Hi
I’ve recently been accepted to Pomona and Dartmouth, and I am completely in awe. However, I now have to decide which I would like to admit and I’m obviously having a hard time.
Overall here are some aspects about myself and how I hope to be perceived in either school.
Racial/Ethnicity
I’m a Latina student and overall endorse terms such as Latinx, so how does Pomona treat its latinx students and how does the latinx community impact Pomona. From what I’ve researched there seems to be numerous Latinx groups but how active are they on campus?
Socioeconomic status
I’m a questbridge scholar and so how are students of lower income and first generation treated. Is there any type of tension or overall uncomfortableness if one fits into these categories
Social Scene
I wouldn’t consider myself a party person as I get very anxious however I wouldn’t consider myself as an intorverted person. Overall I enjoy activities such as poetry recitation, art shows, cultural events, plays etc. How prevalent are those types of activities at Pomona?
Promixity to LA
I live in a small town in Oklahoma so I’m not too worried about longing city life but how stressful or time consuming is going to LA? Is it necessary at all to go to LA?
I think these are a few basic things I’m considering about Pomona. I appologize if some of these topics have been covered before but I would like to have these topics considered with Dartmouth in comparison. I would very much appreciate any type of response. thank you!!!
Pomona and Harvey Mudd (nearby consortium school) actually have the highest % of Latinx students of any LAC or top university. Nearly a fifth of the students who were admitted to Pomona are Latinx this year. The student body president will be a Latina next year. The CLSA is an active organization which provides support and mentorship of Latinx across the 5C’s, including a CLSA retreat where you can meet people from the other colleges. Furthermore, Pomona’s POC community is noticeably strong and cohesive. You’re not going to just have Hispanic friends- your friends will span people from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Nearly 61% of Pomona students this year are POCs or international students (the majority of whom are also POCs). 20% are first-gen students, and Pomona was ranked by the US News as one of the ten schools doing the most for low-income students (Dartmouth is 55). I’ve always felt that Pomona was at the front of its peers for wanting to bring a diverse student body, and far ahead of Dartmouth in that respect.
The QuestBridge chapter at Pomona is considered one of the strongest in the nation, and the group has over 250 students (nearly 15% of Pomona’s student body). It won a $50000 grant just recently as the best student organization in the country. I’d encourage you to look through the website (http://www.questfriends.com/) and to join the QB Facebook group (it’s called Pomona College QuestBridge Friends!). There are plenty of people who were deciding between Dartmouth and Pomona who can give you detailed perspective as a low income student themselves. There’s another page on FB called Pomona College QuestBridge Chapter which captures with videos and pictures what the Quest community is like. I have been to the IVYG conference which hosts first-gen students at the Ivies, Stanford, Amherst, Pomona, etc. and the participants are constantly surprised by how far ahead and progressive Pomona is compared to other schools.
That’s not to say you’ll have a perfect experience. Going to any elite college can be a jarring transition. But there are support networks and communities in place at Pomona from the minute you step foot on campus to help you succeed. One great thing about Pomona that few schools have is that it is very egalitarian. It was one among a few of its peer schools that was co-ed from the start and open to educating POCs. There aren’t noticeable social hierarchies as there are at top universities. Students don’t show off their wealth or flaunt their family backgrounds- it’s frowned upon here. The outfit of choice is flip-flops and t-shirts. There is a huge culture of respect and compassion here, and every student participates in it. I feel that while at other schools I would have to hide being low-income or first-gen to become something else, at Pomona, I can embrace my roots and history while also gaining a new cultural experience. They are two parts of me that are important.
I think one thing that you should consider is that Los Angeles is home to a large Latinx community (the largest in the country, actually), whereas Hanover is nowhere near that. So that can be great in terms of meeting people from your community for cultural gatherings or getting the best ethnic food available in the country 
Just know Pomona is not in the heart of the city, but in a suburb 30 miles away. I find it perfect, actually. You have Los Angeles accessible if you want it to be, but you’re in a safe and peaceful city for your campus experiences. Claremont is considered one of the nicest towns in SoCal. You honestly never have to go to LA if you don’t want to, but that’d be a huge shame given how much it has to offer! To get to LA, you take a train from the south end of Pomona’s campus. It takes 50 minutes and it is very convenient. Quest hosts a really nice event called Explore LA Day each fall and takes students for a day around LA with public transportation, stopping at museums, observatories, art pieces, and more! The school also hosts its own set of events to LA and provides funding and transportation, such as $20 tickets to Disney Land or $5 tickets to the LA County Museum of Art.
You sound like a perfect fit for Pomona’s social scene. As you realize, the fraternity/party/alcohol scene is big at Dartmouth, and it is noticeably tamer at Pomona (ie. you could not participate and still fit in/have a great time at Pomona). One thing you need to consider is that Pomona is part of the five Claremont Colleges, so your social life includes students from all the schools. Any event hosted at one school tends to be open to everyone. Your meal card will work for seven dining halls. There is an endless variety of just the sort of events you are captivated by- art, slam poetry, speakers, theater, music, etc. I think the numbers were that the 5C’s hosted over 8000 events last year. The 5C’s are known for their incredible quality of life and constantly win accolades among the Princeton Review for it. While academics are rigorous at Pomona, they still give you time to explore all the great opportunities happening in the colleges.
Are you going to visit them? Are they providing travel money for you to visit? I think you’ll get an impression for which school you like more by doing so. They are very different from each other.
@nostalgicwisdom Thank you so much for your response! Unfortunately the dates for the events to visit both schools are during things like string contest and dcon for key club so I will not be able to visit campus.
I think an aspect I would really appreciate from Pomona are the support systems in place since at my current high school it can be very lacking. Also if you don’t mind telling me what are you majoring in or what is your field of study. I’m interested in linguistics but that could change haha! Once again thank you for your response! Pomona does seem to fit more in tune with me in terms of social scene.
@nostalgicwisdom I always get nostalgic reading your posts. They bring me back a year when our oldest was deciding between Pomona and Stanford, his Dad’s Alma mater. He chose Pomona without much hesitation and your posts helped his dad and I understand his choice for a more intimate laid back, educational experience.
Kudos!
Molecular Biology, but I contemplated switching majors from History to Public Policy Analysis to Computer Science to English to Relious Studies to Psychology 
I think that’s one of the great things about Pomona- it has a robust intellectual culture that lets you explore all you want for your first two years, and every faculty in every department is committed to teaching and supporting undergraduates. I’ve heard incredible things about the linguistics program. Good luck to you! Definitely join the QB page (I’m an admin, I’ll approve you) and the Pomona Class of 2021/Dartmouth Class of 2021 pages to get a sense of the culture.
@Chirping4Fun after having the experience I did at Pomona, I think I would go with Pomona over Stanford too. It’s provides in my opinion an unbeatable undergraduate experience, and this is from talking to a ton of friends who are at all the Ivies, Stanford, etc. Shame it doesn’t get more recognition. Thanks for looking at my posts!
As this is a Pomona College board, it’s a good place for information about Pomona. For information on Dartmouth, use the Dartmouth board. No surprise, the Pomona board will push Pomona and the Dartmouth one will push Dartmouth. My advice is to speak with students at each college and decide accordingly. And of course, do I want to go to college in SoCal or New England? Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
The cultural difference between Dartmouth and Pomona is vast. The geographical isolation, the relatively low cultural diversity and the Greek fraternity system of Dartmouth are three of the most pronounced differences. My son had considered Dartmouth for engineering, but when we became aware of the cultural impact of the fraternities at Dartmouth, he decided against it. He met with several Dartmouth alum for in-depth discussions. See: http://www.dartreview.com/a-timeline-of-scandal/ for a timeline and summary.
My daughter got into pomona and Dartmouth. The more she learned about each school that spring, the more she wondered why she bothered applying to Dartmouth. They are so incredibly different that anyone happy at one school probably would not be happy at the other.