<p>I read about PCIP, but I have a few questions. Pomona is my first choice based on student life, weather, food, etc. My only concern with Pomona is whether it is as good as schools like the Ivies at landing job opportunities. If I had, for example, a choice between Columbia, UPenn Wharton, and Pomona, why should I choose Pomona (in regard to eventual job search)? Also, CMC has a reputation as being better for internships and "real life" than Pomona- is there a significant difference?</p>
<p>Can any student describe internship availability and participation? How hard is it to get one? Are internships in LA feasible during the semester, or do you need to take a semester off or do it during the summer? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Columbia and Penn are big universities in major cities so obviously there will be many more postings for internships and jobs. However, most Pomona students who are intent on landing internships do find them. You may have to do a bit more legwork and look at postings at the other colleges like CMC, Scripps also.</p>
<p>Pomona often pays you for unpaid internships and almost always covers travel costs to get to LA, even if you are renting a car. Also, I’m pretty sure if you are on work study, your work study job can be at an internship or in a research lab… so that should help for getting jobs.</p>
<p>My son held two internships at Pomona, one during his sophomore semester and one during his last semester senior year. Both were paid and in his field of interest, and he got them through the college. He didn’t feel it was difficult to do at all.
He also spent a semester abroad with a focus on his field of interest. </p>
<p>My daughter attended an ivy and I didn’t see that there was that much difference between the two as far as opportunities during school or after graduation. My son just received a prestigious fellowship with the state working in the executive branch, which he found out about through a professor at Pomona. </p>
<p>Truly, a very good student will be able to find internships at all of these schools. With the job market as it is, the chances of finding a job afterward are probably higher in the state where you went to college. One of the reasons my son chose Pomona is that he wanted to stay in California if possible. Had he wanted to live on the east coast, it probably wouldn’t have been the best choice, although I do know students in his class who landed jobs there- in D.C. as well as New York.</p>
<p>Will Pomona pay you for unpaid internships if you are not on financial aid?</p>
<p>If you have an internship through PCIP, you will be paid even if you aren’t on finaid.</p>
<p>Cool, thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>I’ll echo what others have already said - I’m a rising senior and I’ve had 3 internships since I’ve been at Pomona, 2 of which were directly because I attend Pomona (and the third was a result of some help from a friend at Pomona). I do not believe that being at Pomona in any way hinders a student from finding and successfully landing an internship. Also, the PCIP (Pomona College Internship Program) is a great way to get paid for working unpaid internships. And as someone else already said, you do not need to be on financial aid to get paid by PCIP.</p>