intellectual environment of UChicago. After four years of the drudgery better known as high school, I'm more than a little desperate to go to a place where it is not only acceptable but expected to be ridiculously excited to learn and to have intellectual discourse, even--or perhaps especially--outside the classroom. There is a sort of wholehearted, unabashed embrace of intellectualism at UChicago that I haven't really found anywhere else (except maybe Swarthmore, but I didn't apply there). </p>

<p>I'm not questioning the academic rigor or the intelligence of the students at Pomona, but my question is, if I am actively looking for the sort of intellectual and academic culture as described above at Pomona, would I be able to find it? I feel that Pomona students, on the whole, manage a better and healthier integration of work and play than their counterparts at UChicago, but I still feel deeply conflicted about turning down UChicago. </p>

<p>(As an aside, another factor to consider is that I've been incredibly stressed out in high school, which may be an indication that Pomona is a better choice. However, my high level of stress may be a function of the time spent slaving fruitlessly at busywork and and a desire for a genuine intellectual environment that, to put it simply, is not found in the high school classroom.)</p>

<p>I've searched the UChicago and Pomona boards, and although the issue of UChicago vs. Pomona has, strangely enough, come up a few times, I would deeply appreciate more thoughts on this issue. May 1 is looming uncomfortably near. Despite the fact that I am currrently favoring Pomona, I am changing my mind with alarming frequency, as just a few days ago I was utterly convinced I was going to UChicago. </p>

<p>So. Any thoughts?</p>

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<p>@verdricity: Have you visited both Colleges? Did you find yourself more “at home” with either, both or none? At the end of the day no school can give you ALL that you desire, but many will come close… If your deal breaker is “intellectual activism” and you believe UChicago offers that more than Pomona, then go for it… No need to beat yourself up trying to justify your choice. Decide which factors you need in a College, figure which College comes close to meeting those factors and send in your SIR. It is that simple… :)</p>

<p>Good luck and I wish you the very best… you are obviously a very smart individual and you’ll do well wherever you end up.</p>

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<p>Thanks, oclement. Hm. I think the problem is that I did visit both colleges, but my experience at Chicago was … somewhat less than conclusive. For my overnight, I was put into South Campus, otherwise known as the ‘party dorm,’ with people who, while nice, were definitely not the sort of people I envision myself hanging out with at college. I didn’t really have the chance to experience UChicago in the way that I personally wanted to, which is why I’m so conflicted now. I do think it’s very difficult to have an accurate impression of a school even after visiting and spending a night there, so while I happened to get along with the people I met at Pomona more than the people at UChicago, I realize that could have just been pure luck. </p>

<p>I’m still leaning towards Pomona, I think, but I’ve loved UChicago for so long, for the aforementioned reasons… In the end, choosing a college is really an act of faith, since of course plenty of people think that they love a school, but then end up regretting their decisions. That’s what I’m afraid of, mostly.</p>

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<p>Hi!</p>

<p>I am in the same dilemma right now. I was wondering what school you chose and your feelings about your decision. Thanks!</p>

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<p>verdricity: that is an excellent comment from you. I remain even more convinced of your high intellect hence I believe whichever of these colleges you select will NOT be a wrong choice. Go for what your heart desires the most…</p>

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<p>Intellectualism at Pomona is pretty strong, but definitely not overbearing. You’ll definitely overhear people speaking about the things any innate nerd would love to discuss, from politics, scientific discoveries, issues on campus/abroad etc. However, you’ll also find groups who will just discuss about what happened last night, etc. It depends on the crowd you hang out with.
The great thing about Pomona is that every study is able to instantly go into intellectual conjecture, or randomly spawn such a conversation. That’s what I like about Pomona, the fact that most people here are very balanced.</p>

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<p>Anonymous91: Thank you for the response; that’s very reassuring to hear.</p>

<p>AvatarT123: Considering Pomona wants us to mail our final decisions today, before May 1, you have probably already made your own decision. I’m sorry I didn’t reply, as I myself had not fully decided until this morning. But, in case you’re wondering: </p>

<p>I chose Pomona. Due to a few personal reasons (namely, my parents are deeply disappointed in me, since they wanted me to attend Penn), I can’t say that I’m feeling all too joyous at the moment, but I’m sure that will pass. </p>

<p>How did I make my decision? I will confess I had a moment of grave doubt when it came time to decline UChicago. As I’m sure you know, it’s an amazing school which fully deserves its reputation as a place of fearless intellectual inquiry. However, while I believe that UChicago does have something of an edge over Pomona in this regard, at least for me, I forced myself to step back and consider each school as a whole, in relation to my own personality and future goals. I realized that a place like Pomona would have a greater and more beneficial effect on me, both as a student and a person. I am currently suffering rather heavily from academic burnout, perhaps due to my high school’s single-minded focus on getting students into good colleges (which is just my personal experience–plenty of people at my high school could care less about academics), and so I realized that I needed a more balanced environment, at least at present. </p>

<p>Moreover, reflecting on my visits, I simply felt more comfortable at Pomona, no doubt due to the safe, suburban location, as opposed to UChicago’s location in Hyde Park. This is something of a mixed bag for me–I wanted to experience a greater feeling of independence at college, which would favor UChicago, as Pomona seems almost too nice and sheltered, but really, there’s plenty of time after college for me to experience such independence, no need to worry about it now. Pomona students as a whole seemed happier to me, and that, I think, was what helped me make my final decision. </p>

<p>Still, these are only my personal impressions. Your mileage may, of course, vary. For me, anyways, the best thing about UChicago? There’s always grad school. </p>

<p>Hope this helps. I’m curious what you ended up choosing.</p>

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<p>Congratulations!! I can completely understand your motives, especially the burned-out from a competitive setting part. Hope to see you in the fall!</p>

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<p>Virdricity- You described my D’s feeling exactly. She has also chosen Pomona after an excruciating month of soul searching and pressure from everyone she knew to choose Columbia. She visited many schools this month and her overall impression - Pomona students were the happiest she had seen. After working her b**t off for four years I’m glad to see she will be attending a school where there seems to be a great balance of academics and relaxed atmosphere. I know that you and she will become happier with your decision as reality begins to settle in in the next month or two. See you Aug 22!</p>

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<p>Thanks for reporting back with your decision. I’m glad you chose Pomona; you sound like a really thoughtful and self-reflective person, and those are great qualities in my D’s future classmates.</p>

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<p>Verdricity, how are you enjoying your freshman year? I am actually in the middle of my decision making process, between the same places, Pomona and UChicago. And I have the same concern. I recently visited both schools and I loved, loved, loved Pomona. But came home from Chicago worried about Pomona’s potential lack of intellectualism. I really like both schools, and would love to hear about how you’re doing. I’m sure you’re happy about your decision, but what would you say to someone who is in the position you were a year ago? Is there anything I should take into account?</p>

<p>(I’m also feeling very burnt out right now, academically. Does it wear off? Are you happy in Claremont? Sick yet of the constantly perfect weather?)</p>

<p>Thanks a million.</p>

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<p>The students at Pomona College are a self-selected bunch. More often than not, the student admitted to Pomona has the choice of going to a plethora or other schools. That said, we do have students lamenting their rejection from their top choice, be it Harvard or Princeton what have you. However, every single one of these students in the end is glad they ended up here.</p>

<p>For those of us who had multiple options (I applied ED for the sake of disclosure) we find ourselves asking what we really value in an education and in a life experience. I have to admit that constantly enduring a blank stare when people ask you where you go to school can become tiresome to say the least, and honestly, it’s not fair considering the amount of work in high school you did to get here. However, those who do decide to come to Pomona recognize the value curiosity as a good in itself and not as means and the importance of challenging oneself instead of constantly competing against one’s peers. For one thing</p>

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<p>AA123454321, I’ve been doing pretty well! I’m happy with my decision–I definitely feel that Pomona tries its best to help you excel, especially if you’re struggling. It’s a truly supportive environment, where your professors really do try to get to know you. In my Linear Algebra class last semester (of thirty or so people), for example, my professor took us out to lunch in groups of five, and tried to get to know each of us personally. This isn’t just an admissions gimmick–professors are clearly chosen because of their interest in teaching students, and it shows. My friends and classmates are also extremely noncompetitive–Pomona students rarely talk about grades, and are humble and supportive. I’ve been doing well in my classes, and in the cases in which I haven’t, I’ve felt extremely comfortable talking to my professors and my advisor–even about nonacademic issues. </p>

<p>As for weather and location–the weather isn’t perfect all the time! (You should see Pomona students whine when it’s raining…) Pomona is stunningly beautiful. Sometimes I think I’m used to it, but then I’ll be biking to class with the mountains in the distance and then I’m reminded all over again. You will probably be trapped in the Pomona bubble, especially freshman year, because it is very difficult to get into LA and the surrounding areas without a car, but that’s not such a terrible place to be. I don’t know if you’re interested in the outdoors, but the 5C outdoors club, On the Loose, is great–I’ve gone to Death Valley and Zion this past year, for example, so if you want to go and see some of the stunning geography in the American southwest, Pomona is perfect. </p>

<p>So there’s that. To address your concerns about intellectualism, however. There’s no doubt that UChicago is much more (self-consciously, at least) intellectual than Pomona, so there is definitely a trade off you’ll have to make. It’s hard to describe, but for lack of a better term, Pomona students tend to be, on the whole, more “mainstream” than your average UChicago student–though I realize that this is a sweeping over-generalization. But here’s the important thing–if you want a sense of intellectualism, if you want the debates at the dinner table and late night philosophizing and what-have-you, you will be able find it. You might have to actively look for it, and it probably won’t happen right away, depending on how you hit it off with the people you meet first–but if you’re a deeply intellectual type of person, you’ll attract people with the same qualities as well. I came to Pomona will overblown expectations, expecting to have deeply intellectual discussions with everyone I met on campus. This is not true at Pomona, nor is it, I suspect, true at any college, even UChicago. But I’ve made a great group of friends with whom I have had deeply intellectual conversations, and so I can say that I am, on the whole, satisfied with Pomona w/r/t intellectualism. (I remember one time staying up with two of my good friends until five in the morning, with class the next day, simply because the conversation we were having was so fascinating–we talked about everything from our views on corporal punishment to the state of American democracy. What made the conversation particularly interesting was that we all came from vastly, vastly different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.)</p>

<p>W/r/t to feeling burnt out, academically, I was in exactly the same position a year ago. The transition to college will most likely be rough, I’ll be honest with you. There were times when I felt that a gap year would have been beneficial, but this feeling definitely wears off, especially as you find things you’re passionate about. Claremont does get pretty boring, and by the end of my time at Pomona I’ll probably be glad to make the transition to some place new–but for now, I’m incredibly happy to be where I am. </p>

<p>Sorry for the essay response! I don’t know if you’ve made your decision yet, but please, please feel free to ask/message me about any questions you have–dis/advantages of a small school, sponsor groups, political atmosphere, problems with the administration, food–even if you feel they’re trivial. Also, don’t be too stressed out about choosing the right college; the cliche about college being what you make of it is true. To those people who say that college is the happiest/most important years of your life, I’d say that that’s certainly not true (it would be kind of depressing if it were)–college is really just the beginning. You have two fantastic schools; you can’t really make any wrong choices here.</p>

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<p>For what it’s worth, d also had some tough choices, lots of visits, soul searching, pressure from well meaning others to attend big names. For all the reasons you all have described, d has turned down Stanford, Yale, MIT, Williams and a few other good schools for Pomona! Sent the check in today. You lucky sagehens are going to have a great education and a lot of fun as well. Congratulations to you all!!!</p>

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<p>Verdricity, thank you so much for your response. I still haven’t made my decision yet and am still struggling with it. Your experiences will make it even harder! I will probably have some questions to ask in the next few days, and thanks for offering.</p>