<p>As of now, they are ranked in that order for me. I think I will ultimately go to either law school or business school (probably more naturally talented at law: I got a 164 on an LSAT this year) and I plan to double major in economics and cognitive sciences.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Is a less nationally recognized school (Pomona) worth it for the intimate academics? Also, in terms of grad school, which schools would be most helpful (prep, advising, gpa inflation, etc)? Thanks!</p>
<p>I agree with your ranking, but then I am biased, as my S had a great experience at Pomona.
I also wouldn’t worry about grade issues if you are scoring so high on the LSAT already- obviously your academics are strong. My son is a smart, sort of "professional"type, and he made Phi Beta Kappa, which tells me that while Pomona’s kids are very bright, it’s possible to do well without being a grind.
He received a very competitive state fellowship the year after graduation, which he learned about through the college. He also had two internships while he was there and an amazing semester abroad. S is finding that the Pomona name commands a lot of respect from employers, and I doubt that any of the three schools have an advantage one way or another as far as law and business schools go. What a nice selection of choices! Congratulations!</p>
<p>Pomona all the way.</p>
<p>I think you should visit all the schools but this is an easy decision in my opinion, NU.</p>
<p>^ Spoken like a true, mildcat. ;)</p>
<p>I agree about visiting. These schools are all quite different. I’m assuming costs are essentially the same or aren’t a factor, correct?</p>
<p>Pomona will provide more care and feeding. I won’t argue with that.</p>
<p>The best of both worlds would to put Pomona’s student body at Northwestern, but then it would be U of Chicago. What are the financial considerations?</p>
<p>Is Pomona really better than Cal as a feeder school to law and MBA? Really???</p>
<p>I think this should help:
<a href=“WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights”>WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights;
<p>From: <a href=“WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights”>WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights;
<p>Those links don’t help, obviously. What would help is an admit rate data of both Cal and Pomona with applicants having the same stats. For example, would a Pomona 3.8 seen much more valuable than a Berkeley 3.8 at grad schools? When you apply to a PhD in PolSci at Harvard or Chicago, would a Pomona 3.9 be favored over a Berkeley 3.9? Let’s compare apples to apples.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I will be visiting each of the three schools in the weeks to come, and finances aren’t a problem luckily. RML, I’ve thought about that before, and researched it a bit but couldnt really find anything.</p>
<p>My fear with cal is the competitiveness and I believe I would prefer a more intimate education, which private schools supposedly offer. Ive also heard that law school cares only about gpa and LSAT, which makes me fear northwestern Econ, because I’ve heard it’s tough. However, if I eventually want to go to business and not law, would northwestern be better in terms of grad school respect/ job prospects? </p>
<p>Thanks again</p>
<p>
No, if you like the smaller, more intimate environment and closer personal attention, Pomona will get you where you need to go. </p>
<p>These schools are all quite different…each with their own strengths and weaknesses.<br>
You will have a much better idea after you visit.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Nope. With the exception of Yale and Stanford (where EC’s have some value), law school is ALL about gpa+lsat. </p>
<p>Advising at Cal stinks, but it’s really not needed for law school which is all a numbers game. </p>
<p>Pomona has the highest mean gpa (3.5+), but also probably has stronger students on average, than the other two. NW has a mean gpa of 3.4, and Cal is ~3.3. Of course, Cal and NW both offer strong engineering programs which tend to have harsh grade curves, so their humanities courses would have much higher grade distributions.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, there too. Top MBA’s are mostly about work experience. (Now perhaps one could argue that a more prestigious undergrad opens more doors for that first job…)</p>
<p>Blue-- that’s my dilemma: if I go to Pomona, odds are my gpa will be higher so law schools admissions would be easier. Nw and berkeley may be hard to get a 3.8+ in…</p>
<p>However, if I go to nw or berkeley, odds are the prestige would land me a decent job which would help MBA chances…</p>
<p>No matter which school you choose you are going to have to work hard. Also ALL of these schools will land you a job and get you into LAW/MBA programs.</p>
<p>Pomona has plenty of prestige with employers. OTOH, don’t assume that you won’t do well at Cal.</p>
<p>True, I shouldn’t assume that. What about these schools in terms of internships/research opportunities and getting to know the profs?</p>
<p>This is so tough, these are three very different schools. If anyone wants to just throw out a brief “which I would pick and why” that could also be helpful!</p>
<p>Getting to know profs? Pomona hands down.</p>
<p>I would probably choose Pomona knowing what I know now, but the Bay Area and Chicago would be hard to pass on for a smoggy Inland Empire.</p>
<p>Pomona will provide you with the best undergraduate experience one can get. Go there.</p>
<p>Top law schools will know Pomona.</p>
<p>Best Undergrad experience = Pomona
Best Weather = Pomona
Best Professor Intimacy = Pomona
Best intimacy = better recommendation? Good recommendations are extremely crucial when you’re trying to get in to grad school.
But immediate prestige would be NW and UofChi.</p>
<p>As you can tell, I am bias, because I myself choose small liberal arts college. But again, if you go to Pomona, most people would not know it, thereby, reducing your self-esteem … i guess.</p>