I plan on majoring in Psychology. Which school is better for a psych major. I am interested in research which they both seem to emphasize on. My career goal is to major in psych and go for my Ph.D and be a professor. Based on this can you guys give you input on which is better and how your experience is/was. Thank you so much 
So much about this choice is a matter of fit. Both are superb schools, both will give you an excellent education and opportunities to move onto great grad schools. But they’re very different in vibe. Pick the one that FEELS better to you.
@katliamom Could you explain the vibe? I wish I could visit, I’m really not that far but I don’t I will be able to visit :\
Psychology degrees awarded, 2016-17, from College Navigator:
1,037 UCLA (including graduate degrees)
25 Pomona College (undergraduates only)
You can succeed at either school. But most people will strongly prefer the atmosphere at one or the other. UCLA is like its own city, while Pomona is probably smaller than your high school (although Pomona is part of a consortium of neighboring small colleges, so it feels bigger).
In other threads, you’ve mentioned that your GPA is stronger than your test scores. That could work at a school like UCLA, since the UCs tend to put more weight on GPA. However, the opposite is true at many private schools. The top privates, like Pomona, often want to see very high test scores.
SAT ranges for enrolled freshmen, Fall 2017, from College Navigator:
1370 - 1530 Pomona
1220 - 1450 UCLA
Both are extremely competitive for admissions, fyi. Are you trying to decide whether to apply early decision for Pomona? Because otherwise you can just apply for both and see where you get in.
@JayBel Pomona, since it’s so much smaller, feels more intimate than UCLA, and yes, you will have greater direct access to professors there not because those at UCLA aren’t accessible, but because at Pomona there are fewer students vying for their attention. Because it’s a liberal arts college, and not a giant research university that has a law school, business school, med school, etc., it’s more intellectual and less pre-professional in nature and tends to attract students who are looking more for a classic undergraduate education. Pomona is a small, old town; the areas around UCLA are high-end suburbs that sprawl on forever. The Pomona campus is small – although it does have relationships with the other colleges in the Claremont consortium. UCLA is a huge campus and feels more urban.
Would you feel comfortable on a campus of 45,000 students? Or would you prefer to be one of 1,600? Would you be OK with very large lecture classes with a couple hundred people? Would Pomona have classes and majors you’d like if you change your mind about psychology? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. (BTW, there is no right answer. Different strokes for different folks…)
@washugrad Yeah, I might not get accepted but just in case I get accepted to both lol ( I want to know which is my top choice). I don’t plan to apply ED to any schools since I want to find the best financial aid for whichever school I decide to go to. Which is actually another question, between Pomona and UCLA, which would offer the best financial aid?
@katliamom Very helpful, thank you!
It depends on your family’s financial situation. For best results, you should run the net price calculator for each school.
In general, Pomona will probably be more expensive if your family is high income. In that situation, Pomona could charge the full sticker price – and their sticker price is much higher than UCLA’s (assuming that you qualify for in-state tuition at UCLA).
On the other hand, Pomona could be less expensive if your family is low income. In that situation, they would heavily discount their price – and since they have a huge private endowment, they can afford to offer very attractive discounts to the students that they want.
“between Pomona and UCLA, which would offer the best financial aid?” Depends. Pomona, a private, may offer you better financial aid but still cost a lot more than the public UCLA. What you need to figure out is how much you can afford, and go from there. Check out the Net Price Calculator online for each school (you will need your parents’ financials for that) it will give you a pretty good estimate how much each school expects you to pay. After that, you can see what kind of aid you qualify for and whether it’s worth it for you to apply. If you need extensive financial aid for either school, check out the Financial Aid forum on this site – tons of very helpful, knowledgeable people there.
Do you live in California?
Pomona by a long shot, especially for psychology where you will have to go on to graduate school. Instead of being one of many at UCLA you will be able to interact with your professors much more closely and they will be able to guide you to the graduate school you would like to go to.
There is no reason to think about which school you would choose now since you are not applying to Pomona ED. Wait until you get admissions decisions and financial awards. For now this is nothing more than a hypothetical exercise.
From another post you had today, you said that your current SAT score is 1220 which is not competitive or Pomona and extremely low for UCLA. I think your time would be better spent: 1) studying for standardized tests and 2) researching colleges that are matches for your current academic profile and that appear to be affordable.
UCLA
UCLA…and why is that, let me guess, I’m a UCLA alum…grad…….student…wannabe…
might want to give some logical reasoning…
If you are in state for CA and your family is higher income, UCLA will be much less expensive.
If you are out of state for CA and your family is lower income, Pomona would likely be much less expensive.
Any other combo could go either way so like others have said, check the Net Price Calculators.
If your current SAT is 1220 as stated in a previous post, neither school is likely to admit you unfortunately.
(And to answer the initial question - if it were me and I got admitted to both and money wasn’t a factor I’d probably go for Pomona for smaller class sizes and QOL factors, but I’ve never done a real tour at UCLA and would do that for sure before making a final decision).