@Hodag2019, I am so happy for you. You have, what I like to refer to “a good kind of problem”. I have visited the top five schools on your list over the past few years. They all have strengths. But, I would like to more specifically address Williams versus Pomona. My sister graduated from Williams. My daughter is a student at Pomona. Besides the obvious comparisons of weather, size and location and ease of getting to/from school (as have been mentioned previously), there are a couple of other factors that I believe get at the core of some of the differences of the two schools. First, if you like to explore on weekends, Pomona has, I believe many more options. The have an extraordinary outdoor activities club which is deeply subsidized. They have excursions to the mountains, the beach, the desert, to National Parks, or just pleasant hikes–all at minimal cost. My child has enjoyed the chance to get away to very different surroundings via the club. She doesn’t need to have a car, she can sign up and go on hike or trip. Secondly, Pomona subsidizes train rides to LA. If you have seen the school, you know the train is a block away. So, to have the option to very easily travel to the city is really awesome if you are interested in exploring either more cultural sites or just to get the feel of a more urban vibe. Pomona also subsidizes movie tickets at the downtown theater. Again, if you have seen the campus, you know they are situated right next to a cute college town, so you can easily walk off campus for an ice cream, a coffee, or the movies. But, most importantly, at least for my daughter, is the strong emphasis on diversity at Pomona. I don’t mean to say that Williams does not celebrate and encourage diversity, but at Pomona, it is a BIG DEAL. POMONA = DIVERSITY. If you have conservative leanings, perhaps another school would be a better fit. Finally, Williams has an awesome alumni network. If you are thinking you might go into Finance upon graduation, I would recommend Williams over Pomona. The Williams alumni have deeper roots on Wall Street. Hope this helps. Again, so happy for you!
OP: I’ll reiterate what I wrote in post #3 above. Focus on Bowdoin, Williams & Pomona.
With respect to Bowdoin, it accepts very few transfers so it, as well as Williams & Pomona, must be doing a lot right.
^ Bowdoin places in a tie (with Holy Cross) for highest among non-specialty colleges in four-year graduation rate, an indicator of retention. However, I regard transfer acceptance as partly a matter of institutional priority rather than of retention alone (i.e., the size of a college may be inelastic, but the distribution of students across classes can be flexible).
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate
You have chosen the right two LACs to focus on. I personally believe Williams provides what is perhaps the best undergraduate academic experience in the US with its tutorial system and access to Oxford. That said, Williams and Pomona are both among the 4 most academically elite (and most well endowed) LACs in the US, so the real issue is fit. Where do you see yourself thriving. Congratulations on having such outstanding alternatives.
“That said, Williams and Pomona are both among the 4 most academically elite (and most well endowed) LACs in the US, so the real issue is fit. Where do you see yourself thriving”
Ahh, yeah, and Bowdoin is in that same exact class of school. So I think I think you are focusing on the right “three” schools.
First off - congrats on getting into many fantastic colleges!
It seems the general trend here is that Pomona provides a nicer environment than Williams, but Williams has slight edge with respect to reputation and perhaps post graduation placement. Both have a fantastic endowment/student, which is important to maintain academic and EC quality. My son attends Williams and I was accepted to Pomona(many years ago!)
First things first - make sure you visit both place. My son was slightly concerned about the isolation of Williamstown, however now that he is engaged in classes and has built a network of friends, the need to leave campus is small. In fact, he has a car there, but rarely uses it (primarily just to drive home 3 hours away during breaks). He enjoys hiking and skiing (Jiminy Peak is only 15 minutes away). There have been many comments about how bad the weather is in the winter. Yes it can get cold, but he loved “J-term” in January becauseit was fun and low stress.
His decision was ultimately between Williams and Amherst, another consortium school. We were not that impressed wit the Amherst consortium because of the disparity in quality of the schools and the lack of immediate proximity to each other. The Claremont Colleges do not have that problem - it is a true consortium with all of the campuses adjacent and contiguous. So Pomona really does feel almost like a college within a university, which has some benefits. Williams, being in a remote location, knows that it has to stand on its own and it has substantial resources for a school its size including a beautiful library, The Clark Institute next door is a world class museum and Mass MOCA in nearby gritty-but-evolving North Adams has challenging and engaging art exhibits.
Pomona has a beautiful campus and really smart students. Its location is closer to Ontario airport than LAX and sometimes is in the smog belt as the San Gabriel Mountains can “hold” the air pollution in the valley.
A tough decision, but I would recommend Williams.