I’m applying ED to either Pomona or Williams, but I’m torn between the two schools! I have strong academics (34 ACT, 2240 SAT, 3.98 unweighted GPA) and strong extracurriculars as well (US national Paralympic track and field team, 400 volunteer hours, choir, job experience). I’m being recruited for track at both schools, so I’ll have the coach’s support in admissions as well. I visited Pomona and LOVED it! I went on a wednesday night so I saw a lot of the student life, and then went to some classes on Thursday. I visited Williams after and just liked it. Although I did go on a Sunday so all the students were studying in the library. So just looking at the schools in general, I think Pomona has a slight edge, but I absolutely loved the track program and track coaches at Williams! Here are some other factors I’m taking into consideration:
-Pomona is in the 5C consortium and I could take classes at Harvey Mudd (I’m really interested in science)
-Williams has tutorials
-Pomona has more clubs for animal rights and support (which I’m involved in)
-Williams’s track team is at a much higher level and would work better for my training for the paralympics, and the team is super close knit and like a family
-Williams admissions also strongly supports athletes
-I felt like the people at Pomona were more accepting, and Williams was more cliquey (but I would be on the track team so hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem for me??)
-Pomona students were more laid back
-I’m not concerned about weather/location
I guess I either have to give up a school vibe that I loved and an okay-ish track program (pomona), or give up a school I just liked and a track program that I loved (williams)…
Please give me some advice!!! I keep wavering between these two options and I reeeaally need to make a decision
It sounds like you liked Pomona a lot more. Given that these are both D3 schools, you’re not going to be spending the majority of time doing track. I would go to the school that you liked more overall.
I agree with @lalalemma. Personally I think if you are torn you shouldn’t apply ED anywhere, but given that I know ED is kind of a thing for athletics and it sounds like Pomona is a pretty clear first choice, apply ED there.
@juillet@lalalemma thank you so much!! I just really don’t want to turn down Williams’ coaches/the team since I really like them and their program is amazing, which will help me in training for Paralympic events… And it makes it harder since I know that I’ll be happy at either school
You do have a tough decision. I know a student at Williams who did find it clique-ish his first year, but he settled in and is having an amazing experience (including studying abroad at W’s Oxford UK campus). He’s not an athlete. If track is your dream, pick according to that. I disagree with the other poster that D3 means you won’t spend a lot of time with track team…it might end up your main social group due to schedules.
For academics and student groups you can’t go wrong with either. Are you on fire about Williams track or just sad to disappoint them?
You sound like someone who could succeed at many schools. I think you need more information to make your decision. Can you look at the travel required by each school for athletics?
@CassidyBoulder: It’s great to hear that your friend is loving Williams!!
I’m not sad that I’ll disappoint the Williams track team; I’m sad that I’ll be losing the opportunity to be a part of their program because I loved it when I visited. But then again I’ll be sad to give up other opportunities that Pomona offers (cross registration, clubs, etc). Williams has longer travel times, but they very rarely miss school for meets.
Are science/math programs equally strong at both schools? I’m under the impression that they are very comparable, and Pomona does have Harvey Mudd nearby
What kind of science classes do you plan to take? The pace at Mudd is pretty crazy, and students there are immersed in science – I think it can be tough to sort of step in and out of the science curriculum there. I think by far the most popular Mudd courses for other 5C students to take are CS courses. I am a pretty big fan of the 5C consortium, but the students I have known at Williams have loved it. I’d kind of lean Williams.
Agree with @intparent. Williams is excellent for math and science, and if the sports experience there would be as good or better, Williams seems like the better option unless you prefer the location of Pomona to the remote Mass. location of Williams. Then again, you can’t go wrong with Pomona, which is awesome. I’d be concerned about relying on courses at another 5C school to match the great science you could get at Williams. I cannot speak to the science at Pomona, which may very well be excellent. Just looking at Pomoma, though, would be tough to beat Williams for science/math.
You can look through the course catalogs of each school to see what is offered, and look at the schedules to see how often each course is offered. For example, in math:
I’m interested in biology mostly, but I also really enjoy math. I’m not really into CS haha.
I was leaning towards Pomona because of my awesome visit because I went on Wednesday night, when there was a lot of student activity and my host’s sponsor group was so nice. But now I’m starting to drift towards Williams- I visited on a Sunday and all the students were studying in the library, so it didn’t feel as exciting to me. Williams has a huge edge athletically, and I also quite like the location. I’m from CA so it would be nice to stay close to home, but the thought of going off to have a totally new experience also excites me
On a slightly unrelated note, what are the differences in the drinking/party culture at both schools? And the student body? I got the vibe that Williams is more cliquey and Pomona is more accepting and diverse. I also feel like there were a lot of very similar people at williams. Is this generally true?
My D (also from California) was recruited by both these schools.
We found that the sports scene was much, much more fun and vibrant at Williams. The academics felt equally great. The campus atmosphere was more cohesive and positive at Williams, but that may be in part because Williams is so isolated. The weather was much better at Pomona (but don’t let them kid you, the air quality often is terrible, which can really make a difference especially if you are running outdoors every day for your sport). You can’t go wrong at either one.
Ultimately, you will know what choice is best for you, deep down. You may already know. My D ultimately had no problem choosing…
You can’t go wrong with either. Might you have the opportunity to do an overnight at either or both? Or at least go back to Williams during the school week?
I think what you might need to do is come up with a weighted list of pros/cons to see what tips the scales in either direction – the track thing is obviously a significant consideration for you, as should be academics and vibe. I assume the finances are similar if you are a recruit. For me, weather and location and being part of a consortium would tip it for me, but, then again, I left the east coast two decades ago and never looked back.
Pomona College also has a great reputation for both science and math. You mentioned biology and math, what are you thinking for potential career options?
The new Millikan Hall at Pomona is very impressive, as we just toured a few weeks ago while visiting our son, who is at Pomona (link below):
Also, consider the possible access to funded international research and learning opportunities. Our son has already been able to participate in a truly unique and fully-funded opportunity. Williams is also mentioned in this just released article:
Son is an athlete at Pomona, had very similar stats to you, and has had no issue with the air quality. Being able to practice outdoors every day should be considered a huge positive for you, but keep in mind there is no indoor track season. He was also recruited by Williams, and he loves Pomona for many of the reasons that you previously stated.
As I told him when he was deciding between several really great schools, there is no wrong answer here, and no school is perfect. Wherever you choose to apply, and ultimately attend, the experience will end up being more about the effort that you put into it. He liked the idea of ED1 because he knew early where he was going, he could stop thinking about it and over analyzing, and it was done!
