So I’ve been admitted to these schools, and they are my top choices. As of now, I have Pomona over Columbia. I have seen both and will be visiting again for their admitted student and diversity weekends. Here are my thoughts without having visited again:
Academically, both are fabulous. Columbia’s core doesn’t attract me much, and Pomona has very straightforward distribution requirements. I don’t know what I want to study, but am interested in math, biology, economics, and english (creative writing). Both schools have wonderful programs in these areas. Columbia has more courses, but Pomona has the 5C consortium to make up for it.
Name wise, Columbia is a brand name school, Pomona isn’t there yet (although it’s getting there). I intend to pursue grad school, and Pomona has excellent placement. But job wise, would this distinction matter much?
Columbia costs 7k more per year. I don’t qualify for aid, but this would put stress on my family. I also likely will be paying for a good portion of my education, so this is something to think about.
Location wise, I love both Cali and NYC. I live in the east, so CA attract me more. How much does the city actually factor into Columbia? I’m looking for negatives and positives here.
Students at Pomona seem happy from everything I’ve seen. This is not the case with Columbia. The stress and workload are both enormous, at least according to the internet. Do people actually enjoy college at Columbia?
Living wise, Pomona is superior. Its dorms are better, and it has a reputation for a tight knit community. My Columbia interviewer as much as said that doesn’t exist at Columbia. It is independent and and outward looking campus (towards the city). How true is this? Are students there cold? Do they have social lives and good friends?
I come from a tiny school, so a big school might be a nice change. But Cali would also be a good change, and I worry about being taught by TAs or professors who don’t care at Columbia. Again, going to be honest, Pomona is my top choice right now, but I want to give Columbia a fair shot. Thanks for any and all responses. Feel free to call me out if you feel I’ve said something unfair or inaccurate.
I would write a much longer post but I think you have summed it up pretty well. Pomona sounds like a much better fit for what you’re seeking. See what impression you get from visiting, though.
Some comments on your thoughts though:
The Core is much more narrow and restrictive than Pomona’s very lenient requirements. If you are seeking a flexible experience, Pomona will give it to you in spades more than Columbia.
Pomona is an extremely reputable school- the top of the LACs, and highly respected among graduate schools and the elite. Don’t worry about this.
Factor in cost of traveling for Pomona as well.
The city is much more prominent in Columbia. Pomona is in a suburban area that is very quiet and peaceful. But I prefer it that way; living in the city has its cons. Sure, access might not be as easy as in Columbia, but getting to LA has never been a problem for me. Public transportation in LA is great and the school subsidizes events and provides transportation for them.
People seem to like Columbia, but they don’t seem to gush about it. It seems the opposite at Pomona- people love it here. It’s a subtle thing, but I think people are genuinely happier here. The atmosphere is extremely supportive in just about every respect- faculty, administration, your peers, staff- everyone goes out of their way to make this feel like a welcoming home. The rigor is still there as is much more opportunities than one could seize, but there is never a feeling that no one cares for you here.
I think the residential atmosphere at Pomona is bar none to any school in the country due to a caring LAC atmosphere, the laid-back and unserious California vibe, as well as an active and lively community thanks to the Claremont Colleges. I wouldn’t say Columbia students are cold or unwelcoming, but there is a more elitist and aloof vibe there than at Pomona. Columbia is more diverse though, if you’re looking for that.
I turned down Columbia for Pomona and so did many of my peers. I think you’re right on the spot with many of your perceptions.
My D agonized over these two schools also. In fact she made her decision on April 30th of her year. She would admit that during her 4 years at Pomona, sometimes she regretted her decision. We live on the east coast also and she loves NYC. BUT, now that she graduated from Pomona (2014) she has reflected back many times on all the fabulous things that Pomona, and the 5Cs offered her. I am sure she no longer regrets her decision in the least. One complaint of hers was however that it was not easy to do things in LA without a car. Public transportation to LA and within LA is weak, especially compared to NYC and other major US cities.
From a student’s perspective, a Metrolink train runs from two blocks south of Pomona to the heart of LA and the hub of all transportation- Union Station. Because it’s a train, it’s never late and it never has to be delayed by traffic. So 50 minutes gets you right to LA. From Union Station, you can get to a lot of places. There’s a rail system that places Union Station at its heart: http://media.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.gif
The train ticket you buy has an EZTransit-Pass that gives you a Day Pass to basically all of the bus lines in LA and in several counties around SoCal:
“In Los Angeles County, the EZ transit pass program allows Metrolink riders with valid Metrolink tickets unlimited free rides on participating operators’ local services - any time, any day, any station, any direction of travel. Local service includes all Metro Rail routes and stations, Metro Rapid bus and Metro Local bus. An additional fare for express services may be required (e.g. Metro Silver Line). As part of the EZ transit pass program, your Metrolink ticket can be used for unlimited rides on all of the Metro Rail services in Los Angeles County”
It’s a great deal and makes using public transportation a breeze. For $7.75 on the weekdays you can get public transportation almost anywhere, and then ride the Silver Streak back to Claremont.
Wow, fallsicoming, congratulations on getting into two awesome but very different schools in very different places. NYC is DS’s favorite place in the whole world, but he actually had many of the same impressions you had regarding being an undergraduate at Columbia, and never bothered to apply (he’s attending an east coast LAC within visiting distance to the city). Both DS and DD (who is at Pomona and is loving it) chose LACs over large prestigious research schools, partially on the advice of their aunt, who got her MA at Columbia, but got her BA at an LAC. The aunt REALLY enjoyed doing her graduate studies at Columbia, but that included - as you might have guessed - being a TA for 1 or 2 undergraduate classes each semester. She told my kids that they can always go to a big college like Columbia for graduate work, but they could really only experience an LAC as an undergrad. I’m glad you are going to get a chance to visit them both again before you make your decision about the people and places with which you’ll spend the next 4 years. No matter which you choose, I’m guessing you’ll have an amazing experience!
Regarding public transit in LA, Pomona is very easily connected to it (the train station that goes to L.A. Union Station is a five minute walk from south campus), but the problem is that it doesn’t go everywhere. L.A. is extremely spread out, so many of the destinations you’ll seek will be quite far away from the subway/trains. The buses go most places, but they’re very slow compared to driving.
However, this doesn’t at all mean you’ll never be able to get off campus. People use zip cars here a bunch, plus you can become a Pomona registered driver and sign out vehicles from organizations like the Outdoor Education Center for free (except gas). There is also a 47 Things trips program, which leads a bunch of awesome trips to do things like go indoor skydiving or visit LACMA for ridiculously low prices (they do fill up quickly, though).
