Hi everyone,
I am deciding between Pomona College and UC Berkeley, and was wondering if I could have some advice. Here are my pros and cons:
Pomona College
Pros:
-like the vibe and campus better, seems cleaner and safer
-like the small classes and the attention students receive
-its reputation as a liberal arts college
-I feel like I fit in there more than at Berkeley, but at the same time isn’t college about breaking out of my comfort zone?
Cons:
-far away from home (I am really close with my family, and am not sure if I would get used to living this far from home—can anyone speak on this?). My brother goes to UC Berkeley, and he would end up visiting my family more often.
-smaller
-possibly less exciting (although there are activities to do at Pomona, there is no D1 football and other sports)
Berkeley
Pros:
-close to home
-international and national reputation
-strong academics
-more lively
-chance to break out of comfort zone (not sure if this is necessary to do in college?)
Cons:
-feel unsafe whenever I visit, feel like I fit in there less (not sure if I would get used to this: can anyone speak on this?)
-less individualized attention, amount of people feels slightly overwhelming (can anyone speak on this as well?)
Thank you so much—this is such a tough decision for me. I really think it comes down to if college is about breaking out of one’s comfort zone or choosing a place where you know you would be comfortable.
Hasn’t the SIR deadline already passed?
@college4424: You asked on another thread if you could switch your SIR from UCB to UCLA and now you are asking about Pomona??? You cannot keep changing your mind on which college you want to attend. There is a reason that their is an SIR DEADLINE. You need to make a committment and keep it.
College is just a tough decision, and I want to make sure I am absolutely positive about where I would like to go. 
Does anyone have any advice about the two colleges above?
I know several people who went to Pomona and they were so happy there talking about they had great internship and got to know professors well to get recommendation letters for grad school. I also know Berkeley graduates people they were in general academically happy but they said they wish class sizes were smaller. Both are excellent colleges and you are very fortunate to got into those colleges. But college is the place you will spend 4 years so, you really need to be happy there. If you are California resident you can save lots of money to go to Berkeley. If you are out of state you should go to Pomona. Good luck!
Pomona, hands down, unless you are certain you want to major in something like chem eng.
Thank you guys for the responses! marvin100, what do you think about biology at Pomona?
Pomona sounds like a better fit for you from what you have described. Pomona academics are top notch.
But the deadline is passed.
Freshman year is an adjustment and some kids get homesick some time. That is normal. As you mature you grow into yourself as more of an adult. Over a couple of years at college you develop your friends. You are still very close to Nor Cal and it is easy to get to. Megabus is cheap, the ontario airport is close and quick.
Pomona and Berkeley are both great schools but such different environments. It seems to me that one should instinctively know which is a better fit. My D toured UCLA and Pomona and knew right away that Pomona was a better fit for her, but I could see someone else picking the big university instead. The Pomona deadline has passed. Are you on the waitlist or did you get an extension?
The same poster made a thread a few posts back asking if there was any way for him to change his SIR from Berkeley to UCLA…you need to make up your mind QUICKLY. You may very well be stuck with Berkeley now regardless of whether or not it’s the best choice for you.
I’m beginning to think its a T who is on a roll.