<p>Hi, I would just like to know ur opinions on Pomona vs Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I want to major in Neuroscience, both have it, but one is an ivy league and one is not as well known.</p>
<p>The only reason why i am conflicted is because i live in the south east (GA), and my mom thinks i should be on the east coast, except if i am going to stanford, plus she is blinded with ivy.</p>
<p>I am not sure about dartmouth because it is isolated, in a rural area.</p>
<p>I can only apply ED to one, what do you think></p>
<p>First off, bump is meant to rise a topic back towards the top if it has not yet received attention. It is not something done one minute after the initial post.</p>
<p>As per the choice, if you are uncertain, don't do ED. If you can, visit both schools and see which fits you better. Short of that, read the opinions of other students here, on studentsreview.com, and on facebook. Consider the information you have available, and, recognizing that both are top schools, choose the one that is better suited to your wants and needs. Whether or know the average person has heard of Pomona shouldn't matter. Grad schools and employers that you'll be interested in are familiar with it. And that is what counts.</p>
<p>ED might be smart, but your two alternatives seem a little strange.</p>
<p>If you like Pomona, but East Coast appeals to you (not your parents), then there are plenty of other outstanding LAC's to consider. There are also a number of small universities at the Dartmouth level.</p>
<p>Neuroscience is the third most popular major at Dartmouth and is arguably one of its strongest departments. Academics are pretty similar at both, but other than that the differences are vast. Some things to consider are the size of the two institutions--Dartmouth is almost three times as big as Pomona. Do you plan on pursuing a career in the east coast or california? The Dartmouth name isn't as groundshattering in the west coast as you may think--probably less so than Pomona's. Do you plan on taking advantage of the consortium at Pomona or do you prefer the isolation of Dartmouth? Do you need a big city such as Los Angeles nearby? Or could you get through three months without seeing a real skyscraper considering that Dartmouth is three hours away from both Boston and Montreal. Do you like the idea and the fast-pacedness of the D-plan, or do you prefer the traditional semester system? It could even come down to simple variables such as warm vs cold weather, and believe me, the difference between a hanover winter and a californian winter is staggering. Until you can answer all of these questions without hesitation, do not apply either school early decision. It could be the biggest mistake of your life.</p>
<p>In my mind the schools are similar in prestige and the (high) level of students who study at each.
Dartmouth is a very social place in ways that a large flagship state university may be- a fair amount of out-doors, physically oriented types, parties and alcohol, and a good number of outgoing folks or people who are ready to become more outgoing than their high school selves.
Pomona in my mind attracts students similar to Amherst, intellectual and maybe even awkward.
Of course these are broad stereotypes.
Both are fine institutions. One would be lucky to study at either.</p>
<p>Broad stereotypes they are. From what I saw at both schools' open houses, physically built students were in much, much higher proportions at Amherst than at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Uh, no. I have more experience than open house attendance.
Actually, the tour guide at Amherst herself described the student body as "awkward".
Still broad stereotypes, of course!</p>
<p>Correct me if I'm wrong, but does Amherst not have many more (recruited) athletes than Pomona?</p>
<p>Pomona - laid back, intellectual, Cali weather, friendly students, quite PC though, left-leaning, consortium (keep in mind Pomona students arguable do not use the consortium as much as the other schools), proximity to LA (need a car though, yours or friends), solid academics, yup their neuro is good, skiiing is accessible, beaches are accessible. </p>
<p>thanks for the advice, so someone said that ppl in cali dont know about datrmouth, what about ppl (recruitors) on the east coast, are they familiar with pomona?</p>
<p>Both schools have extremely high quality academics. Dartmouth is probably more social, and has more school spirit. Both are well-known by grad schools and employers nationally. Neither are well known by Joe Six-Pack.</p>
<p>For an example of extreme contrasts, Pomona offers shorts and flip flops in January, while Dartmouth has its own ski slope.</p>
<p>I would say that they have an equal reputation in the eyes of the people that truly matter (employers & grad school). Don't worry about prestige as much as fit. In my mind, they are very different schools...</p>
<p>Definitely consider the semester vs the quarter system. I have done both and there was a big difference. Sometimes, textbooks are organized for semester system schools and quarter system schools have to cram a semester course into a quarter, or expand a semester course into two quarters. Usually, it's the former and chapters get dropped from the course. Some people like quarter system because you get exposed to more courses, but I didn't like dropping information that I thought was important.</p>
<p>I objectively give a slight, but real, edge to Dartmouth. It does better with recruiters, has better grad placement, better resources, a slightly stronger student body, and better overall recognition. I would equate Dartmouth with Amherst or williams while conversely I would equate Pomona with Northwestern or Rice. All are spectacular schools and in the end there is not much of a difference. For someone on the West Coast seeking employment on the West coast, however, the Dartmouth advantage is moot. If you want to live in California might as well start now.</p>
<p>I think Amherst has the same edge over Pomona as Dartmouth does. Amherst has a slightly stronger reputation and overall wins in most categories, but not by much. And in CA the difference might give pomona the edge, but in the NE Amherst is much stronger.</p>