<p>HI there. This question is being raised because so far the favorite colleges of my son are listed above but he is considering applying to Pomona also. It is the only school in the list that doesn't have Club Ice Hockey available, but he says for a great school he could live without playing. He is thinking about majoring in biology or bio medical engineering, but he could major in alot of topics but he will have to take all the science classes necessary for Pre Dentistry or Pre Med. He wants to be a pediatric dentist or an oral surgeon.</p>
<p>We will not be able to go to Pomona - he will just have to apply and could apply to Claremont or Harvey Mudd also. Any insight from anyone who has been to these other colleges and Pomona would be welcome.</p>
<p>He has a 35 ACT score and will have an IB Diploma -plus plenty of extracurriculars. and some leadership roles... From the midwest.</p>
<p>Pomona’s a great choice. I’d think twice if his goals are med or dent school about Mudd given relative grade deflation there and the rigor of the science/engineering curriculum (I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it - highly - to someone interested in a science, engineering, CS or math future, though). Claremont McKenna I’ve never really understood for someone interested in the sciences - great program for the future CEO or law firm partner. </p>
<p>Colorado, as I’m sure you know, has its quirky “one class at a time” curriculum - has to be your cup of tea. Wash U will offer a very good science program but the bounty of of other pre meds/dents on campus may be a turnoff and stress producer. Muhlenberg is good solid offering, but a curious addition to this list - why not other Pa regional LACs? Villanova is a definite outlier with its religious base, stronger partying culture and less academic student body.</p>
<p>I’m sure I’ve invited plenty of objections with these arguments. This list is pretty disparate. Other than hockey, what else is he looking for in a school?</p>
<p>Seems like an unusual combination of schools. Is club hockey the one common element?</p>
<p>My S (who also was an IB diploma student) is at Colorado College and loves it. He watched his first hockey games at CC, where it is the major sport (with one of the top home attendance rates in the sport (D1 level), exceeded only by a few much larger schools like Wisconsin and Minnesota.) Academics are solid and the location is fabulous (since you get the advantages of both city life and the Rocky Mountain surroundings.) It is one of few LACs that offers anatomy training on human cadavers ([Colorado</a> College | Bulletin](<a href=“http://www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin/march2005/healing.asp]Colorado”>http://www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin/march2005/healing.asp)). Of course, you need to be on board with this school’s unusual, one-course-at-a-time “block plan”.</p>
<p>Pomona and WUSTL are the most selective schools on your list. WUSTL is highly regarded for biology, and (unlike the LACs on your list) it does offer biomedical engineering. It also grants merit aid to about 25% of non-need students (probably the highest percentage of the top 20 universities) but not in huge average amounts (<$10K). The competion for larger grants there must be very intense.</p>
<p>As much as I like several of these schools, if you need merit aid then you should take the hint from Redroses and look for a few more options.</p>
<p>Okay, now this is just false, not to mention unhelpful.</p>
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<p>Well, yes, at least one. See above. </p>
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<p>Yes, HC and Tufts are great schools to consider. However, I wouldn’t accept the subjective “better” comment at face value. Due your own due diligence to discern what’s best for you. </p>
<p>Always confused when I see kids enamored of such disparate schools–Col. Col. is very small, without the resources of a Wash U., for example. Villanova has press, in these parts, of having a fairly provincial student body. Pomona is a very fine school, but it’s a really smoggy, unappealing satellite of L.A. </p>
<p>Of the existing list, Wash U. has the most academic gravitas, not to mention that its traditional buildings and dorms are maintained in a way that most elite universities do not maintain their campus. As well, its dorm food is pretty wonderful.</p>
<p>Yes to Tufts providing a formidable curriculum for anyone who is pre-medical or pre-dental. In fact, the culture and demographic of Tufts is very much like Wash U.</p>
<p>He really liked Muhlenberg and Villanova when we visited. He loved the friendliness of each. Muhlenberg is great for pre professional, and yes, maybe a little small, but overall he liked it. Villanova is bigger, which he liked and closer to the airport, but is a little less selective like Muhlenberg, and he may not have the chance to be with other "highly intellectual " kids 100 % of the time, but he is a well rounded kid and not super deep. Wash U and Col College may put him around more highly intellectual kids, but what is also similar is that they are both in the midwest with a good emphasis on Sciences and biology. Yes, Col College may be too small, but he may be ok with that due to the snow skiiing nearby, since he loves that.</p>
<p>Maybe the overriding facet here is that none of these are in a bubble, and the kids are all friendly. I have heard how friendly everyone is a Pomona too…</p>
<p>Regarding the other PA schools. NO to U Penn, too urban. No to Lafayette, too preppy. Bucknell is still on the list but ideally, it may not be a favorite because it may be too fratty and too much in a bubble, with difficult access to an airport.</p>
<p>No Not really!! He can try for Merit aid at CC, and he can try for Merit Aid at Muhlenberg and Villanova. I thought Pomona had merit aid, does it not?</p>
<p>I can confirm no merit aid at Pomona. They do meet full need. Pitzer, another of the Claremont Colleges, does have some merit aid, but it doesn’t sound like this student’s cuppa. </p>
<p>Muhlenberg is a good choice, since they have a strong premed program and merit money. </p>
<p>Pomona during the summer is hellish, but Pomona during the winter is idyllic. It’s such a pretty campus.</p>
<p>CMC does have merit aid, the premed program is taught as part of the joint sciences program and is the same program that pre med students from Pitzer and Scripps attend. The medical school admission statistics for CMC students are excellent so I can definitely see why a student would go to CMC for premed. I agree with Wbwa regarding Mudd and pre med.</p>
<p>No, actually, Claremont, where Pomona College is located, is a charming, appealing small town. And smog is really not a problem. It might occassionally be if you are running cross-country or have a specific breathing problem a few days a year.
The winter and spring, when school is in session, is usually beautiful. You can see the snow-capped mountains nearby on most days.
St. Louis has smog on hot summer days, too! Many cities do- L.A. is not exceptional.</p>
<p>The problem with Pomona is no merit aid. It does have great need-based aid, however, with students with family incomes into six figures qualifying for some aid, depending on the individual circumstances. They are very generous.
Claremont McKenna does have a few merit-based scholarships. They have early deadlines for the scholarship apps, I believe, so check carefully.</p>