@Quiches Yeah, exactly! My school operates under semester grades, so my quarter grades are more like progress reports that do not contribute to my GPA. I usually don’t do well in my Q1 grades because I know I can fix them before S1 ends. sigh
Parent of a Pomona junior here who was a successful ED1 applicant. I went back and looked and her GC got a request for “grades in progress” (that;s how the GC described it) on 12/9 and decisions came out on 12/12 that year (December 2014). Her high school had semester grades so she made sure to watch the online grade book to monitor what it showed in early December, even bugging one of her teachers who was behind in entering his grades in the online gradebook because that was making it look like she had missing assignments and a lower grade.
@Corinthian Yeah, that’s what I was hoping my school would do, except our semester ends late January, so it seems like they will only send Q1 grades. 
@Corinthian Thank you so much for all your effort and especially digging through material for us! We really appreciate it! That leaves about 3 days to enter and review Q1 grades which is probably not time-efficient to do for all accepted applicants. I’ve heard the theory that it is for people who are on the cusp of getting accepted. Anyone has any thoughts on that? I am just trying to figure out every clue possible.
@starbucks007 I am dreading yet cannot wait for December. I feel like if I get the Q1 grade request or not, I would be psyching myself out either way.
What if you used Coalition and they automatically ask for your Q1 grades? What does my counselor even give them? My first 6 weeks grades? My school runs on a semester system with each semester having 3 6 weeks… If they see my 1st 6 weeks grade… yikes, wasn’t hoping for that
@NebbyBag my experience has been amazing overall! I was really nervous as move-in day approached but the adjustment has been better than expected 
The people I’ve gotten to know are so caring and ambitious and talented and humble.
One of the reasons I chose Pomona over my other choices (Wellesley, Princeton, Reed) is the people are so down-to-earth. Almost no one humble-brags or casually mentions their accomplishments, and the conversations i have with my friends are very normal. On the other hand, it’s clear that people have intense passions. This was sooo refreshing after being surrounded by high schoolers who thought it was cool to be apathetic.
I’m taking intro to cognitive science, intro to linguistics, beginner german and my ID1 (writing seminar) is flashpoint of rock n roll history! The workload is honestly less than I expected but it’s still definitely rigorous. I spend around 2 hours working a night, but I also know people who consistently stay up until 3 or 4 AM working. My ID1 has around 15 people in it, but I’d say my other classes have about 30. Definitely still small enough that the professor gets to know you, but big enough that there are diverse perspectives in class discussions. I am also in the band and taking group piano lessons, both of which i loooove.
I’d say the most unexpected part of my Pomona experience was how much I enjoyed my OA trip (community engagement). I have never been a big fan of camping, and I am quite the introvert, so I thought spending all day outdoors, talking to strangers sounded miserable. But honestly, it was blissful. I met the coolest people, felt like I got close to them so quickly and just had a fabulous time…although our tent did get invaded with ants lol but we survived.
Another thing I didn’t think much about before coming was the 47 Things Trips, but I highly suggest taking advantage of them if you come! Pomona pays for us to go to cool events in LA and surrounding areas, so I’ve gone to the Huntington Gardens, the Getty Museum and the LA County Fair. Such a good way to get out of the Claremont bubble (which is v real!)
@Quiches Pomona is really living up to my expectations in most regards. I would say a disappointment for me has been the dynamics of my sponsor group. Pomona talks a lot about how they carefully match personalities so your sponsor group will be filled with potential compatible friends, but I’m not really close with anyone in my sponsor group. This is partially my fault, because I overemphasized how quiet I am on the housing survey so that i could get a single, but due to that, I ended up getting a very very quiet sponsor group. Can’t really blame Pomona for that but I’d just say not only be honest on your housing survey, but picture what you’ll actually be like in college. I was quiet in high school but turns out, with my family not around, I like chatting with people in my hall at night!
Hope this info helps i’m done procrastinating my id1 essay now haha
@starbucks007 @Quiches From the little bits of information I’ve gathered from the internet (sorry I don’t have sources), it seems like there is a small group of applicants every year receiving requests for their quarter grades. However, they turned out to be either accepted, deferred, or rejected. So, this debunks the belief that if you don’t receive a request, you are screwed. Same vice-versa - receiving a request doesn’t mean you should drop school and go celebrate LOL. That’s why Quiches’ theory is quite sound. It does make sense for the OAs to be interested in your senior grades if you just on the line of admission, so keep up the hard work :’)
My school has 3 terms a year… so how is that even going to work for me? Rip. My first term marks are finalized in like 3 weeks. I really don’t want to send them.
@Gracethecat22 Wow, your experience sounds amazing (and makes me want to go to Pomona even more)! I am quite the extrovert but I am a super sensitive sleeper, so I can totally relate to the need for a single. Do you think there is a way to communicate my preference for a single without emphasising a need to be quiet? And I totally agree on being honest on housing forms, I didn’t know that determined your sponsor groups as well!
Are there any other tips that you would give to next year’s freshmen? I know you are only a few months in but hey, it is never too early to start reflecting.
@NebbyBag On CC, I’ve seen more people out of the admitted to have received a grade request. However, this is quite a small and unrepresentative sample size that the results are probably invalid. I guess we just have to wait it out and not lose hope either way.
I really don’t understand how reviewing Q1 grades work. Do they re-review the entire application after receiving the grades? or do they save certain applications until Q1 grades arrive and then start reviewing them? And only a few days before the decisions are out. Do other ED schools do this as well?
@Gracethecat22 Wow, thank you for sharing your experiences! Do you think there was something in particular that made you stand out as an applicant? (essays, ECs, rec letters).
I just feel that I am just constantly nervous and/or sad because I feel like I will never ever possibly be accepted into such a perfect school. Dec can’t come sooner.
Also, is anyone worried about their lack of diversity? Pomona really values diversity in all categories. I’m an asian female from CA, so I am really diverse. lol
@Starbucks007 another asian female from CA here… LOL are you from norcal or socal? I’m from Norcal!
and same, Pomona is literally flawless…I really hope all of us here could get in
It makes me nervous to think that the admissions officers could be reviewing my app anytime… maybe they have already. I’m just praying they’re all in a very good mood when they come across my app and hopefully accept me… even if it’s accidental 
@enenalal @Starbucks007 haha, I totally relate to the pre-decision anxiety. I literally cannot focus on my homework thinking about the imminent decision. I keep on telling myself to manage my expectations, especially with such a low acceptance rate, yet I am more in love with Pomona than ever! (anyone who can comment on the downsides of Pomona?)
As for diversity, it is true that Pomona seems to be very intentional with having a very diverse class, which is one the factors that attracted me to Pomona. While being an ORM obviously does not help in admissions, I’d like to think individuals have a diversity of experiences regardless of their ethnicities. I am sure that the admissions will value your unique experience as an individual over a simple category.
@enenalal SoCal!
@Starbucks007 aha, I see. Pomona will be super close to home then, huh? that’d be nice! I’ll def miss my mom’s food…
@Quiches yeah, I agree that the admissions will value my experiences as an individual more and that makes me even more excited about pomona…I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET NEW PEOPLE FROM SO MANY BACKGROUNDS! I’ve spent my whole life moving around (I moved 13 times between 4 countries lol) so I’m super excited to settle down at one place for college and meet people I’ll happily spend four years with (or maybe the rest of my life lol)
and yeah, i haven’t found a downside for pomona 
maybe I’ll ask my interviewer next week LOL
@Quiches apparently from what Ive read, Pomona has the stanford duck syndrome. mental health resources are really in demand at Pomona, more so than other the average college… so that’s kind of worrying. Also, of course, Pomona’s rigor, apparently there’s a recent shift to get rid of Pomona’s “chill” vibe, and grade inflation is decreasing. That means Pomona loses it’s laid-back vibe and is now more competitive, maybe reaching the levels of some t20s? so basically, some of the reviews on niche and unigo won’t really apply that much for future classes.
It’s really nice to see so much enthusiasm here! I wish you all the best of luck.
As a Pomona graduate, I can say it is not a perfect place. And I appreciate that about it, because it gives students an opportunity to reflect on their values and beliefs instead of sticking with the status quo. If you asked students what they didn’t like about Pomona or what they would change, you’d get hundreds of differing answers because this is such a complex institution serving such a diversity of people. But I also think the sheer majority will tell you, despite some of their hesitations, they would not want to attend school elsewhere, because many of the problems inherent with Pomona are similar or worse at peer colleges.
I want to touch up on what @llllllllllllllll mentioned above. I’ve heard the grade deflation story but my grades have honestly risen over the years (I graduated in 2016). Pomona has a GPA breakdown for the top 25% of each class by semester GPA in this link: https://www.pomona.edu/administration/registrar/reports-statistics/pomona-college-scholars (Pomona’s GPA is just 4.0 x 3, or a maximum of a 12). The cutoff to get it for Spring 2017 is among the highest it has ever been- with seniors needing a perfect semester GPA to be in the top 25% of their class! If grade deflation was noticeable, you would think that the cutoffs would fall, but they have remained rather consistent over the past 6 years.
I don’t believe that the Stanford Duck Syndrome is a thing here. As someone who has worked at Stanford and has many close Stanford friends, I can say Stanford’s culture is different from Pomona’s. There is more individual attention placed on students here and a larger communal feel that really aims to nurture and inspire growth- more openness for discussing hardship and frustrations and a culture that fosters authenticity and reflection. I remember when someone posted in their class page after a few months of attending Pomona that they were struggling, and someone put together a class “heart-to-heart” with hot coffee and cookies for people to come together. More than 100 students attended- over a quarter of that class. We have had many open-mic nights where the event room was filled with students wanting to hear from their peers. There’s a generational spirit of helping as well- one of my friends who recently received a prestigious fellowship received full-depth tutoring and advice for writing a successful essay from a former winner of 4 years back.
Never have I experienced any peer-to-peer competitiveness in any of my courses. Collaboration is a natural routine here. People form study groups readily, they organize meals to discuss coursework and assignments, they spend hours of their own time helping to tutor those who ask for help… Yes, people are ambitious and highly motivated, but they tend to be modest. Gracethecat22 mentioned how they appear to be normal but have intense passions if you get to know them, and this is pretty accurate. There were people on my graduating class’s highest honors list who I was shocked to see, not because their abilities could be called into doubt, but because they were truly some of the most pleasant and helpful people I have ever met.
It should be noted that Pomona does not engage in marketing or cherry-picking of ranking factors to influence its admissions process. If you actually look at the average SAT scores over time in the last decade, they’ve fallen just a tad and stabilized, definitely not risen alongside decreasing acceptance rates and higher application numbers. Are we losing more of our strongest to other schools? No, Pomona’s yield is the highest of any top LAC and has risen over time (39% in 2007 vs 55% in 2017). Why then? Because the admissions officers of today are especially committed to a holistic approach where everyone is valued both for their individual contribution and their ability to interact with others, not primarily for their quantitative profile. And that creates a difference in the student body- a good difference, in my opinion.
@enenalal Wow, you have moved A LOT! That should also be a great reason you shouldn’t worry so much about diversity (or lack thereof). I am sure you’ve had interesting, unique experiences living abroad that will make you stand out. Did you mention your relocations on your app?
@nostalgicwisdom WOWOW, thank you so much for writing this comprehensive post! You are seriously one of my greatest sources of information on Pomona with all your detailed posts and a clear passion for your school. Thank you for all your time and effort to benefit prospectives!
I am glad to hear that there is no Stanford-duck syndrome nor competition. The biggest reason I applied to Pomona ED and prefer a LAC in general instead of an Ivy is that I wanted a challenging yet nurturing environment.
However, one of my potential concerns about a LAC is name recognition (which comes with the nature of a small LAC). Since I really want to work internationally and in smaller nations, is this a significant disadvantage in job recruitments? Most Californians don’t know about Pomona so I imagine what employers in a distant nation know about the school.
Do you ever feel like this has hindered your job search at all, in the hypothetical comparison of a bigger, more-known school? This is definitely not a deal-breaker at all or else I would have never applied ED but I am genuinely curious.
Thanks!
Good question. A lot to tackle. For recruiting, Pomona and the rest of the Claremonts are as good as it gets for small LACs. Employers know us as one of the best set of colleges in California and actively come to recruit our students (they also get the benefit of targeting 5 colleges at once instead of just one small LAC). You get access to the events across all five schools, and because they have such distinct missions, it really opens up the diversity of prospective employers who visit. I’ve looked at on-campus recruiting at peer liberal art colleges and am in awe of how stark the difference can be. Here is a listing of 5C employers who actively recruited a few years back. It’s missing some prominent companies like Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey which I know for sure do employer events: http://inside.scrippscollege.edu/careerplanning/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2011-2012-Recruiter-List-7Cs.pdf
The problem is that many students do not (did not) take advantage of these opportunities and connections. One of the dangers of Pomona is that it creates a bubble where it is easy to forget about the outside world. At the Ivies, the sheer discussion about summer internships and job prospects keeps an atmosphere of competition and awareness to thrive in pre-professional endeavors. At Pomona, as I mentioned, people are very modest, so it’s easy to push that topic aside until deadlines approach/pass and you wish you had done more.
No doors are closed from attending Pomona, but like it is at any school, you need to be proactive, diligent, and resourceful. Reach out to Pomona alumni in your fields of interest. Reach out to Claremont Colleges alumni. Reach out to top LAC alumni, who’d be thrilled to support a fellow LAC student- especially from a school as respected as Pomona. Heck, reach out to any alumni from a top school who will be more likely to be familiar with Pomona than to not be- one of my friends got a job by reaching out to a Northwestern affiliated journalist. Keep yourself engaged and accumulate skills/experiences which can transfer to your fields of interests. Take advantage of all the opportunities our CDO offers- resume advising, mock interviews, internship funding, personalized career advising, alumni shadowing, and winter break recruiting among them. Attend employer information sessions and build a personal relationship with the people who host them. There is a plethora of resources, funding, and knowledge available for Pomona students to position themselves into the career world- it falls on you to seek them out and benefit.
In my experience, Pomona is a well-respected name among the highly educated and top company recruiters. I mentioned that I worked at Stanford. While I was there, everyone I interacted with was familiar and impressed to hear that I was from there. I attended a conference at Brown and almost every undergrad I talked to knew about and respected the school. I had an interview with a top law firm based in the East Coast who said that they wished they had more interest from Pomona students. It surprises you because you’re so used to your school not being known, but then there are those moments of pride that come out where it matters most. Pomona’s status also seems to be increasing due to the Forbes ranking of colleges where it has repeatedly performed in the top 10.
But much of this is nationally focused. Internationally, the picture is a bit different. Most people, even the highly educated, living abroad have never heard of Rice or Dartmouth, let alone Pomona. The most familiar schools are HYPSM, Columbia, Duke, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Caltech, UPenn, and maybe a handful of others. The suggested advice is to get a graduate degree from a prestigious school in the US or abroad (like Oxford/Cambridge), or to work for a prestigious company in the US before moving abroad (where your resume/experience will make up for an unfamiliar college). Additionally, you can work with a U.S. located/based organization with international roots, like the U.N. (NYC), the World Bank (D.C), and the State Department (diplomacy), or international branches of global firms. The graduate school path happens at universities and LACs alike- at both Brown and Pomona, 80% of alums ultimately go on to pursue graduate degrees within ten years of graduation.
Do you think it is possible to be accepted if you are committed to multiple extracurriculars that you are passionate about? My S has about 4 main ECs that he is really committed to, but they are not one single passion like all music/all art/all one sport. I’m worried Pomona prefers students that are very clearly passionate about one thing. My S is very passionate about all ECs, but they are not focused on one particular area… maybe STEM.
Yes, absolutely. I would even go far to suspect Pomona prefers students with multiple commitments and interests to those who are singularly defined. Exploration, going outside one’s comfort zone, and meaningful interaction with students from differing backgrounds/narratives is a fundamental part of the Pomona experience, and a range of passions could demonstrate those aspects or evidence undertaking them in the past to some capacity.
@nostalgicwisdom, regarding recruitment - you say that when employers visit campus, students at any of the 5Cs can participate. Is that true across the board, so if BigTechFirm is coming to Harvey Mudd, Pomona students can show up?
Is that true of alumni networking at all?