<p>Whoo-hoo, S was admitted and our family is thrilled. Thought I'd start this thread for parents of the incoming freshmen. I have some questions!</p>
<p>Did you guys receive the ED notification by email or letter?</p>
<p>We received large envelope via snail mail last Thursday 12/14. It was postmarked 12/10. We live in Washington state.</p>
<p>Congrats to all the parents of the Class of 2017!!!</p>
<p>D graduated in '09, so if you have any operational questions, e.g., best way to transport stuff to campus, airlines, hotel lodging, etc., please let me know!</p>
<p>Little Mother – thank you for the offer. We got the good news by mail last Thursday and in addition to being thrilled (and relieved), we are curious about a couple of things. </p>
<p>First, when a student is traveling on their own, is it possible to fly into LAX as opposed to ONT and find transit to campus? There are so many more options for flight times into LAX but it’s not obvious how you’d get to campus. For that matter, it’s also not obvious how to get from ONT to campus without a rental car or taking a cab so info on both airports would be appreciated. </p>
<p>Second, we have an older son at another LAC and hotels in his college town fill exceptionally quickly whenever there is a parent event. It would seem that with so many hotel options in the area surrounding Claremont, this would be less likely to occur, but it would be great to know your experience.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi there - another current Pomona mom here! Kids fly to both LAX and ONT. Everyone uses Super Shuttle for either airport (obviously the ONT super shuttle is less $). There are always kids to find to share a shuttle for either airport and Pomona has an account with SS that gives you a nice discount.</p>
<p>Yes, there a many hotels in the Claremont area so there is no need to worry about booking rooms way in advance for move-in, Parent’s weekend etc.</p>
<p>Pomona is a fabulous school - a true gift to those that are admitted. Congratulation on admission.</p>
<p>Also look here:
[5C</a> ride share :: home](<a href=“http://5crideshare.com/]5C”>http://5crideshare.com/)</p>
<p>You can save money booking shuttle/taxi in groups, or get a ride from someone with a car.</p>
<p>It’s mainly used during break and when school is starting/ending, so not as relevant during admitted students days.</p>
<p>BayAreaParent,</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations!</p>
<p>Generally speaking, it’ll be cheaper to fly into LAX; however, depending on the traffic situation, it could take quite some time to get to campus. Sometimes, it’s only 30 minutes from LA to Claremont. Other times, it could take more than 2 hours with stop and go traffic. Once your S (?) gets to know folks on campus, he can fly into Ontario and arrange to have a buddy pick him up. That’s the joy of having an airport relatively close to the school. Some adventuresome students (who didn’t have a lot of luggage) have taken public transit to Union Station in LA and from there taken the Gold Line train out to Claremont that has a station just south of campus.</p>
<p>As for hotels, one of our faves for visiting Pomona was the Sheraton Fairplex in Pomona (the town). Because it’s all suites, you get plenty of room for both parents and student if you’re arriving the day before check-in. They also offer a discount for Pomona families; it’s best to call the hotel directly. I’ve heard good things about the Doubletree that’s within walking distance of campus (but not if you’ve got a lot of luggage). And yes, hotels can get booked up quickly since the Claremont Colleges occasionally have events (orientation, commencement) at the same time. I made hotel reservations sometimes as much as six months if not more ahead of time, to ensure a room at the the discount rate. (That’s more me - I like to plan ahead.)</p>
<p>Have a great four years!</p>
<p>Another Pomona mom here. My D is a current freshman. Congrats on your kids being accepted. So far we love it. My D flies Southwest into ONT which works out best - close and convenient. I also recommend Southwest if possible because they allow you to change reservations without a fee. … almost unheard of… and I’ve had to do it a few times. We’re staying at the Best Western near the Ontario Airport next time we go… someday we may get one of the closer hotes, but I don’t get my act together fast enough.</p>
<p>@LittleMother, thanks for the hotel suggestion, I was wondering about that. The Sheraton Fairplex has double or king rooms available during what I presume will be move in weekend (Sun 8/24) for Pomona-discounted rate of $109, versus internet rate of $134.</p>
<p>Basically, every room is a mini-suite - a bedroom for the parents and a living room with sleep sofa for the student with a separate entrance to the bathroom. It’s about 5 minutes or so by car from campus.</p>
<p>I’m a new Pomona mom who has never seen the school. (While I drove my D to colleges all over the Northeastern US, my husband accompanied her to CalTech and Pomona.) So far, all D has received is the ED acceptance letter and a letter acknowledging receipt of the deposit (with a Pomona College window decal tucked into the envelope). Will there be a designated weekend for parents and admitted students to explore the campus? When will the kids move in? We’re from PA and I have no idea how we’re going to transport all of my D’s things. Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>The Pomona website is very useful. There is a special area on the site for parents. They have a four year calendar which might be helpful to you and it tells when the move in date is, etc. It’s a Sunday, I believe. We had a very smooth move in experience this year - it took place on a Sunday and there were lots of helpers to help move the kids into their rooms, and very nice activities for the parents, too. We drove - but live in Oregon - but I think you could get a lot of things there if you fly by shipping or ordering to a local Bed Bath and Beyond. I think there is definitely an admitted students visiting time this spring after the regular decision acceptances, and you’re also welcome most times I think if that time doesn’t work for you.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that your D probably won’t need many ‘winter clothes’ which are bulkier. Keep in mind for Californians high 60s tends to be pretty cool. Also the closet and dresser space is probably a lot less than she is used to, so bringing less to start with might be the best option. (Easier said than done (-; ).</p>
<p>I am a Pomona parent of a class of 2014. We are from NJ and the only one in our family that had seen the campus before move in day was my D. We packed her clothes into suitcases but shipped a few boxes of heavy things like jeans, shoes and a few items from home that we didn’t want to purchase new. We shopped onlne for all her toiletries at websites like drugstore.com, school supplies from Staples and of course Bed, Bath and Beyond. We arrived in CA early the day before move in day and picked up the BB and B items. Pomona allows shipments 2 or 3 weeks before move in - they will let you know, so the rest of our purchases were waiting for us in the mail room. Most importantly there is a large sale of used items that graduating seniors no longer want - refrigerators, lamps, fans, hangers, couches furniture etc. sold at very inexpensive prices at move-in day. Get there nice and early for best selection.</p>
<p>Hey, are there any parents of football players out there? If so, could you PM me? I have a few questions, such as when are they supposed to arrive on campus?</p>
<p>My kids play winter and spring sports, but I know that the fall sports do arrive about a week early. You should check with the coach. Good luck!</p>
<p>D (who plays soccer) checked in on Monday 8/20, and says the FB team checked in on Sunday 8/19. The rest of the freshmen arrived for orientation on Sunday 8/26 (so yes, as westcoastmom1 said, it’s about a week early).</p>
<p>For shipping items, we found that FedEx Ground had the best rates. Remember that all the other CCs will be checking in, too, so if you’re planning on arriving on Saturday or Sunday, check airfares to get the best deals.</p>
<p>Thanks @otisp and @westcoastmom1, that info is helpful. I guess my real question is, is it better for us parents to accompany S when he arrives a week early to start his fall sports practices, or is it better to let him go by himself first and then for us to arrive in time for regular orientation/move-in, when presumably we’d be able to meet roommates and their families and participate in the first day orientation activities? We live out of state, so probably impractical for us to make 2 trips.</p>