<p>I have applied to Pomona College, Swarthmore College, Stanford, and Yale. Assuming the best and I happen to get accepted to all four of them, which would give me the best opportunity to pursue a career in business (like in Consulting) starting at the undergraduate level? I know that most Consulting Firms will look towards Yale and Stanford only for Grad students, but I want to know which school can help me the most when it comes to getting my foot in the door of the business world.</p>
<p>I just want to know everyone's opinions; I know that Swarthmore and Pomona focus on the undergrads, so they're great for prepping for business school because of all the individualized attention. I also already know that students at Stanford and Yale will develop strong connections with with a lot of important people, and they also carry a strong reputation. I just want to hear which school everyone thinks is the best for preparing an undergrad.</p>
<p>And if anyone also wants to mention this, what are the pros and cons of each school? Which ones have the greatest return on investment? I want to have a wide career pool to choose from, which school can offer that?</p>
<p>hmm where did you hear that only stanford/yale are recruited by consulting firms? because I know plenty of Pomona alums in places like McKinsey and Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain and Company, among others. being in the 5C network really helps! We have plenty of recruiters from top notch consulting firms coming to the 5C’s.</p>
<p>no matter where you go it’s about finding connections, and Pomona and Swarthmore, despite being smaller, definitely have alumni representing the best in the business world. it is true that you’ll probably find more connections in the other schools, but don’t discredit the LACs. I can’t speak for Swarthmore (though I’m sure it’s wonderful), but at Pomona we have a great career development office, so it’s easy to connect to the right alums. </p>
<p>I personally believe that you shouldn’t see your undergrad experience as a “preparation”, but rather an experience of their own. And it is firmly my belief that the experience that you will get at a place like Pomona is one that can not be topped by any other school.</p>
<p>To your last point, I think the schools are far more similar than they are different- especially Swarthmore, Pomona, and Yale. Why not worry about the slight differences they have in overall experience, opportunities, and academic experience until after you get in? Truly the biggest, most readily comparable difference between the four schools is the location.</p>
<p>Please do not underestimate the power of your undergraduate years. This will be a transformative time for you, regardless of which school you attend. The school itself will not determine the ROI; that will be determined by you and what you do with what you’ve learned. Pomona, Swat, Stanford, and Yale are all good schools; you should decide whether you want an LAC or a university environment for the kind of student experience you would like to have. The best way to do that, of course, is to spend time visiting those schools. As nostalgicwisdom pointed out, geographic location is another major factor to consider - NorCal and SoCal being almost as different as Philly and New Haven. Finally, Pomona, as part of the Claremont consortium, will allow you to experience the feel of a medium-size university with the benefits of an LAC.</p>
<p>These schools are all great options and will prepare you equally. What matters for your decision is mostly personal preference and where you get in. Assuming the best you want to consider the following</p>
<p>Size: Do you want a liberal arts college or large research University? Visiting the schools will do a lot to help you get a feel for what size of school you want.</p>
<p>Proximity to home: Can you go home for Thanksgiving? If you live on the west coast it is going to be extremely difficult to come home if you go to school on the East coast. The reveres is also true. This might not sound like a huge a deal, but being home for Thanksgiving does so much to lower your stress levels going into the final stretch before finals.</p>
<p>Weather: If you don’t like the cold stick to Pomona or Stanford. An average day at Pomona is the nicest day of the year at Yale and Swarthmore. </p>
<p>Location: Palo Alto and Claremont are much more affluent and safer communities than New Haven. You would feel pretty comfortable walking in Claremont or Palo Alto at night alone, in New Haven you wouldn’t feel safe at all. Swarthmore is somewhere in the middle. Also if you are an outdoors person Pomona probably has the best offerings. Remember that Pomona has the consortium which is honestly a game changer in my opinion. The consortium makes Pomona the best of both worlds. You get a small LAC but a community of almost 6,000 students. Most social events allow people from all the colleges to attend which is truly unique.</p>
<p>I might be a bit biased since I go to Pomona, but after being there for a semester, attending was hands down the best decision of my life.</p>