<p>Don't think Pomona should be equated to Northwestern - it's tough to equal a small LAC to a big U - since the quality of NU's programs vary. Regardless, in terms of selectivity, Pomona is waaayyy up there. Equating it with Rice - agreed - both underrated colleges/unis with undergraduate focus.</p>
<p>OP, when you look at the criteria for smaller, undergraduate-strong education, besides Pomona and Dartmouth, you can look at Chicago and Brown - there are more comparable.</p>
<p>But if you really have to apply ED, go for Dartmouth if you want IBD or consulting jobs, especially on the East Coast - you have a stronger old-boy network, the ivy-tag, plus a pretty darn good undergraduate academic experience. Yes, the East Coast is more East Coast friendly. Heard that it was a drinking school (this is what little I know about Darty, so feel free to demur), party school, so if you're that type, sounds like a fit.</p>
<p>But slipper is right - if you are set on working in cali, Pomona would be a better choice. If you go for schools like HYP, MIT, Columbia, U Penn though - it will be a tougher call.</p>
<p>The WSJ Feeder ranking, though flawed, is pretty relevant in this case. If the OP is intending to hop onto professional school right after college - WSJ law, med and business school placement figures indicate Dartmouth as a better option. Of course, the data is only for 1 year, so take these with lots of salt.</p>