<p>My perspective on what i'm about to write is that im sitting in bed right now in my dorm at pomona.</p>
<p>I've read many posts where people seem intent on classifying the claremont colleges as good for certain disciplines, but not as good for others. I dont think anyone can do that. What I've observed is the following:</p>
<p>CMC is much better for social sciences than it is for applied sciences/humanities</p>
<p>I dont have much experience with Pitzer or Scripps but I've gathered that Scripps' humanities departments are better than their other offerings.</p>
<p>HMC is much better for Computer Science and Engineering than it is for humanities courses.</p>
<p>Pomona does in my opinion a better job in every respect than each of the other colleges in terms of course offerings and depth. From conversations with my friends at CMC, looking at their materials, and sitting in on a few classes I can say (although my evidence is purely anecdotal [sp?]) that the social sciences at Pomona are better than those at CMC. I haven't been to any classes at Harvey Mudd so I cannot comment on them personally but have spoken to many of my friends about their courses and came to the above noted conclusion.</p>
<p>Pomona students are not pretentious. Every time I read that I wonder how that stereotype evolved. I know many CMC students who applied to Pomona, but didn't get in and feel like their negative feelings towards Pomona may be expressed with this perception of theirs, but that's just conjecture. I have met some of the most down to earth and fun people whom I have ever met here and have never felt that anyone was the slightest bit stuck up or elitist.</p>
<p>If you have personal experience with the colleges please respond, for the sake of maintaining a cohesive discussion please do not respond with a statement based on what you read in a college guide. Questions obviously are welcome, just please dont start arguing based on things you dont have experience with</p>
<p>Right. So with your own logic, you should not be talking about Mudd, Scripps, or Pitzer as you have not actually taken any classes at any of these places.</p>
<p>I'm a Mudd student... an engineer. Last time I checked, Pomona does not offer experimental engineering, fourier analysis, systems and signals, continuum mechanics, modern control theory, incompressible flow, compressible flow... these are not trivial classes that are based on aesthetic or subjective correctness. In the real world if people mess these things up people (sometimes in mass) die.</p>
<p>You know, I have the 5C catalogue in front of me. Now that I look Pomona has NO engineering classes. I think the common perseption of non-engineers (or non-science people) is that engineering just deals with designing stuff. No. Engineering is an application of advanced scientific concepts such as fourier transforms, wave-bouncing, structural mechanics (dynamic and static systems).</p>
<p>"Pomona does in my opinion a better job in every respect than each of the other colleges in terms of course offerings and depth."-wakebrdr</p>
<p>No. Not in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics. Again, do some real research (like looking at a course catalogue)...HMC has many more offerings in these classes. Pomona and HMC have roughly the same number of course offerings in chemistry and biology.</p>
<p>Again, you underestimate the depth and involvement knowledge has with people who are not like yourself.</p>
<p>So what if Pomona doesn't offer fourier analysis? Any interested student can walk 10 minutes and take it at Mudd. And who cares whether or not Mudd's science offerings are stronger than its humanities offerings? Scripps is across the street. These facts may make for good clarifications, but they say nothing about the overall quality of each school, nor the actual quality of education available to students.</p>
<p>I think that the OP hit the nail on the head when he said "I've read many posts where people seem intent on classifying the claremont colleges as good for certain disciplines, but not as good for others. I dont think anyone can do that." And I think that the absolute truth and importance of this statement render the rest of his post (and the next), completely superfluous.</p>
<p>I'm definitely not saying that there isn't value in broad generalization or categorization, but if I have to hear the "which school is best at econ" debate one more time (especially among current students), I'm going to be just a little bit sick. If you come to Claremont, you're an intelligent person and you value your education. Period. Incredible facilities and resources will be available to you, almost regardless of your interests. We're basically 1/10 of the top 50 LACs. </p>
<p>I don't know why, on a message board intended for prospective students, any further debate is necessary. I don't think that it reflects well on ANY of the schools, nor do I think it's actually representative of the campus climate or the interaction between current students.</p>
<p>(My perspective? Scripps senior soon to have two joint/cooperative degrees. Have taken multiple classes in multiple fields on every single other campus.)</p>
<p>Most people at all of the 5Cs are not stuck-up, but there are some at every school, and Pomona is no exception. You're gonna find stuck-up people anywhere. Geez.</p>
<p>Yeah, and it's tough getting over the presence of so many elitists at Pomona. Guess what, sagecock: there are kids at CMC who got into Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown. I had the choice of Pomona and CMC, and chose (oh dear, Lord!) CMC! Really, dude, get over yourself. You're going to find that there are quite a few CMCers who are smarter than you, and a LOT more laidback.</p>
<p>wakebrdr is not representative of the ideals that most Pomona students carry, but this thread is getting out of control. Though most pick Pomona among the two, there are people that choose CMC over Pomona (it's true). There are people at Pomona who didn't get into CMC, and vice-versa. </p>
<p>To wakebrdr: It's contradictory to say that labeling a school is wrong, and then blatantly over generalizing the other 4C's. Personally, I think every one of the 5 colleges is great, and we are part of a whole. And if you flame CMC, it isn't going to make Pomona seem any better, but rather bring all of us down together.</p>
<p>"I think every one of the 5 colleges is great, and we are part of a whole. And if you flame CMC, it isn't going to make Pomona seem any better, but rather bring all of us down together."</p>
<p>
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"Pomona does in my opinion a better job in every respect than each of the other colleges in terms of course offerings and depth."-wakebrdr
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</p>
<p>
[quote]
RocketDA
No. Not in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics. Again, do some real research (like looking at a course catalogue)...HMC has many more offerings in these classes.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>RocketDA, Pomona DOES offer the prestigious 3/2 engineering program in conjunction with CalTech. Students take their first 3 years taking math, physics, and chemistry classes at Pomona, then transfer to CalTech for the upper division engineering courses. When they graduate, they receive a degree from each college.</p>
<p>UCLA Band Mom -- It's definitely valid to note that the other Claremonts do allow students to pursue engineering. I believe that all of the other schools (not just Pomona) offer prestigious 3/2 programs (including 3/2 programs with Mudd). But the upper-division course offerings are not Pomona's (or CMC, Scripps, or Pitzer's), so Mudd maintains the edge in terms of on-campus engineering course offerings (and the root of this thread seems to be "on campus offerings," with little concern for the "more than the sum of its parts" philosophy that I think better describes Claremont).</p>
<p>(Please note: not supporting any particular claims, just trying to clarify the previous post.)</p>
<p>I've never really understood the whole flaming other 4C's thing. People go where they are accepted and where they want to go. Pomona was the only 5C school I applied to because it just felt more right for me than CMC, mainly academically: I wanted to major in foreign languages and the humanities. I'm not majoring in a science, so I didn't apply to HMC. I know that my choice of school might stereotype me, but my choice was right for me.</p>
<p>I'm glad I'm here, and I'm glad I'm part of this consortium. But, we are a group of people who attend small, private colleges, and like brassmonkey said, of course there are going to be people who are stuck-up and elitist; there are these people everywhere you go. But, high school's over---the rivalries, the cliques, and the stereotypes are immature and unproductive. You're not defined by the campus you choose the attend; nor do you have the right to judge someone else based on the campus they chose to attend. The consortium exists for us to have more extensive choices of classes and therefore more extensive opportunities to meet new, different people and experience different professors. Embrace that, and get over the labels.</p>