Pomona vs. Columbia?

<p>Hi everybody!
Does anyone have any advice on choosing between these two schools? I was accepted to Pomona and like it the best out of all the schools I got into, but now I have to decide whether to pursue a waitlist at Columbia. I plan on majoring in the sciences, potentially in chemistry, but I want a varied liberal arts curriculum. I really like Columbia's core and it's location in the city, but I'm worried that there won't be as much individual attention, especially since I come from a small high school. Columbia also has a lot of grad students. On the other hand, Columbia will probably have more varied classes with research options, and I do prefer living in the city. Any help would be appreciated!</p>

<p>You’re mostly dead-on with your analysis. Both schools are top-tier academically, although Pomona might be a better place for a traditional liberal-arts education; Columbia’s core and location are quite different from the location and curriculum of Pomona; there will be much more individual attention at Pomona; and Columbia does have a huge amount of graduate students.</p>

<p>As for varied classes and research options, I think you have a few misconceptions: Pomona students have access to not only all of Pomona’s many classes, but also classes at the other four Consortium colleges, which adds up to something north of 2000 classes, if memory serves. Also, Pomona may not be a research university, but the absence of grad students that you noted means that all research done with students is done with undergraduates. I’ve heard that it’s very easy for Pomona students, even freshman (!), to do research with professors. In fact, you might have a better chance of doing research as an undergrad at Pomona than at Columbia, and certainly as an underclassman.</p>

<p>With that said, there’s really no downside to accepting a spot on the waitlist, other than having to keep waiting for a decision. If you think Columbia might be a better place for you, you might as well accept a spot.</p>

<p>yeah no harm in accepting a spot on the waitlist, you can always turn it down later. I wouldn’t get my hopes up though, Columbia hasn’t used the waitlist too much for the past couple of years.</p>

<p>You said you like Pomona best (so do I). As llll says, there’s no harm in accepting a waitlist spot, but you can’t depend on it so you have to accept Pomona. What changed from “I like Pomona best” to make you want to go to Columbia? Ivy? Or is it just the city? LA is only an hour or so away from Pomona. </p>

<p>Good luck! Both are good choices. Whichever you choose, take it and run with it and don’t worry about could-have-beens.</p>

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<p>Columbia accepted 75 students from the waitlist last year and is expected to accept several hundred from the waitlist this year.</p>

<p>So, yes, stay on the waitlist…</p>

<p>however, for what you want, it appears that Pomona is better for you.</p>

<p>by the way, Pomona is also in a City. You are only 32 miles from Downtown L.A. With a little traffic, it would take more time to get from Columbia to the East Village in NYC by cab than it would be to get to Downtown L.A. from Pomona.</p>

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<p>Expectation according to you? how about a source? I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbia took zero from the waitlist this year as happened 2 years ago. But it’s usually a few dozen and less than 100. </p>

<p>While Columbia moved to the common app and saw a surge in applicants, the US News ranking also went from 8–>4, so yield might actually be higher this year than in the past.</p>