Math/computer science/ physics at Pomona

<p>So I have fallen in love with Pomona, and I want to apply early. However I am mostly interested in the Math/ Computer Science/ Physics realm of studies. What would my future look like coming out of Pomona with one of these majors? Would this be the best route for someone like myself who is interested in this general area of sciences, but would rather get a more holistic education in other areas? Or should I just stick with an Engineering major at another school such as Harvey Mudd or Cal Tech?</p>

<p>I’d also like to know about CS.</p>

<p>I can only answer this w/r/t to math. During high school, my kids took part in a math competition through Pomona. Then in April they are invited out for some lectures and lunch. Naturally, they try and sell Pomona to these kids. I once asked why a math major would chose Pomona over HMC. They said it students at both schools end up taking a lot of the same math classes, so it really depended what someone wants to be doing when they are not doing math. Do they want to be hanging out with other math/science/engineering types, or do they want to hang out with a more academically diverse group. And when they are not taking math classes, do they want to take more humanities, etc. Of course for my son, my husband and I looked at each other and said “Mudd” (he is actually a junior at Caltech). But, my daughter, who really hasn’t decided her major, of the two, Pomona would be the obvious choice (though she has fallen in love with Pitzer)</p>

<p>It depends on which you feel is more important to you; learning about those general areas of science, or getting a more “holistic education.” Also what you mean by “holistic education.” Harvey Mudd and Caltech require a fair amount of humanities classes, 12 at HM, so you would have to determine if you think that’s enough to get the holistic education you want. If you go to Pomona however, engineering goes completely off the table, so you have to decide if there’s a good chance you’ll want to go into engineering. With either HM or Caltech however, you need to really be interested in all the sciences, as the core curriculum is quite difficult and there are relatively few options besides transferring if you change your mind. The atmosphere is also different at these two schools from Pomona, since everyone is in a tech field, which you should consider as well.</p>

<p>It sounds like you might be a good fit for Pomona’s Combined 3-2 Plan in Engineering, where you do 3 years at Pomona and then 2 years at either Caltech or WashU and end up with a BA and a BS. From what I understand, this option has been around for a long time but very few Pomona students choose to do it. But anyways, check it out: <a href=“http://pomona.edu/administration/registrar/catalog/cooperative-academic-programs.pdf[/url]”>http://pomona.edu/administration/registrar/catalog/cooperative-academic-programs.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;