This is my first time on CC, but I wanted input on my predicament. I was accepted to both Pomona and Swarthmore. I’m still waiting for other decisions but I am treating these two as my only acceptances. Swarthmore has a reputation for a more intense and competitive environment, but it is also higher in the rankings than Pomona. I know I shouldn’t care about the rankings and should just choose the school I like more, but I should at least consider them. Which school should I go to? I like them both, but it’s the rankings that make me conflicted.
Have you visited both? Both are excellent schools and you can’t go wrong either way so go with whichever one feels more like the right place for you. Do you have a preference for CA vs east coast? Does the cost of attendance vary much?
Swarthmore is not “higher in the rankings” than Pomona. These are academic peers in every way. But yes, they have very different campus cultures, so you really need to decide based on personal preference and fit. The only “wrong” answer is to make the decision based solely off some flawed idea of which one is higher in the rankings, especially when they are peer institutions.
Not saying this to emphasize rankings, but you mentioned rankings (plural) as if Swarthmore is seen as a consistently better school, which isn’t the case. They are equals and close enough on basically any metric that it should come down to other factors.
Pomona has the power of the Claremont Consortium. You can easily register and take classes at the other colleges. It has a bigger social pool, more clubs, and more cafeterias. No shuttling, minimal hassle. My kid was picking between Swat and one of the Consortium schools. She picked the Claremont school, and had a great experience.
Interesting that one accepted to two such heavyweight intellectual schools would be conflicted over such a superficial, insignificant factor as a slight difference in ranking by US News.
Suppose you matriculate at one that is higher ranked now, but the subsequent US News ranking flips the order. Will you transfer ?
Visit both of you can, talk to students and do your research on the campus culture of both and decide which fit is better for you (I assume finances are not part of the equation). My daughter visited both but decided that Swat was a better fit for her (the right decision for her, I think). Whatever you do, don’t base your decision on rankings. The distinctions between the two are meaningless when it comes to this metric
One of the good things that U.S. News has finally started doing is publishing raw scores so that you can compare schools more easily, outside of just absolute numeric rank. Swarthmore, tied for #3, has a score of 93 out of 100. Pomona, tied for #6 (which is only one place below Swarthmore - it’s just #6 because of the number of schools that were tied for #3), has a score of 92 out of 100. This is an insignificant difference - seriously, it’s statistically insignificant as well. A random change from this year to next could flip them.
Pomona has even been Forbes #1 pick above Stanford. All the elite LACS are bunched at the top and you’re splitting hairs if you think Swat is above Pomona. Do you like good weather? Do you want a larger college experience like the 5Cs? Pomona is the disney of LACS. But don’t take my word. Go to revisit days and see for yourself. It’s got a 6.9 acceptance rate for a reason. Go Sagehens.
Swarthmore is also part of the Tri-College consortium with Haverford and Bryn Mawr. It is also part of the Quaker consortium which includes the three above schools and University of Pennsylvania.
However, I agree that this is a minor distinction. Choose the best fit and quit worrying over the rankings. There are many students who would be thrilled with either school.
I wouldn’t classify Swarthmore as competitive, but it is admittedly intense – not that Pomona is a walk in the park. The honors program at Swat that incorporates outside faculty testing students via oral and written exams (for coursework) and oral exams (for senior theses) is similar to the set of exams one takes as a graduate student, for example. It is unsurprising that Swarthmore sends more students to PhD programs per capita than any other LAC except Harvey Mudd.
I agree with the above posters; one school likely appeals to you more than the other. I personally much prefer Swat’s atmosphere and rigor, beautiful campus, and four seasons and intensely dislike SoCal. YMMV.
I didn’t even look at the rankings but US News is the “holy grail” source for me and the majority. However, I do know of both…amazing and very well respected top level schools!! Congratulations on acceptance to both!! Maybe more of an East Coast versus West Coast thing? You honestly cannot go wrong with either of them!
@jcwjnw99 I am well aware of the Tri-College Consortium (my kid got into Swat, too — she visited before applying, again for accepted student days, and we visited Haverford for both kids and Bryn Mawr for my other kid). I’m pointing out that there is a difference in the two consortiums. There is no shuttling at the Claremonts — the campuses all fit together like LEGO blocks, it is a short walk to other colleges for classes, and there are more classes to pick from across 5 colleges.
@washugrad I have visited both. Two weeks ago, I would have said that I wanted east coast, but now I’m torn. Honestly, the schools are both equal in my eyes. I’ll see how I feel once I revisit.
@Publisher In my mind, rankings don’t mean anything. However, in this case, the schools are equal in my eyes, and I am trying to find any reason to pick one over the other. Still, your comment does point out how silly this way of thinking is.
@nostalgicwisdom I actually hadn’t realized that until now. Everyone at my school emphasized how lucky I was to get into Swarthmore and didn’t really say anything about Pomona, so I just assumed that Swarthmore was more prestigious. Then again, you know what happens when you assume something…
IF you want warm weather all year round, the convenience of walking to any of the 5 Claremont Colleges for your classes, the fun of being in SCal, near LA, and the [ slightly] more laid back attitude of going to a Calif college, pick Pomona.
Pomona and Swarthmore are equals. Both are intellectual and part of a consortium, although strictly speaking the Claremont colleges are like the Oxford colleges, you just walk from one to the other.
I’d personally pick Pomona for better weather, access to California companies for internships, and access to the consortium. But you may love snow and 4 seasons + access to Philly.