<p>Math/science oriented, probably bio-major. Love to ski. Hope to get an MBA.
Where to go??</p>
<p>Have you visited Pomona? I think you will find your answer when you do. Spend a night on campus.</p>
<p>Both are great schools, but I would choose Pomona. However my opinion's biased because I was admitted ED to Pomona.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that Pomona is stronger that Midd in most math and science disciples, as these areas have been a focus of the college for a long time. Midd recently built a beautiful, new science facility, but I haven't heard rave reviews about science courses. Plus, at Pomona you can supplement the course offerings with those at Harvey Mudd, an oustanding math and science oriented institution.</p>
<p>Also, you mentioned an interest in getting a job after graduation and pursuing a MBA. I know that Pomona has awseome job placement and many grads get great first jobs on Wall Street. I know that Mckinsey & Co, Merril Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and others come to recruit on campus. Also, it seems like Pomona has a great relationship with Stanford's graduate schools, as tons of Pomona alums recieve MBAs from Stanford (which is the #2 b-school by the way). Also, I personally know a Pomona alum who's currently pursuing his MBA from Harvard. </p>
<p>Strange as this may sound, SoCal is great for skiiers. I love skiing and Pomona's proximity to Mt. Baldy (30 mins...and it's much better than the Middlebury Ski Bowl) and Mammoth (approx 3 hours) were major pluses. Also, the outing club sponsers multiple trips to places like Snowbird, Park City, Lake Tahoe, and of course Mammoth each year. East coast snow is becoming very undependable, but the West is still a safe bet for great skiing.</p>
<p>Where do you want to live after graduation? If you're interested in staying on the west coast, then Pomona may be the better choice. If you plan to live in the eastern megapolis (Boston-NYC-Philly-DC), then a Middlebury degree would probably open more doors for you.</p>
<p>One obvious advantage Pomona has over Midd is the 5 college consortium. You would have the variety and diversity of a mid-sized university, yet enjoy the intimacy of a smaller college.</p>
<p>One recent Pomona grad (2005) from the Boston area returned home and is now working for the Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation. A history major, he worked the gubernatorial campaign as well. So, I would make the case that it doesn't necessarily matter on which coast you attend college unless you're majoring in a field that has a special niche on a specific coast, e.g., filmmaking vs. theatre.</p>
<p>I'm sure you can find plenty of Pomona grads on Wall Street, but Middlebury is one of the dominant schools that feeds grads into the NYC and Boston financial sectors (along with Ivies, Amherst, Williams, Duke, and a few others). Wall Street is loaded with Middlebury grads who look out for other Midd grads when recruiting season rolls around.</p>
<p>Academically, outside of the foreign language department, Pomona is a cut above Middlebury.</p>
<p>Says who brassmonkey?</p>
<p>I have spent considerable amounts of time on both campuses, and can tell you, the kids at both schools are very bright. The kids at Pomona seem to be students by nature (quirky,intellectual) more so than the Midd kids, who work very hard, but are also into a lot of other things. </p>
<p>Preprofessionally, Middlebury may have the edge, but I would give the intellectual academic edge to Pomona, which further affirmed by looking at PhD rates, #of fellowship winners, etc.</p>
<p>Some facts and figures</p>
<p>This might just be personal experience, but when I went to visit Middlebury this February (I'm a junior), I sat in on a biology class. The professor was really quite good, but I found myself listening to a lecture on something we'd done about 3 weeks ago in my AP Biology class. It wasn't that the topic was somewhat familiar; the Midd class really wasn't going more in depth than what I'd just done. I would expect this of a 100 level class, but since it was a 200 level class (and the person I went to class with was a Bio major herself, so it wasn't just science for English majors or something...), I was somewhat disappointed. </p>
<p>I don't want to really deter you from Middlebury, though - it's a gorgeous campus, and I got a great feeling of community when I was there. It could've just been one bad experience, and I know that the AP Bio program at my own high school is very strong (something like 90% of the Juniors who take the AP get 5s), but I figured I'd give you my $0.02. :)</p>
<p>I'm also a Claremont student, biased toward Pomona, but that said...</p>
<p>I know a guy who graduated mid-year from Middlebury. The graduates literally skiied into the ceremony (a hobby that's serving this guy pretty well at a company that sends him on an annual company trip to the Alps). Just kind of cool...although you can chalk some of the novelty up to my four years in SoCal :)</p>
<p>To great options, regardless...best of luck!</p>
<p>yeah, student 615: the Febs (students who enter Midd in February instead of in the fall, like everyone else) have their graduation ceremony after skiing down the Ski Bowl. Nice.</p>
<p>Middlebury's February graduation is one of many gripes I have about the college. Why does the administration assume that all Midd students either know how to ski or can afford to? Skiing is a relatively privledged sport, and I would be shocked if everyone in the February class skis. This, in addition to many other things, is why I was turned off to Middlebury...it's too similar to a country club. </p>
<p>Also, I agree with brassmonkey's statements about the intellectual atmosphere at Pomona versus Middlebury. In my opinion, Middlebury is a "hot school" that has benefitted from a recent surge in applications and skews admissions data to appear to be more selective. It is a school that's on the rise while Pomona is well established. Also, I observed a mid level Environmental Studies course when I visited Midd and it was a joke. Almost everything that the teacher discussed was common sense, and the students were not engaged. I found the classes and professors at Amherst, Pomona, Williams and Swarthmore much more stimulating. </p>
<p>Overall, I think that Williams, Amherst, Pomona and Swarthmore are the best liberal arts colleges in terms of academics and selectivity. You can't beat the intellectual atmosphere at any of these schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Why does the administration assume that all Midd students either know how to ski or can afford to?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No one forces students to ski down the mountain, and in fact many do not. It's a fun tradition that the students themselves started, not the administration. And basing your impression of a college's intellectual atmosphere on a single mid-level course is ludicrous. The environmental studies major at Middlebury was the first of its kind in the US, and is well respected in academia. Bill Mckibben, one of the great environmentalists of our time, has said that he's lectured at nearly every top liberal arts college in the country, and he has yet to find a school that can match Middlebury's ES program.</p>
<p>More on Bill Mckibben: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_McKibben%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_McKibben</a></p>
<p>I believe Pomona is currently ranked the first in terms of per capita endowment? Pomona was the second amongst the LAC in 2004 when Grinnell took the first place.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help. I decided to go to Pomona.</p>
<p>Institution Endowment per Student (2006)<br>
Princeton University $1,900,000
Yale University $1,800,000
Harvard University $1,500,000
Grinnell College $1,100,000
Stanford University $950,000
Pomona College $940,000
Swarthmore College $840,000
Amherst College $820,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology $820,000
Rice University $800,000
Williams College $780,000
California Institute of Technology $760,000</p>