I wondered if any current or past Pomona Bio majors could shed light on their decision to attend Pomona versus one of the UC’s. UCSD, Cal, UCLA, UC Davis all have strong programs, UCSD has a lot of internship opportunities. What persuaded you toward Pomona? Were you happy with your decision and would you make the same decision all over again?
Thank you.
D visited UCB, UCSD, UCI, UCD, and UCLA (as you noted, they all have strong programs). She applied to the last two, but withdrew her apps after an amazing visit to Pomona, and being admitted ED. Actual students, feel free to give your own experience, but I believe she said her biggest intro classes had 20-30 students - with labs about half that size - and she’s had upper division classes with 6-8 students - all taught completely by profs. I think she said that there are TAs, but unlike at the UCs, they are undergrads that don’t teach, but tend to act like been-there-done-that mentors for the labs. While a lot of her friends took advantage of the famous Pomona SURPs ($4000 to conduct their own research or collaborate with a prof), she has had 3 extensive internships, for which Pomona provided some financial support. She had an incredible semester abroad in one of a whole bunch of programs that the department designed to integrate and not interfere with student study plans, and the entire cost - including transportation - was covered in the normal fees/financial aid. Haven’t seen any sign of buyer’s remorse.
@otisip Thanks so much. We have a SoCal college tour coming up. I’ll add Pomona to the must-see list.
@patertrium I’m a current first-year at Pomona, and I’m planning on majoring in Molecular Biology. I was also admitted to UC Davis Regents’, UC Berkeley, and UCLA Regents’, but I chose Pomona for the intimate relationships you can develop with your professors here. It’s one of the rare small schools that has the endowment funds to allow for cutting-edge research and funding while still preserving the benefits of a small liberal arts college (VERY small classes, professors that care about educating you, etc). Especially if you plan on continuing on to grad or med school (as I do), I highly recommend you start your higher education here and get the institutional attention focused on you as an undergrad! Feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions 