Pomona is [nearly] a perfect school.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>In my opinion, that is, I find it very hard to list Pomona's fundamental flaws. I am speaking as a current student (class of 2014)</p>

<p>+Beautiful campus...pictures don't do it justice. It's a clash of the East Coast and the West, and it comes out looking fantastic.
+Fantastic location. I like to think of Claremont as a secluded haven from the bustle of LA, but not so far away that it's entirely isolated. Within an hour of beaches, deserts, mountains, forests, and LA, and about an hour and a half to Disney Land. Where else can you see that type of diversity?
+ The consortium allows you to make the nature of your environment as big and small as you want it to be.
+ One diverse place. The student body at Pomona is multifaceted in terms of ethnicity and well-rounded. The consortium enlarges that diversity by how distinct the 4 other schools are. Pitzer has hippies, CMC has jocks, Scripps has independent women, and HMC has nerds (who are all still quite diverse in their own way)
+ Amazing food! I personally prefer Scripps food to all of them but the fact you can use your dining dollars at 13 or so different places will never bore you of the options there.
+ Weather! Smog is not an issue in my opinion. I come from Houston and the smog there was definitely worse. The weather hovers year round 75 degrees or so with very little humidity. The first few months are not that hot (85 degrees). Then again I come from Houston so YMMV.
+ Excellent financial aid. Need blind and no loans. I got a full ride to Pomona with my income being around 47K.
+ My single dorm is roomy and spacious. I think PR's ranking for "Dorms Like Palaces" is for the most part warranted, when you look at how beautiful the courtrooms are.
+ Tons of activities going on here thanks to the 5C! Every night brings something new and I try to take advantage of it. If Pomona seems dull that week, I hitch a bus to LA and explore the scenes there. The transportation has gotten much better.
+ Academics. Surprisingly, while Pomona has a reputation as a humanities school, my science courses [bio/chem] have been incredible. The professors are accommodating, brilliant, and interesting, for the most part. They will let you do research with them if you ask. It is truly a well-rounded powerhouse; what it offers it is usually top notch in. If you want a more focused scope in eco and government, come to CMC. The occasional esoteric science course? HMC.
+ Student body! I have not met anyone with an elitist attitude. The students are very friendly, tolerant, HAPPY, and laid-back. You wouldn't take much of them first glance but when you actually talk to them they are very well-spoken and smart. Pomona beyond that is hard to stereotype. They are pretty liberal though for the most part, but if you're conservative and you can debate your points well they will listen to you.
+ Facilities. Great athletic center, computer labs, science labs are well equipped, great library.
+ Study abroad options are fantastic and you can use your FA package to pay for it. You can do a 5 year program with Caltech or Washu, and you can take a semester or a year at some prestigious liberal arts schools, such as Swarthmore. It brings in quite a diverse experience.
+ Pomona spoils you. You actually start out with a 25000$ scholarship since an actual Pomona education per year costs 80000$. They have lots of incentives for nearly everything out there. You want to make a new club? Sure thing, if you can make it last they will pay for the activities you organize. Want to throw a party? They'll pay for it. Interning? They'll pay for your hours and the transportation to get there. They have the highest endowment per student for any LACs (in the million! :O ) and thus they can do so.
+ Objectively a top tier school that can counter Williams/Amherst/Swarthmore as well as the lower Ivy League. Their SAT average is one of the highest, ultra low selectivity that is predicted to be the lowest for LACs this year due to the spike in ED/QB applications, 25% of the class is VALEDICTORIAN of whatever high school they come from, with 91% in the top 10%. Places near the top in feeder lists, med school acceptances, mean LSAT, and so on. They have one of the highest retention rates, grad rates, and student to faculty ratio of any school. </p>

<p>Some problems?
-Extremely underrated. Most of the general population knows nothing about it. Even at the US News Ranking List it is slightly underrated thanks to the peer assessment score.
-The administration is quite politically correct, and there are some in there that are very apathetic. You don't keep in much contact with them though so this is a very small flaw.
-It's wrongly misjudged. People at the other 5C colleges call Pomona elitist because it doesn't really take advantage of what they offer and do. The reason for this is not because Pomona students think they're superior, but because of the 5 schools it's the most self-efficient.
-Minorities don't really show off their culture. Pomona is tolerant and coexistent, but the majorities here for the most part act pretty White, for lack of better word. Pomona's fixing this issue by emphasizing cultures and diversity more. It's gotten better over time.</p>

<p>Pomona is easily a strong contender for the "best kept secret in undergraduate experience". If you are enchanted by what you read here, do some of your own research on it, maybe you'll fall in love too!</p>

2

<p>“People at the other 5C colleges call Pomona elitist because it doesn’t really take advantage of what they offer and do”</p>

<p>False! People at the other schools (at least CMC) do not spend their time worrying about what students at Pomona think about their schools nor do they think Pomona students elitist because of any lack of involvement in their schools. No one I know at CMC ever wonders why Pomona students aren’t taking advantage of CMC. Speaking for myself, I have seen in the past some Pomona posters comparing the schools in a disparaging manner. I will let you decide if you want to call that elitist. Thankfully, it has been a long time since we’ve had one of those posters around here. </p>

<p>“CMC has jocks”</p>

<p>What’s your point. The other schools don’t? Or jocks define the school? LLL, it doesn’t seem like you are very knowledgeable about CMC, if you think this is what makes CMC distinctive from the other schools. </p>

<p>I am glad you are delighted with your school, but maybe you should spend more time at the other schools before you glibly characterize and/or stereotype them</p>

3

<p>P57, you spend a lot of time on the Pomona Board defending CMC for ever perceived slight. People have opinions that may not agree with yours. The OP goes to school at Claremont, these kids are familiar with the various colleges and they do know kids from each school. They are not totally in the dark as to what goes on at each school. These are bright kids who think and reason as well as you or I so don’t be so condescending and pompous whenever someone in your opinion has some a difference of opinion or you just want to showcase CMC’s strengths vs. Pomona’s strengths.
You don’t seem to understand CMC is stronger because of its sister schools in the consortium as is each of the colleges, Pomona included. Each is not going to be the favorite flavor of everyone. This is a forum for opinions. I think CMC does take it sports more seriously then the other colleges, using the term Jock wasn’t demeaning. Give it a rest.</p>

4

<p>DS chose Pomona (ED) partly due to the strength of the consortium – truly nonpareil, from DS’s pov. Pomona’s strengths, CMC’s strengths, HMC’s strengths, Scripps’ strengths, Pitzer’s strengths – all complement one another’s in a unique, the-whole-is greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts equation.</p>

<p>FWIW, DH and I both attended HYPS – and both we and DS concluded that the UG education at Pomona is superior. Although we still love our alma maters (!), we’ve come to feel there’s no substitute for the level of mentoring from professors at the smaller institutions.</p>

<p>We’ve known several students who turned down HYPS in order to attend Pomona over the years. All have been thrilled with their choice. We’re happy to hear of LaughLoveLive’s delight in the his/her experience!</p>

<p>DS can’t wait to matriculate!</p>

5

<p>Although Pomona is certainly an amazing place, I do share some sentiments with parent. The comment stereotyping the schools is a bit inaccurate and most people on campus don’t judge people by these labels. But yes, Pomona and the Claremonts are wonderful places!</p>

6

<p>I understand the above posters qualms and I’m sorry if I didn’t clarify enough. I will address some of the problems.</p>

<p>Every school has a distinctive student body. The Claremont Colleges are no different. I summed up the others in one word that in my experience embodies them, but here’s what I really meant. I was not trying to belittle any school- I believe through them the entire consortium enjoys a mutual growth.
CMC- Well rounded in both academics and athletics, has more of a social scene than the other 4 colleges, and provides a world class education in Politics and Economics. Politically balanced.
Pitzer- The students here tend to be more active politically than the rest of the colleges. They are the most liberal school thus liberal activists= hippies. They are the shakers and breakers of society and hold strong to their beliefs, and they hold strong to their dedication to the community.
HMC- One of the finest institutions for math and science. The students here are whimsical, nerdy, and oh so lovable. They’re very passionate in what they study and they are quite innovative.
Scripps- The females I’ve met here are intelligent, driven, motivated, and independent. I talk to them and envision them changing the world and lifting the glass ceiling for women in careers even higher. </p>

<p>I did not intend to stereotype the amazing consortium. What I meant was that in a general sense[there are always exceptions, of course], that is what their students bodies are like. Pomona thrives in such a diverse atmosphere, just like all of the other CC’s do.</p>

<p>Parent57, why is Pomona’s stereotype for the 5 colleges “The Ivy League Called, They Want Their Pretentiousness Back?”. The elitism stereotype is seen in nearly every U-N I-G-O review for the school, and just do a search in this board for elitist to see what I mean. Pomona has some elitist kids just like any other school out there, no doubt. It is true that Pomona kids do not use the consortium as much as the other colleges because thanks to their endowment, majors, and facilities- it is the most self- sufficient college of the 5, and I speak this from personal experience. Pomona gets a wrong impression for appearing as if the students believe they are better than everyone(something I and many Pomona students can disagree with, easily, because of how exceptional each other school is), but the real reason is for what I mentioned above.</p>

<p>The 5C is easily the most unique and distinctive part of Pomona, compared to other top notch liberal schools. It is the reason I chose it over some Ivy Leagues and Rice, and I believe that any of the 5 incredibly underrated yet wonderful schools are a wonderful place to spend 4 years =)</p>

7

<p>My only point, LLL, is that CMC kids (at least the ones I know) don’t think Pomona students are elitist because of their lack of involvement with CMC or the other schools in the consortium. Now there might be some at CMC who have less-than-flattering opinions of some Pomona students, but I think it is for reasons unrelated to the one you suggest .</p>

<p>I agree that each school benefits because of the consortium.</p>

8

<p>I’m only a senior in high school, but in my visits to Pomona, CMC, and HMC (six total), and interactions with my brother and friends at Pomona and CMC, I’ve observed that there is a bit of a general rivalry between Pomona and CMC.</p>

9

<p>You have your experiences and I have mines. The other CC’s are far more intermingled with one another than Pomona is with any of them. The other CC’s take advantage of dining halls and class cross-enrollment more than Pomona does. For this reason Pomona is stereotyped as having a elitist attitude. I do agree that it’s not as if Pomona and the other 4CC’s ostracize one another, but there is definitely in my observations a wrongly held view that Pomona kids think they’re better than everyone else in the consortium. I think it’s silly to argument about our own personal experiences so people reading this should take both your and my comments to heart.</p>

10

<p>I completely agree, but it really is a minuscule issue.</p>

11

<p>According to what I’ve researched-</p>

<p>+Pomona and Pitzer have the best affinity for the 5Cs.
+Pomona and CMC have the biggest rivalry, especially since they’re (arguably) two of the best western LACs right next door from one another.
+Pomona is definitely believed to be a little elitist, but nowhere to the extreme the OP makes it out to be. People at HMC simply don’t care. Pitzer likes Pomona. Dunno too much about Scripps. To be honest, it’s just a stereotype, just like there’s a stereotype that all Scripps girls are feminists and all CMC students would “sell their souls for a keg and an internship”. No one really believes Pomona has any of the pretentiousness of an Ivy League =P</p>

<p>Take out that con and you have even less to worry about! Pomona is a fantastic school and with the benefit of the consortium can overcome all of its LACs flaws, such as size, social atmosphere, and limitations in classes offered. It enjoys a…for the most part…intimate relationship with the rest of the consortium, so the elitism isn’t an issue. One thing I dislike is that their athletics aren’t all that great[though their facilities are]. Other LACs like Williams and Colgate are much better in that department.</p>

12

<p>OTOH, the fact that the 5C’s share teams allows for a more intellectual atmosphere than that of an Amherst or a Williams, or even a Stanford, where a higher percentage of the student body is comprised of recruited athletes with perhaps a lower AI. I have the impression that most recruited athletes at Pomona, CMC, Harvey Mudd, etc. are also admirable scholars. Student interest in all the Claremont Colleges seems to be skyrocketing right now.</p>

13

<p>After visiting UC Davis, Wesleyan, Swarthmore and Yale, I was able to visit Pomona, where my sister attends. This is simply my opinion, but I found Pomona’s campus unappealing and sort of bland. It was good and plain, like vanilla ice cream to me. Vanilla is always okay, but not interesting. I just found the architecture uninspiring, but I guess I just love beautiful and old Gothic architecture. I do like Pomona’s closeness with the other schools, but do agree that Sagehens are slightly conceited. But maybe they have the right? My sister has loved most of her classes, and she was given great great financial aid and an amazing study abroad opportunity. I did actually apply, and could see myself being a student at Pomona, but it is not my favorite.</p>

14

<p>". . .but I guess I just love beautiful and old Gothic architecture."</p>

<p>Yes, Yale and Gothic architecture do go together! Often I think prospective students just instinctively know where they will be happy. Best of luck with RD.</p>

<p>My DS absolutely loved Pomona’s campus, as well as its friendly and brilliant students!</p>

15

<p>That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone call it bland, but whatever floats your boat :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I personally think Pomona from the pictures is beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Stanford’s campus but with Ivy growing on it. It’s not as enchanting as Scripps’s beautiful campus but it has a wonder of its own.</p>

16

<p>Great photos, nostalgic. Pomona has one of the most stunning campuses anywhere.</p>

17

<p>PAGRok -</p>

<p>I, too, love Gothic architecture and attended such a college where it abounded; however, IMHO I also believe that architecture should fit into its setting. Given California’s relative youth in comparison to states on the East Coast, it’s only fitting that the architecture should reflect its history. Pomona’s architecture features Spanish clay tile roofs and white walls - and that type of architecture abounds in SoCal. Set against the snow-topped Mt. Baldy with the palm trees swaying in the foreground, I find the buildings breathtaking.</p>

18

<p>Is it true that the social life is much like being in high school? My brother told me that is how it is (he doesn’t attend, but has friends at Pomona and Pitzer) and how it is very gossipy. Is that true?</p>

19

<p>I don’t feel like Pomona and High School are very comparable beyond the fact that they’re small. Of course news will spread through the campus like a wildfire and by the end of your 4th year you might end up knowing everyone in the class, but the consortium offsets this and allows you to make the experience as large as you want it to be[or at least…till 6000 students =P]. Pomona kids are far more intimate, friendly, laid-back, well-rounded, and liberal than the kids from my Texas high school, but overall the experience for you will depend on what your own high school was like. Social life in my high school was nonexistent, but at Pomona with the addition of the Consortium it is far more vibrant, though not a fundamental aspect of the school(something I appreciate). </p>

<p>Nostalgic, somehow Pomona looks even better than that in real life. I really recommend you visit to get an actual sight of it :smiley: Imo, in terms of architectural style:
Pomona[has modern, east coast, classical, spanish architecture, beautiful trees, gardens, and the like], Scripps[has a spanish/italian architecture, more “feminine” than the other campuses, flowers, murals , CMC[has very modern and clean looking buildings…I like the look of it. , Pitzer[utilizes the chaparral biome more so than the other campuses, cabin like and modern SoCal architecture…still pretty though , HMC[Pretty bland…reminds me of the technical schools I saw at Houston. But the California location does it a lot of justice, and it comes still looking pretty.</p>

20

<p>

As someone who actually goes to Pomona, I can tell you that this stereotype does exist. It’s not a big deal at all. Everyone figures out by the time they get to college that the differences groups of people are usually a lot smaller than differences between members within a single group. Therefore, they don’t waste to much time picking apart group differences. But if you go out of your way and bring the subject up, you’ll find that people do, in fact, sometimes have opinions.</p>