<p>I recently visited Pomona. I really liked it and I may apply early admission next fall. </p>
<p>One of the things that bothered me (and that I have actually seen in a couple threads, ex: "CMC classes are like high school classes all over again") is the stereotype that Pomona students think they inherently smarter and better than students at the other schools. CMC students all told me that Pomona students are unfriendly or like to keep to themselves. (From what I saw, Pomona and CMC are both great schools and fairly similar.)</p>
<p>Arrogance/prestige is a one of the things that turn me off from some of the ivies. I don't want to end up at Pomona and find a bunch of people who think they are smarter than everyone else in society. Is this an irrational fear?</p>
<p>What you just said was the essential Pomona stereotype heard from a CMC student. I can assure you that Pomona students in general are not more conceited or arrogant than a CMC or any other type of student. In fact, this is a reason I chose Pomona over other schools, because the students here are down to earth and not pretentious.
The thing is that CMC needs something to pick on, so they create this illusory stereotype because we are athletic rivals. It’s just like how Pomona students will say all CMC guys are bros who just drink 24/7 and wear sleeveless T’s (which is somewhat true :))</p>
<p>I heard the exact same thing from CMC students. However, I then heard the exact same thing ABOUT CMC students from people at Pomona, Pitzer, and Scripps. So, I think we have a little jealousy/competition issue. I stayed at Pomona for three days and I got the total opposite impression from the students. Everyone there is really easygoing and laid back, very intelligent, but not pretentious or hyper-competitive in the least (which is why I feel Pomona > Ivy League).</p>
<p>My D just returned from “The Weekend” at Pomona, and feels exactly the same. The vist won her over and now we just put our $500 deposit in the mail to Pomona. It was our first choice, but it took the visit to convince our D… And now everybody is happy 
Indeed, as parents visiting Pomona, we didn’t see any pretentions in the people we met, all were pretty nice, easy going, and really likable… Methinks Pomona has created a gem of a College, and I am just happy my D had the opportunity to attend. </p>
<p>Funny, last night at dinner, my other daughter, a Junior in HS wondered out loud if she too should apply to Pomona later this year… That would be really interesting if both of our kids can attend same College… I am not betting its gonna happen, but at least there is a possibility. My other D is a straight-A student with GPA of 4.22 and extremely focused on becoming a Pediatrician. If only Pomona can admit her as well for the class of 2015…</p>
<p>Congratulations on one daughter’s success, oclement, and best wishes for the other’s!</p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, which part of the country are you folks from, and how did you and your family hear about Pomona in the first place?</p>
<p>Thanks enkephalon. We live in San Diego, so its not much of a drive to Claremont for us. However we didn’t know about Pomona College until my kids attended an SAT Elite Prep program last summer. The Director of the program recommended Amherst and Pomona as Colleges to consider if interested in a high probability of making it to a Medical School. Amherst was quite familiar to us… and we felt it will be perfect for her. She got into Pomona and was waitlisted at Amherst… She visited both Amherst and Pomona, and didn’t like Amherst… but fell in love with Pomona. In fact she called us from Pomona last weekend to say - “Dad, write your check to Pomona right away”… That was just great news to us…</p>
<p>oclement, congrats on your daughter’s happy choice! It’s a great feeling for a parent when their child is excited about their future! Our daughter was accepted to three Ivy’s and had scholarships to three UC’s, but after a weekend visit in February, Pomona was her top choice by far. She could not believe how friendly the students were, all encouraging the “Prospie” to choose Pomona. When that fat Pomona envelope came in the mail she was sooooooo happy. It will be so interesting to see if any of our students become friends!</p>
<p>Curse, I did the opposite… I spent 5 days at CMC because one of the students there let me stay with her (juniors are not allowed to overnight with the schools). For what its worth, most of the CMC students were also very laid-back. I guess its just friendly competition (or maybe not so friendly? athletics are serious ha).</p>
<p>santeria, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. If you liked CMC, that’s great! I don’t think you can go wrong at either college. Good luck!</p>
<p>@rickmanfan… wow!!! 3 Ivy’s and 3 UC admissions for your D sound great. Congrats to your daughter for her outstanding academic achievements… I sure hope our kids can get to know each other - Pomona is small enough, and the projected class of about 390 ensures they probably will get to know of each other. You never know, we may all meet up in Claremont one of these days… I know we’ll be visiting again in the summer when our second daughter begins her College app visits…</p>
<p>I think the rivalries are good-natured and overall friendly.</p>
<p>The humor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the characterization of the 5Cs were summed up tongue-in-cheek with</p>
<p>Pomona: The Ivy League called. They want their pretentiousness back.
CMC: We’ll do anything for a keg and an internship
Harvey Mudd: We know how to build the backseat, but not how to use it.
Scripps: Men don’t go here, but they come here.
Pitzer: Hippies with Bimmers</p>
<p>oclement, you are sweet. I don’t think it’s especially unusual for Pomona students to have turned down some amazing schools, though. I’m sure it would make things a lot easier for you to have two kids going to the same college, so I hope your other daughter falls in love with Pomona, too. We have one child - I can’t even imagine going through the application process again - yikes!</p>
<p>Hey! Maybe we’ll meet at the orientation - wouldn’t that be cool?</p>
<p>broetchen, rotflmao!</p>
<p>Also,</p>
<p>Pitzer: Why go to college when you can go to Pitzer?</p>
<p>oclement and rickmanfan – We also visited Pomona this last weekend and my S decided it was the school for him! We are thrilled beyond words, and so excited to be part of the Pomona family.</p>
<p>Maybe we’ll see you on move in day! :)</p>
<p>BengallMom, terrific! Congratulations to you and your son!</p>
<p>I think we should all wear signs stating our CC names at orientation. LOL!!!</p>
<p>Hey future Pomona parents! My D just came home from her weekend visit yesterday. She made the trip herself, we haven’t seen the school yet. Well I must say, she fell in love with everything. Said the kids were the nicest, most normal down to earth kids she has ever met. Loved the professors. Now she just has to get the thought of the prestige of Columbia out of her head. I think we are going to have another yes Pomona decision in a day or two.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind response, oclement. There’s nothing quite like the feeling that your child has found the right place for themselves at this crucial point in their lives, is there?</p>
<p>And congrats to BengalMom, whose son seems to have made a safe and happy landing as well.</p>
<p>Looking forward to meeting you all in August!</p>
<p>NJ Mom of 2: here’s hoping we’ll see you in August as well!</p>
<p>NJ Mom of 2 - let us know what the final decision is. We’ll be pulling for Pomona!</p>