I’m guessing I’m not the only parent of a kid trying to decide between Pomona and Swarthmore!? (Or maybe you’re that kid!) I’ve searched and read through all the CC material on this subject but it doesn’t feel very recent. So: How are you making the choice?
Details for my specific D17:
- We live in Philadelphia
- She was born in Claremont (my spouse taught at Pomona for many years when D17 was little)
- She will probably be PPE or similar major, probably headed to law school, but also loves Classics and Physics. Maybe an environmental studies minor.
- She’s a perfect fit (I think) with the Swat ethos (intense academic focus, can be a grind), but for that reason thinks Pomona might be better for her.
- Is really enjoying the 2021 Admitted Student Facebook pages - learning a lot there. Also feels maybe a slight edge for Pomona on culture, quirkyness, sense of humor exhibited on those pages…
- She has some mental health issues for which it might be nice to be closer to home.
- Cost is the same at both places except for travel to West Coast.
What other crucial elements of the decision are we missing? She will definitely be re-visiting both, though probably not during the official revisits dates.
^^ Also - note that this is a cross-post – similar version on the Swat Forum. Hope that’s ok. [newbie]
She’ll know what she prefers upon visiting either school. They have very different cultures. One thing to consider would be how much more convenient the Claremont Consortium is than the Quaker Consortium. Swarthmore students don’t use the consortium much. Most Pomona students use it to a considerable degree. With the CC’s, you get 2500+ classes listed in your course registration, 7 dining halls, interesting academic opportunities like engineering/clinic/finance/urban studies, and a rich social life since events at all the colleges are generally open to all 5C’s. It really does feel like getting a top notch LAC experience with the resources of a mid-sized university. Another thing is Swarthmore’s Honors Program, which no other LAC has. Swarthmore is closer to the big city, but students don’t go out much due to academic demands and personal preference; Pomona students go to LA quite a bit- it is definitely a big part of the experience- but a majority of your time will still be on campus with the other colleges.
You may also want to look into some of @momof2eagles posts, whose son was deciding between the 2 schools last years. He applied ED to Swarthmore, was deferred, admitted in RD along with Pomona, and ultimately chose Pomona. His reasons are detailed here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19776876/#Comment_19776876
Thank you @nostalgicwisdom! I clearly need to improve my cc thread search skills!
Hey @Itisatruth , yes @nostalgicwisdom is my hero ( or heroine), too. My daughter considered both schools very closely. She visited both schools and then spent time again “revisiting” in the Fall of her senior year. (She is currently a Freshman at Pomona.)
If there are some mental health issues not knowing what they are, I am torn on a recommendation. As a mom, if my kid had some MH challenges, I might, too, prefer her to be close by. Pomona does have some mental health resources affiliated with the school, which we learned about at Orientation. http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/monsour/ I think that your daughter would be eligible for up to 5 appts. there (which does not seem like much :-(). There is a Kaiser facility nearby, so presumably, depending on your insurance, there might be some other options available for more in depth counseling. But, that is not the same as ensuring that she can see a great counselor in the Philly area.
As you have stated, I do think Pomona is a bit more relaxed (at least on the outside). My child has also found it to be fairly collaborative–which for her–is a stress buster. She appreciates that her peers can help her with work, or that they might work on an assignment together.
Another stress buster for her is the weather. She just commented that she was sitting (in March!) in the courtyard of her dorm flanked by blooming lilacs. The weather, as you know better than I, is milder and sunnier at Pomona. Less rain, warmer, etc.
She has found the Shakespeare garden which she loves and pointed it out to me during Parent’s Weekend. I think the gardens at Swarthmore are extraordinary and far more beautiful than the landscaping at Pomona.
If your daughter wants to potentially minor in Environmental studies, I would think Pomona would have an advantage. Having Pitzer nearby–with its strong environmental studies program–would give her more curriculum options. There is a lot to be said for hopping on a bike for 3 minutes versus having to take a train to another school.
All that being said, she will know which school she resonates more closely to after her revisit days.
Thanks for being a great mom!
Hi. my son is now finishing his freshmen yr at Pomona. I Reread my link from 2016 that @nostalgicwisdom posted
I actually forgot i had posted this but now coming back to my post 1 yr later and I would not change anything i posted
My son loves loves Pomona and has no regrets about turning down Swarthmore(his initial first choice). I have to admit when i am driving him to the airport at the end of break and drive by the Swarthmore exit(we also live outside philly) a little part of me wishes he were closer
some things to add now that he is there
- he just participated in an alternative spring break and loved it. I couldn't believe it was fully funded by Pomona including food, travel, activities. something i don't believe the other schools do. This along with funding unpaid summer and yr long internships and research during summers make Pomona unusual .
- you mentioned your child interested in law. My son is now participating in collegiate Mock trial at Pomona and loves it. I just googled and it also appears that Swarthmore has a team but he might inquire about the team at both schools when he does visit days and ask to meet kids on the team to see what the culture of the kids are like. He finds the kids in Moc trial amazing and has had so much support from the upperclassmen on the team. They are also very social outside the mock trial tournaments so it has been helpful for a shy kid to feel like he is part of something.
- His classes are tough but he never ever says there is competition and feels kids are very helpful and work with each other. When he visited Swarthmore and some of the other top LAC, kids talked about how stressed out they were.He definitely has had time to enjoy clubs, activities and most weekends takes friday and saturdays off of studying to enjoy college and "regroup" (except for finals times)
- He loved his orientation trip to Yosemite. Fully funded by Pomona and made some of his best friends on that one week trip. I don't think the other schools can beat this fully funded orientation trips
- He has a single room- not guaranteed but over 50 percent of rooms there are singles. Took the drama out of freshmen roomate worries.
- the consortium just can't be beat. Although most of his friends are from Pomona, he says part of the fun is exploring the other colleges for classes, 5-c clubs and dining. Swarthmore dining hall while quaint gets tired after awhile according to the students he talked to. when he talked to swarthmore students few were really taking advantage of the consortium with bryn mawr and haverford as just logistically too far.
- Sponsor groups-unique to pomona immediately made him feel like he belonged. They still have weekly sunday dinners together in the dininghall to "regroup, catch up with hall mates, and feel support". It def. is not mandatory but he enjoys this Sunday dinners together
- he is not a language kid but many of his friends love the language tables at Oldenberg. If your child is a language kid, def. have them go to Oldenberg during there visit to see what it is all about. Not aware that swarthmore has that.
Thank you so much for this update, @momof2eagles ! Super helpful. Mock Trial is my D17’s biggest EC and she is sure to join the team at whatever school she attends. She’s heading back out to Pomona in a couple of weeks, not for one of the official visit days but for a solo 24-hour visit. She’s super excited. Her choice was complicated (in a good way, I guess) by getting accepted to Yale and Columbia also so the debate is now bigger than Swat vs. Pomona – it’s now big university vs. small college. Hopefully the revisits will make everything clearer!
For future readers, I’ll just close out this thread by saying that my D17 did choose Yale but will always wonder about what Pomona would have been like! An amazing school, for sure.
Congratulations to your daughter @Itisatruth! Yale is so wonderful 