Am I a fool for liking Pomona more than Duke? Duke feels like this superpower college that I would be an idiot to say no to and would be giving up so many opportunities. Everyone around me keeps telling me that I would be making the wrong decision to choose Pomona. I still have to visit Duke, but I loved my Pomona visit. I loved the size, that most people knew each other, the other 5C campuses, the diversity, and the open-mindedness. There were negatives, of course. But I just feel something about Pomona. Maybe I will feel the same thing after my Duke visit.
Follow your heart!
My friend chose Pomona over an Ivy League. Go where you want to go.
Follow your instincts. It’s a tough choice in front of you. Pomona is a highly prestigious among LAC’s, while Duke is highly prestigious among national universities – if prestige is what’s making your decision tough. Of course, you’d need to critically assess what resources each of these schools offer – FA package, your major field(s), programs, EC and social opportunities, etc. – all as a part of the total picture. My son was admitted to both, among other schools, this past year (he’s currently finishing up his gap year), and if he’s deciding just between these two today, I’d advise him the exact same: go with your instinct, other factors being pretty equal or non-significant.
No. These two are peers (both Ivy-equivalents) by alumni achievements, so go with fit.
You’re definitely not a fool for liking Pomona but what are you even comparing it to? Wait until your Duke visit before you make a decision either way.
Congratulations on two outstanding admits! Extremely different environments. You will have a sense of where you will fit best after your visit to Duke. One caveat, if you plan to work internationally, Duke has a steadily growing reputation as a leading research university while even Swarthmore, Amherst and Williams are virtual unknowns outside of the most sophisticated employers and top graduate programs.
I don’t see it as much of a choice. From an undergraduate education standpoint, the ability to get a great job or get into a top graduate school program, Pomona wins. If you want a name for your hoodie or like semi-pro (I mean big college) basketball, then go to Duke.
Both are great schools, all kidding aside. But Pomona is a great school, surrounded by 4 other LACs that are each amazing (two others are just as selective as Pomona, while the other 2 are nearly as selective). The student body size is large by LAC standards when all 5Cs are combined. The social scene is whatever you want to find but without the b.s. of greek life controlling things.
Go to Pomona!
Honestly, your reply made me really happy. I’m curious about the graduate school thing… is Pomona really that much better than Duke for sending students to graduate programs?
It really depends on the interests and personality of the student. Universities can be terrific places for go-getters who actively seek out research and funding opportunities. Students who are more hesitant to jostle with other undergrads or grad students for attention may be better served at a LAC.
I had access to classes, professors, and labs at Duke (and UNC) that exceeded the breadth and depth of the Claremont colleges, and since I majored in unpopular fields (geology and classics/archaeology), my classes virtually all had <10-15 students. It was not unusual for professors to stop me in the hallway to ask about how my graduate applications were going or to email me about some recently published books they thought I’d like, and professors often took students in a small seminar (like upper-level Greek courses) out to dinner at the end of the semester – in fact, Duke provides funds for faculty to do so.
A student majoring in a larger and more impersonal department at Duke (e.g. econ), on the other hand, can have a very different experience. Not necessarily a bad experience, mind you, but different.
No.
“the ability to get a great job”
This is what bothers me most about this website. This statement could not be more ill-informed. The mean income of Pomona graduates at age 34 is $62,000 (NY Times). The mean income for Duke graduates is $87,500 (NY Times). According to the WSJ, Duke graduates have the best outcomes (tied with Harvard).
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/duke-university
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/duke-university
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-colleges-whose-graduates-do-best-financially-1506466920
^ I suspect the choice of major (and other factors such as internships or graduate degrees) has a bigger impact on earnings than the choice between two ~peer colleges. It may be the case that a higher percentage of Duke graduates pursues relatively high-income professions, while a higher percentage of Pomona graduates choose lower-paying careers (in academia for example). The WSJ article is behind a paywall so I can’t see if the author(s) controlled for such factors.
As you highlighted it may be a number of factors but the non speculative reality is Duke students earn 41% more.
In addition to personal fit, I think what you want to study should be a big factor here. Take a look at your top 2 or 3 majors and explore who the professors and classes online and see how they resonate with you you.
My D. came this close to choosing Scripps. We visited and really loved the 5Cs.
I live near Duke. It’s more classic East coast school in that very stereotypical way… It has a ‘work hard; play hard’ school with a very active social scene. They have the most amazing dining facility I’ve ever seen – awesome but kinda ridiculous. The place kinda drips money in a way that turned me off, but that’s preference.
Regarding the salary difference, every 3rd person (I joke - kinda) you meet at Duke plans to go to Wall St. so I’m not surprised.
The last thing I’ll say is if you’re female, there’s been controversy over the years at Duke about the climate being a little tougher for women. High expectations around looks, smarts, and ‘being perfect.’ Haven’t heard as much of that recently, but it was a focus of campus discussion about six or seven years ago.
Two great options – congrats!!!
Lots of kids at my student’s high school were choosing between Pomona and Harvard or Yale. Duke is a no brainer. Go to Pomona. higher ranked based on LAC rankings and better opportunities overall.
^ Definitely not a no-brainer and definitely not better opportunities than Duke.
Go with fit.
Yes, a small LAC with lots of opportunities created for their students like research, internships, networking etc much better than a large college where you have to compete for limited resources. No brainer.
Where are you from OP? All things being equal, it might be nice to experience a different part of the country from where you’ve grown up.
@preppedparent You’re being extremely belligerent. Just saying.
“Yes, a small LAC with lots of opportunities created for their students like research, internships, networking etc much better than a large college where you have to compete for limited resources. No brainer.”
Yes, we should all pick Wesleyan over Stanford. Lol.
@preppedparent, I don’t know of too many people who would say research U’s the caliber of Duke have “limited resources”.