Pomona v. Scripps w/scholarship--need advice

Parents Forum
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<p>Hello parents,
I need some advice. I've been primarily a lurker and I've learned a lot here. But I need some advice... </p>

<p>Pomona was/is the dream school, and I was thrilled to get in. But my family didn't qualify for any finaid, which my parents say we really do need (we called Pomona this week and they can't/won't give us any more aid.) Going there would be a big stretch (the middle income crunch problem)....and a lot of debt for me.. in the realm of 15k+ a year. </p>

<p>Scripps-- I visited in February at a scholarship weekend, and got the JES (half tuition). I liked Scripps a lot, and there are some things that Scripps has in its favor over Pomona: parties are on the other campuses (I'm subfree) and a pretty campus (not that it's really a deciding factor.) Also I like the idea of graduating with much less debt- if I go to Scripps, my parents said I need to take care of 5k a year (loans, job, however I want to do it.) And I thought it might be easier/I may get more opportunities at Scripps as JES scholar- I don't know that there are specific things that go with being a JES scholar besides money, but I'm guessing it might be easier to be among the top students there=more opportunities (I don't mean to sound pretentious/arrogant). </p>

<p>However, I'm really in love with Pomona, and Pomona carries more prestige. But not the same as an Ivy- and it is less known on the East Coast, where I plan to go for grad school. Pomona, though, seems like a dream academically.... the only drawback about Pomona is I'm not sure how much of a role alchohol plays in Pomona's social life. </p>

<p>So do I go into debt for relative prestige? (relative since Pomona is less known on the east coast) I'm also wondering in general how much debt is reasonable to take for undergrad. </p>

<p>My head says Scripps, and I think I could be very happy at Pomona or Scripps, and I could cross-register. But Pomona is also coed and thought of as the powerhouse of the Claremont Colleges- I'd have to try to get into their creative writing classes, for example, since Scripps has none-- and for some reason I can't let go of the school I've wanted to go for the past two years. I just don't want to be thought of as "that Scripps girl" when I'm cross-registering for classes since all along I'll know I got into Pomona, if that makes sense, and I've also heard many Scrippsies wanted to get into Pomona or CMC but didn't get in- there seems to be less school spirit at Scripps than Pomona. </p>

<p>Whew. I am thrilled I got such a scholarship from Scripps, not to sound un-grateful. Also: does anyone have Scripps stats or somehow I can convince my parents that Scripps really is a good school academically? Literally no one my parents know has even heard of Scripps (though they will still send me there.) </p>

<p>Thanks-- and sorry for being long-winded!</p>

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<p>Both are great schools and congradulations on the scholarship. Did you talk to the Director at Pomona's fin aid. Was your EFC less then the school's cost of 43,000? If so I am surprised they would not work with you. Pomona is an amazing school. You need to weigh the debt issue. My S did not get much money last year(We payed close to full price) and turned down a lot of huge scholarships and almost free rides to go to Pomona but we knew that this year and the rest of his time there would be better as his sister will be in college in the fall and that provides a lot more aid for him.Do you have any siblings coming up? I feel your pain. Pomona is a hard school to give up, it is quite an accomplishment to get in! Their students do amazing in grad school. Only you and your parents can answer that question. re debt. I think Pomona will have more name recognition by the time you graduate, the school is actively working on it! Personally i am more impressed with Pomona then many of the Ivy's, many choose it over Harvard for the personal satisfaction factor and quality of life. Good luck with your decision. I know what I would do but again noone can answer this for you.</p>

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<p>We talked to Pomona's finaid- I forgot to mention that our EFC is a little above 43k/year, but my parents say there is no way they can pay even close to that. I think maybe Pomona is expecting us to take a home equity loan? We are in the Boston metro area= high cost of living. Anyways, we were told that aid is doled out basically according to federal guidelines and there is no way they can give us any more aid unless something major happens, like if one of my parents lost their job. </p>

<p>I do have siblings coming up- a sister who's a sophomore, brother in middle school.</p>

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<p>Well when your sister goes to college your EFC will be cut in half and Pomona will give you an estimate about what that will mean down the road. You would have to pay 2 years full price however. They predicted for us what this year would look like last April and were very accurate. Make sure you talk to the director. She is very nice and went through this herself last year. with her D choosing schools. If you need her name I can e-mail you privately. Scripps is a great school academically and you can cross register. You would get great and equal personal attention and mentoring at both. Socially scripps can be more isolated especially if you are used to a lot of male friends, but that is probably only freshman year, which are the students my d ended up talking to when she stayed overnight. She decided not to apply to my disappointment. The school is rising in the ratings each year. You can't go wrong at either.</p>

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<p>Check on cross-registration very carefully. It is not as easy or as common as the Claremont schools make it out to be. I was surprised when I checked the common list of classes to see many of the upper level classes at Pomona labeled "Pomona students only." I could be wrong about this but it seemed like not all classes are open to all students and I believe you must wait until after freshman year to cross-register at all.</p>

<p>However, Scripps is a great school in and of itself and a very good choice, especially with that scholarship. You will get a very good education there even if you never cross-register at one of the other schools. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Check out the programs carefully. Scripps, if I remember, is an all girls schools with a total population of under 1000. Pomona is coed and has some programs that Scripps doesn't.
For example, Scripps has accounting and Pomona doesn't. Pomona has offerings, however, such as Archeoastronomy ( don't ask me what that is).
Again, check out the school and especially the program offerings very well.</p>

<p>Also, don't believe the brochures that imply that you can easily take courses at each of the Claremont institutions. This isn't true. Alot depends on available openings.</p>

<p>Congrats on getting into both. Both schools were very tough to get into from Maryland. I know of seveal kids who are top IB kids who did not get into Pomona,but got into other top schools. It was as difficult in getting into Pomona as it was Williams this year.</p>

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<p>Congrats on two great acceptances! My daughter is also a JES scholarship recipient and also was accepted to both Pomona and Scripps. She has decided to attend Scripps. She loved the warm, nuturing environment at Scripps as well as the outstanding science program offered thru the Joint Sciences Program with CMC and Pitzer. She is also interested in languages ( has taken 5 years of Spanish and 4 years of German) as well as art, classics and philosophy. She feels that Scripps will give her the opportunity of explore all of these interests. She is planning on going the pre-med route and was very impressed with the pre-med advising. </p>

<p>What is your intended major? You mentioned creative writing. Are you planning an English major with a creative writing concentration? If so, is it possible to talk with someone at each English department to get a feel for how easy it would be to cross register for the creative writing classes? Scripps has been very helpful in answering all kinds of questions for us.</p>

<p>You might review the Scripps thread and look at the numerous postings by Student 615. She speaks to many of your concerns about cross-registration, 5-C student relationships and general life at Scripps.</p>

<p>You mentioned you were interested in graduate school so you might want to consider the impact of 4 years of heavy undergraduate loans might have on graduate school. In addition, graduate schools will be very familiar with Scripps as well as Pomona (even tho everyone else will think you are studying at the San Diego Aquarium or in Pharmacy school at UCSD!).</p>

<p>Good Luck with your final decision. Both schools are excellent choices.</p>

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<p>Time is running out!</p>

<p>As eveyone has said, you have two wonderful choices. One way to approach the problem is to ask yourself if yourself what you would have done if Pomona had waitlisted you? Would you be happy to attend Scripps? </p>

<p>As far as cross-registrations, the situation is neither dire nor perfect. The reality is that you cannot expect to bypass the core classes at your own school and avoid universal pre-requisites. While it is -obviously- easier to register for classes at your own school, cross-registration is encouraged and supported. With most classes having 10 to 20 students, it is not hard to see why some fill up quickly. </p>

<p>Lastly, if the decision is really too hard to make, you might consider a gap year and ask to defer your decision. The gap year could be very beneficial in solidifying a few credits, earn some money, and help you make the correct decision. It could also help your financial situation: with another sibling in college during your second year of college, the financial situation might become easier for both of you. </p>

<p>Good luck and congratulations!</p>

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<p>AmeliaPeabody</p>

<p>Love your name! I even have a cat named Bastet!!</p>

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<p>Thanks to everyone for their advice & kind words...</p>

<p>Arizonamom and Xiggi, the fact that my sister will be in college was a good point- I hadn't thought it would really change our EFC. But doesn't it depend on the COA of my sister's school? Like if she also wants to attend a 40k/yr school, each school will then require say 20k/yr? Which will end up being the same in terms of what we'll pay per year.. The last thing I want to happen if I decide on Pomona is to limit where my sister can go to college. </p>

<p>I am thinking of taking a gap year, but I will probably decide before then. Though that should mean that my sister and I are both in college for three years, which may help out matters. </p>

<p>In terms of major, I'm thinking Linguistics/Cognitive Science. Creative writing was I guess an example of a class that isn't offered at Scripps-- I <em>think</em> it's easier to get into classes as an off-campus major for that major than some creative writing workshop at Pomona.</p>

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<p>Sierra, with Pomona is does not matter the price of your sisters school, all that matters is that it be a 4 year university. They do not give credit for community colleges. I also think Pomona is better then scripps for finaid(not sure 100% on this) I would ask for predictions from both with your sisters status included. They may end up closer then you think. We were sure that we could not afford Pomona, my S was going to take his scholarship at Trinity. After our visit with finaid we came out smiling, we were then nervous this year that her estimate would be incorrect but it was pretty close to what was promised. I would not give up on Pomona. I am just so thrilled that my S is incredibly happy there. I love his friends from pomona that I have met as well.</p>

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<p>There is just NO WAY that, for a student who would otherwise take on debt, Pomona is $60,000 better than Scripps. No Way! There are areas (studio art, music performance, dance, and likely romance languages) that Scripps is better than Pomona straight up. It's humanities core is second to none. It's joint science program clearly rivals that of Pomona. I believe a significantly higher percentage of students do JYA at Scripps as well. (And yes, alcohol does play a significantly greater role in Pomona student life, and the administration is taking steps to address it.)</p>

<p>Think of alternative educational uses for $60k. Is 4 years at Pomona better than 4 years at Scripps PLUS a year of medical school and two trips to Europe, or a summer at Breadloaf Writers Conference? Or 4 years at Scripps, and a year living on the Left Bank in Paris working on your magnum opus? I frankly don't even think it's close. (And I LIKE Pomona!)</p>

<p>Let's put it another way: if you went to Pomona and took out $60k in loans, how many extra hours a week would you have to work upon graduation in order to pay off the loans, rather than working on that first novel which is going to make you famous?</p>

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<p>kdos: My daughter who will be attending Scripps this fall discovered Amelia and her adventures in middle school. She got the whole family hooked. It is a great series of books, especially for girls: strong women characters, exciting adventures, a little history, some romance and lots of laughs. We have recommended the books to several others and found the vocabulary to be challenging and a fun way to work on some of those SAT type vocab lists.
The latest in the series was just released this month.</p>

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<p>Just to clear up some confusion. </p>

<p>1) Cross-registering is easier than it appears. Many Pomona classes are labeled as "Pomona Students Only" but if you contact the professor they almost always let students into their classes, especially if they are prepared and the subject isn't offered at Scripps.</p>

<p>2) If one of the 5Cs has a major that isn't offered at your school you CAN do that major at the school that offers it. For example, I'm a Human Biology major, which is only offered through Joint Science and Pitzer (plus a few Pomona anthropology/sociology classes). I'll still get a Scripps degree despite the fact that Scripps doesn't offer the major. This is actually quite common because Scripps is a small school (no denying that!). </p>

<p>3) I know a lot of students who turned down other Claremonts to come to Scripps, so we're not just a bunch of people that got rejected from their first choice Claremont. There will be people that get denied from other Claremonts because they all have strengths and similarities, but the environment at Scripps is NOT one that implies that Scripps is everyone's second choice.</p>

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<p>Great to hear from you, Zuesviolin! (I remember your agonized decision....) How has it turned out?</p>

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<p>I have to make a point here that has not been mentioned yet. As a Women's College (NOT a "Girl's School" she says with some resentment) Scripps has something that no coed school will ever, ever have.</p>

<p>I would never change my decision to choose a women's college, never. I am not a Feminist (only a small-f feminist) even though I was there at the height of the women's movement. The atmosphere is completely different, even if there are a few men in class here and there. I cannot imagine a college experience that would give you more challenge, self-confidence, and wide open inspiration than a women's college. There is no way to quantify this, it just is.</p>

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<p>Here's one for your parents: Scripps vs. Pomona with $60k of debt. Let's say you graduate, but don't go to grad school (or you do - your final salary might end up higher, but you'd begin earning it later, so it might work out the same.)</p>

<p>$60k of debt paid out over 10 years is, for sake of argument, $70k. Suppose that during that 10 year period, your average salary is $55k - you begin lower and end up higher. At that rate, your net income (after all taxes) will be roughly $20/hour. If this were true, you'd have to work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, for 21 months! just to pay off the loan. Assume you average $70k - it will still come in at 15 months just working to pay off the loan.</p>

<p>It's a no-brainer to me.</p>

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<p>Amelia Peabody-They are very fun. We LOVE Ramses of course.</p>

<p><the latest="" in="" the="" series="" was="" just="" released="" this="" month.=""></the></p>

<p>Got it..read it! My Mother-in-law and I both read them. Too bad they are a newer series. We try to cast a movie and cannot come up with anyone to play Amelia other than Kate Hepburn! Not sure who would be cool enough to play Emerson. (Maybe that's why there has never been a movie made of any of them). ;-0</p>

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<p>The ling/cog sci major is a joint program, technically between Pomona and Pitzer, but Scripps students can major in it too, as you know. Most of the classes are at Pomona; the professor who concentrates on sociolinguistics is at Pitzer. Ling students are a big mix of kids from Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, and occasionally Harvey Mudd... hardly any CMC.</p>

<p>I agree with Mini. Pomona is awesome, but Scripps is right up there, and the difference is probably not worth that much money. As a recent Pomona grad ('03), I have a LOT of respect for Scripps.</p>

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<p>It all depends on your attitude about money and on which coast you think you'll be on after graduation. Working backwards, you said you'll be on the East Coast -- that means Pomona, as very few there know of Scripps (yes, I know we Parent-College Mavens have heard of it, but we're in the obsessed minority). As for debt, I graduated from undergrad and grad with debt. I consolidated the loans, repaid them over a 20-year period, and never felt it. Also, though, as for the 2 kids in college = more scholarship $, I have twins who will be freshmen in the Fall -- it didn't help our EFC much at all -- and we're not rich! Finally, I believe the Scripps Scholars' Weekend is very carefully orchestrated -- from that weekend (my D got a JES also), you'd think Scripps has a diverse student population, for example -- methinks that's not the case compared with Pomona. We let D choose Stanford (with a puny loan) over Scripps -- yes, it will be difficult financially -- yes, it will involve a home equity loan -- but as a good friend said to me, "You've given these kids such great opportunities throughout their lives -- don't go cheap on them now!" ...a message to your parents....</p>