Pomona's application requirements and your experience!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>Hi all you Pomona experts! My daughter (a HS junior) is in LOVE with Pomona and I know she plans to apply in the fall, most likely ED1. I have a couple of questions: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>The test requirements say SAT & SAT Subject Tests; or ACT. Does that mean if you take the ACT (I assume with Writing) you do not have to take the SAT Subject tests as far as their requirements go?</p></li>
<li><p>CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!!! Now that you've been admitted (this year, last year, many moons ago, whatever!), what do you think was your admissions clincher? What sealed the deal for you? Obviously stats only take you so far since so many very well qualified applicants are rejected so we really want to know what you think helped you get in? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>My daughter has strong stats but not as strong as many who were rejected. The school is absolutely a perfect match for my daughter and it is most definitely her first choice. I'm encouraging her to look at other schools and she is smart enough to be logical about her chances but I wondered how much "interest" may have played a part, or anything else for that matter. </p>

<p>Thank you all!</p>

2

<p>Hi MsStarlite, I was admitted EDII this year, so I thought I would share my experience with you!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I BELIEVE that SAT plus Subject Tests is equivalent to ACT w/ writing for Pomona, so if you submit the ACT, SAT Subject Tests are not required. However, I believe Pomona likes for you to submit all test scores from all test dates, which is what I did because I thought providing a bigger picture for the admissions committee couldn’t hurt.</p></li>
<li><p>My clincher was definitely my essays. I wrote about subjects I was passionate about, presented a unique side of myself, and loved my essays once I finished with them. If you don’t love your essays, how can you expect Pomona to? There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with submitting essays that you love and are proud of.
Another thing that I believed helped my application was my demonstrated interest. I found the local rep and emailed him some specific questions regarding the college and admissions. He responded with a very nice email. I never got an interview, nor did I send any supplements, but I guess they found me interesting enough to accept!
Participating in the activities I really enjoy was also a strong point of my application. I don’t consider myself a resume builder, and I really showed interest in my possible areas of study. Pomona is looking for students that will actively contribute to the Pomona community, so I did my best to show how I would contribute, simply put.
The hardest part of the process was getting my interests and my personality across on paper to admissions. It is so hard to sum oneself up on paper, and if your daughter achieves this, I think she has a great shot at Pomona.</p></li>
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3

<ol>
<li><p>Yes, if you take the ACT with writing, you do not need to take the SAT or SAT IIs. DS was admitted ED1 and he took ACT with writing and 2 SAT IIs (because another school required them for its application). He never took the regular SAT. Be careful, applicants are required to submit all test results – ACT, SAT, SAT IIs – from all test dates, so carefully consider whether you want to take both the ACT and SAT, or take the SAT IIs at all.</p></li>
<li><p>I also think the essays were very important to S’s application. He had very strong grades and scores, but not stellar like many other applicants. Dean of Admissions Seth Allen had this to say about the importance of essays, and I’m happy to report that it really is true. [What</a> the New Dean at Pomona Looks for in an Essay - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/choice-on-india-ink-2/]What”>What the New Dean at Pomona Looks for in an Essay - The New York Times)</p></li>
<li><p>As for demonstrated interest, I believe it also helped my S’s case, as he was a recruited athlete and met with coaches multiple times and also had an on campus interview.</p></li>
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4

<p>I’m a RD admit this year:</p>

<p>1) I took the ACT with writing and no subject tests and was able to get in RD. So no, they’re definitely not a necessity. Plus, I’m from the Midwest where people hear SAT/Subject Tests and are like “Whaaaaat?”</p>

<p>2) Honestly, I think my main “clincher” was my essays and passion as well. I’ve been on CC for the past year researching admissions and what it takes to get into Pomona and other similar-caliber institutions. I have an ACT score of 32, which, while it is respectable, isn’t necessarily “ideal” for schools like Pomona. In addition, my AP scores were not the greatest (4’s and 3’s), but my school doesn’t have very good AP classes. Assuming that 33+ ACT’s and 5’s were what helped applicants most, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get in. But, I wrote a great, unique essay about something silly, got excellent recommendation letters, and pursued my main passion in high school: music. And I ended up getting in! Pomona has pretty much been my dream school for a year and I even had a teacher write me a special recommendation just for Pomona because he knew how bad I wanted to get in (and he was the only one I knew who had heard of it haha). I couldn’t visit because I live so far away, but I expressed interest through this and my essays. So, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that they look at applicants in the context of your school and community (I never believed this before). Have your daughter show herself as a unique applicant who demonstrates passion and original thought.</p>

<p>And, I will almost assuredly be attending Pomona next year over UChicago, Middlebury, and a few others. Couldn’t be more excited!</p>

5

<p>My D is a current freshman at Pomona and it fits her perfectly. She was admitted RD with very strong academics and scores but not off the charts. First, know exactly what about Pomona fits you so well and make sure to show that somewhere - essay, short answer, some letter. Visit if you can - showing interest is a good thing. I think my D got selected based on her fitting the school very well in her interests, her essays which were quirky but fun and definitely unique, and probably very heartfelt letters of recommendation from teachers who knew her well and really liked her. I’m sure the letters were personal and spoke about her character and passion for academics and her EC’s. Pomona is a community - like all LAC’s and they are interested in putting together a diverse class of people who will make contributions to that community. Good luck.</p>

6

<p>Hi all you Pomona experts! My daughter (a HS junior) is in LOVE with Pomona and I know she plans to apply in the fall, most likely ED1. I have a couple of questions: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Correct. However I did submit ACT+writing and 2 subject tests</p></li>
<li><p>CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!!! Now that you’ve been admitted (this year, last year, many moons ago, whatever!), what do you think was your admissions clincher? What sealed the deal for you? Obviously stats only take you so far since so many very well qualified applicants are rejected so we really want to know what you think helped you get in? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Ok so interest: I’m sure showing it can’t hurt, but honestly I found out about Pomona at the last minute through the Jos Claerbout website (google it! ^^), as a result I didn’t really show any interest. </p>

<p>My stats: 4.0, 35 ACT, Valedictorian, equestrian, computer ecs</p>

<p>Now, I suppose what “clinched” me must be my essays. I used the same common app essay (about building an Apple I replica) for all my colleges, but ended up getting in at Brown, JHU, and Pomona as my final top 3. Yale brown Stanford Chicago and Pomona were my top 5 when I applied. However, I got deferred ea Chicago and ended up getting denied there Yale and Stanford. I believe that my Pomona essay really clinched me: it was about what I would see looking down a street. I changed it to an alleyway and talked about selling my horse for college and seeing the girl who bought him at a horseshow. </p>

<p>I actually found out about my acceptance by calling admissions as my letter hadn’t came yet as of last Thursday. </p>

<p>I’ve narrowed my choices to Pomona or Brown – leaning heavily towards Pomona, in fact, I’m leaving to go to visit tomorrow!</p>

<p>Good luck to your daughter - and tell her to remember this: when I applied to Chicago EA I had visited and was “sure” it was the place for me. I’m SOOO glad I got deferred EA otherwise I may have never even have found out about Pomona, and I know now I would pick Pomona over Chicago in a heartbeat. So if a college rejects you it’s probably not b/c your stats aren’t good enough, but because you’re not the right fit for them. </p>

<p>Any questions feel free to PM me!</p>

<p>Regards,
Joey Krug</p>