My D is a senior in high school and has narrowed her search down to Pomona College and Williams College. She has a decent chance of getting into both because of water polo combined with a strong GPA and a 35 on her ACT. She has to choose which one she will apply early to. She is leaning towards Pomona. Visited and really liked the team’s atmosphere , plus she enjoyed the classes she attended and got along real well with her host and with all the coaching staff. However, we have now had parents at her high school warn us against Pomona. Apparently two kids from my D’s high school attended in the past and didn’t like the atmosphere at all and both transferred somewhere else during their sophomore year. Will someone that attended or attends Pomona please let me know if there’s a problem with excessive use of marijuana on campus, if kids walk around without shoes and hug trees? This sounds ridiculous to me, but it’s what We’ve been assured of. My D is very liberal but would get uncomfortable in certain environments. How liberal is the social scene and general atmosphere at Pomona ?
My D is at Scripps and has a good friend from high school who plays water polo at Pomona. He is very happy at Pomona and with the team. I haven’t heard anything about excessive marijuana use. Scripps and Pomona are liberal but I’ve never heard of anyone walking around barefoot or hugging trees. Even at Pitzer, I doubt this is the case.
My D did buy birkenstocks and climbed a tree last year.
Does the coach want your daughter? My D had another friend who applied ED last year. The coach said she could be on the team if she got in but didn’t push for her. She didn’t get in.
As a recent Pomona grad, the description made me laugh. It’s not at all accurate.
Most students don’t engage in marijuana of any sort nor are they barefoot nature loving hipsters 
I mean, I knew hundreds of folks in my time and I can’t really think of more than 5 who’d meet either criteria (let alone both). Maybe they’re thinking about Pitzer College? (one of the consortium members with such a stereotype, but even then, as Marcie123 pointed out- not all that accurate)
I wouldn’t generalize too much with those two students. Pomona has the second highest retention rate among LACs and ties with places like Harvard and Williams in students returning their sophomore year (97%). The college is commonly included in surveys about “happiest students”, “best college experience”, “these students love their colleges” and so forth. If your daughter had a positive experience in her visit, that is telling of what she’ll see when she’s on campus.
Pomona is quite liberal, but there are definitely conservatives on campus. The social scene is supported by all five Claremont Colleges, not just Pomona, and since they’re distinct in personality it means there’s something for pretty much everyone. Pomona especially is incredibly diverse in terms of interests, personalities, and backgrounds, so there isn’t a “scene” or “perspective” which dominates. On the whole, students tend to be friendly, dedicated, and focused.
Actually, this reminds me of a similar story when some parents attempted to dissuade someone from taking an early athletics offer from Amherst by making up negative experiences about the college. The actual reason was because they perceived Amherst would take no one else from said school in later rounds, and they wanted to cut down the competition. I can’t find the thread at the moment, but if I do, I’ll link it. With how far off the described “atmosphere” seems to be, I wouldn’t discount that as a possibility.
Thank you Marcie123, this does reassure me. The coach at Pomona said he would support her in the admissions process as long as she applies ED. So did the Williams coach. This does not guarantee admission but I’m guessing it does give my D a much better chance than regular admissions. Your daughters friend who plays water polo, did he get in by the same route? Do you know what kind of " pull" Pomona coaches have in admissions? Once the day they’ll support you, and an admissions pre-read has been done and approved, and assuming the applicant doesn’t screw up with conduct or grades in this semester, is there a chance D will still not get in?
Thank you nostalgicwisdom! This does reassure us that Pomona is the right place for her. We were told that during the orientation trips many students would walk around naked around the campground and this made my D laugh but at the same time she found it kind of weird! She is looking for a friendly and diverse environment with people from all kinds of backgrounds. She does like to party and has the ocasional drink, but because she has been swimming and playing water polo since childhood, she is not much into excessive partying or smoking weed. If this is the predominant environment she wouldn’t really fit in. Any more pearls of wisdom regarding the general atmosphere of the school and its social scene will be appreciated. Thanks
@Amipi5 that is exactly how my D’s friend got in. The coach supported him and he applied ED. He also found out a few days before regular ED decisions came out that he got in. He’s been very happy academically and socially. He’s met kids from all over the world and is grateful that water polo helped him get into a school like Pomona.
It doesn’t sound like whoever is telling you about Pomona is actually referring to Pomona. Pomona seems to me as close to an east coast lac as you’re going to get in CA. Students are smart, diverse, engaged. I’m sure most are liberal but not in a way that you’re describing.
My D is very happy. She’s taken classes at scripps, Pomona and CMC. It’s so easy to cross register. Her favorite professor thus far is from CMC and my D has stayed in touch with her because my D now wants to concentrate in that area of study because of this professor’s class.
The party scene is vibrant. Pomona does a great job of helping freshmen adjust. They go out in groups with their floor mates which makes it easy to make friends at the beginning. D’s friend acclimated quickly and had a great time from the start! My D took longer, a few months before she found her footing. She’s not a partier but has been going this year since she has a solid group of friends to go with. Parties are open to the 5C’s and they sound really fun!
I can’t say enough about the Claremonts. It’s such a unique environment and it’s so easy to take advantage of the consortium. Beautiful weather. The Claremont village has great shops and restaurants. Very walkable, especially from Pomona. Train station on campus that goes into LA. I could go on and on…
Newsflash: Kids at Williams smoke pot too, even if the school does have a rep for being more conservative and monied. Kids at Williams likely wear deck shoes more often than they wear Birkenstocks. Both are comfortable. Does it matter? Your child should look at student review sites like Niche and Uni -go to get an idea of the student body. Both are highly rated and excellent colleges.
It’s not the predominant culture. There are definitely those who drink, but Pomona doesn’t have the same reputation for heavy drinking that a lot of New England LACs do. I second using Niche to get more perspectives. There’s a survey question for: “How does peer pressure affect students’ use of drugs and alcohol?” on the Campus Life section and the responses for Pomona and Williams were:
POMONA-
You can have a great social life without drugs or alcohol.- 71%
Most people partake in some form, but no one treats you differently if you don’t.- 24%
You’ll definitely feel a little awkward if you don’t drink.- 6%
WILLIAMS-
You can have a great social life without drugs or alcohol.- 21%
Most people partake in some form, but no one treats you differently if you don’t.- 71%
You’ll definitely feel a little awkward if you don’t drink.- 7%
I went to orientation adventure and led another and we did not ever go naked. That’d be funny, but I feel students would all be too timid to do that (since it’s for first-years in the first week of their college experience).
Your daughter sounds like a perfect fit for Pomona given the description you provided. Friendly diverse environment, opportunities to party and drink occasionally but it isn’t anywhere near the only social thing to do, great swim team. Williams would be great as well. You can’t go wrong with either
Just to add another voice in agreement. My D just graduated from Scripps. I read her your description of Pomona and her reaction was “What the heck?!” She said that would be the stereo-type for Pitzer and even that wouldn’t be accurate.
We love the 5 C’s …(I have a son at Mudd too). If your D liked what she saw, I’d say go for it.
My son was a recruited athlete and looked closely Pomona before deciding on Williams (where he is a new freshman). He LOVED Pomona – last year after arriving on campus and seeing the pool, he said, “I think this is it.” In the end, he chose Williams mainly for two reasons. First, we live on the East Coast, and the distance was an factor for us. Second, the Williams swim program is a good bit better. But his final decision was no knock on Pomona. It was a great school that combines the best of the liberal arts experience with the resources of a top mid-sized university.
I haven’t the least doubt that your daughter would love Pomona.
My daughter chose Pomona partly because of the 5Cs and weather. Both are tight knit communities academically strong and with research opportunities. Williams, not connected to a consortium, seemed small and remote. She remarked on the tour that it resembled her boarding high school. Williamstown is pretty remote, and she likes Winter but is not a skiier. For these reasons, even though we are East Coast too, she chose Pomona. Hasn’t remarked that anyone hugs trees, walks around naked, or smokes excessively. She also thought Pomona was more diverse and that was important to her.
Parent of a Pomona junior here. I’ve never heard these rumors of kids walking around naked on orientation trips. The closest thing I can think of is the Speedo Hike, but that is done wearing swimsuits and is a voluntary activity (and clothes are fine, too). And I’ve seen plenty of flip-flops and Birkenstocks but not bare feet. http://tsl.news/news/6064/ (Speedo hike cancelled last year over “inclusivity” issues)
Hi @Amipi5 , feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions. My daughter was on the water polo team at Pomona as a Freshman, and I am familiar with the coaches, recruiting practices, etc.
One request for clarification… I am a bit confused because to the best of my knowledge Williams does not have a women’s varsity water polo team. Did you perhaps mean that your daughter spoke to Coach Kuster, the swimming coach at Williams?
Regardless, like @nostalgicwisdom stated, Pomona has an exceptionally high retention rate. Sometimes Californians mix-up Cal Poly Pomona and Pomona College, don’t know if that is a possibility.
The Wo Po team (composed of students from BOTH Pomona and Pitzer) does–on the whole–like to party. They have a tremendous capacity for having fun. My daughter did not feel any pressure to drink excessively or smoke–with either her teammates or classmates in general. She proudly sports Birkenstocks or sneakers as her shoes of choice. I have not heard of any actual experiences or urban legends about nudity.
The partying scene at Pomona is far tamer than many other California and East Coast colleges.As you know, there are no fraternities. Kids can and do have fun, but it is not “cray cray”. To be sure, the demands of Pomona’s academic rigor in combination with partying to wild abandon do not mesh very well.
In my experience, the students, as a whole, are articulate, well rounded, extremely bright, interesting, engaging, and diverse. They have a sense of boundaries. The school also goes out of its way during orientation to educate Freshman on all matter of sticky situations so that the students are well prepared for a healthy college experience.
Hope that helps.
Hi Amipi5. Your D has a 23.87% chance of acceptance to Pomona College. If you’d like to increase her chances, it would be a good idea for her to increase her use of marijuana, throw away all of her shoes, and practice hugging trees.