princeton vs pomona? i can't decide...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>“However, it’s downright foolish to argue that the academic experience at Princeton is better. Pomona’s standalone academic strength, in addition to the wealth of resources it gets from the four other superb colleges in the Claremont system, make it the better choice if one were solely comparing academics.”</p>

<p>I’m sorry but I do have to disagree with this. I don’t even think the academic experience is comparable between the two schools, in my time at Princeton I was able to work on an econ project with a Nobel Laureate, learn C from the man that virtually wrote it, study policy with a former senator and while those all sound gimmicky…they’re not. Sure, if you just decide to coast through, the academic experience at Princeton and a fine school like Pomona will be similar. If you want to seek out the best academic and research opportunities, Pomona won’t come close to Princeton.</p>

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<p>shadow567–As far as Endicott’s comment, I don’t think that Endicott is a student at or alumni of Princeton, so I wouldn’t assume that it means anything about the Princeton student body.</p>

<p>As a Princeton alumna and mother of a current Princeton student, I can tell you that she and I both believe that the academic experience offered by Princeton is unparalled. Every department is strong and I know that the art history department has amazing professors. Ec1234 is correct as to the size of classes. Although some intro classes might have 100 or more students, generally class sizes are fairly small, particularly in upper level classes, and TAs only lead some of the discussion sections. Professors are happy to speak with undergraduates and they are often found at campus events, in town etc. Both of us loved our undergraduate experiences–in fact my daughter’s main concern is that she won’t get to take all the classes she’s interested in because she’s only going to be at Princeton for four years. It is one of the happiest campuses I’ve ever been on and contrary to what you might have heard, the kids are generally fairly low key and down to earth.</p>

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<p>lol, PimpDaddy, did you take Professor Kernighan’s Computer Science class? that was a great experience.</p>

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<p>“Kernighan has said that he had no part in the design of the C language (“it’s entirely Dennis Ritchie’s work”)… Each fall he teaches a course called “Computers in Our World”, which introduces the fundamentals of computing to non-majors.”</p>

<p>[COS</a> 109, Fall 2006: Home Page](<a href=“http://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall06/cos109/]COS”>COS 109, Fall 2006: Home Page)</p>

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<p>He coauthored the book along with Dennis Richie on the C language. Every single computer science major uses this book.</p>

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<p>princeton is the top college in the US…nuff said</p>

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<p>I think it should come down to fit. Both have great academics, but both are very different in almost anything else. At my school, the type of students that go to Pomona are just as intellectual as those that go to Princeton, but are generally more laid back and, in my opinion, much more fun to be around. The weather at Pomona easily beats Princeton, unless you like freezing, windy, overcast, and snowy days (and at Pomona, you are about a 45 minute drive from being able to ski, a huge plus). Do you like the idea of grade deflation? I’d visit both if you haven’t already and decide based on which school you feel more comfortable at. If you feel like you fit in at both and would enjoy each equally, Princeton has a slight academic edge, so you should go there.</p>

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<p>Princeton is like living in a castle, while Pomona is like living in a resort. Both are good choices, it comes down to a matter of preference.</p>

<p>I can’t say much about Pomona, but Princeton is a wonderful school. I love it dearly and can’t imagine myself anywhere else now. The students are incredibly nice and friendly, down-to-earth for the most part (not going to lie, some condescending individuals are used to getting everything they want, but they’re in a very small minority).</p>

<p>I lived in Southern CA and it has been surprisingly easy for me to adapt to the weather. You just put on more coats. And scarves. Gloves sometimes. It sounds worse than it really is, and the campus is really quite breathtaking covered in snow. </p>

<p>The professors here are really understanding, I’ve had some personal emergencies and I haven’t had any problems getting extensions when I need them. The administration has also been very caring (they were informed about my personal emergencies), and the Director of Student Life and Director of Studies both email me regularly to ask how I’m doing and to offer their guidance if I want to take it. </p>

<p>It’s been amazing to come out east, and I really think college is the best time to explore things that are different</p>

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<p>^You’re a freshman, right? Get back to me in four years regarding the weather. As a midwesterner all my life, I haven’t met one person who likes winters, even those who love to go skiing. Rather, I find that the people who like winters the most are those that have never seen snow before and think its pretty interesting, a change of pace from constant sunshine and warm weather; that attitude generally changes after a couple years. And yeah, it’s not really hard to adapt, but it just gets really annoying. It’s no wonder that spring is generally by far the happiest time around Chicago (for everyone), even though early fall is just as nice, if not prettier because of the foliage.</p>

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<p>It’s really not that bad. New Jersey is pretty mild winter-wise, compared to the Midwest. I’m just saying the weather isn’t so terrible and that it shouldn’t be a huge consideration.</p>

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<p>I’m inclined to agree with Senior0991.</p>

<p>I spent the past winter in New England, Western Massachusetts, and thinking about it makes me want to cry.</p>

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<p>Especially when compared to Chicago, I haven’t found the cold to be that awful. Get a good down jacket and you’re good. The rain combined with cobblestones, on the other hand, is a pain in the ass.</p>

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<p>I think fit is important. But, if you want to graduate school, I think Princeton has a significant edge. Graduate school admissions hinge largely on letters of recommendations that are written by professors. As far as I know, Princeton has a much larger staff of researching professors than Pomona. The education you get at Pomona itself may be fantastic (although I do not think it would be better than that at Princeton), but the key is that Pomona is not a research university (like HYPS or large state schools). When it comes time to look for letters of recommendation, I think you will find it much more difficult coming from Pomona than from Princeton. Just my 2 cents.</p>

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<p>As a employer in one of the major research universities myself, I have to say that research experiences and references from large research institutes such as Princeton will have huge advantage. After getting burnt for hiring kids from some of the small LAC, I no longer seriously think of people from the small colleges. Those references from small college tend to be either ineffective or inflated. Furthermore, we usually have some skepticism on references that never do similar work in the field. If you think of going to top graduate schools and choose Panoma, you will give yourself unnecessary hard time. In terms of academic, Princeton and Panoma are not quite comparable. They are in different leagues.</p>

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<p>I’ll give you a hint: Princeton. </p>

<p>Don’t worry about the weather, it’s not that bad, and certainly not enough to make a difference.</p>

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<p>“In terms of academic, Princeton and Panoma are not quite comparable. They are in different leagues.”</p>

<p>(Note to straighttalk: When posting opinion on one institution over another, it helps one’s credibility to get the names right.)</p>

<p>I agree with kwu’s earlier postings on this question, although because I am less enamored than he about seductive yet intangible “prestige”, I don’t agree with his conclusion. Choosing between two excellent and comparable colleges is a process that should take into account only the short- and long-term needs and goals of the individual involved. And we are talking about two comparable colleges here.</p>

<p>Princeton and Pomona both offer superior academic experiences to their students. They are different in nature, not in degree. Parsing the quality of their respective educations in order to judge advantage is fruitless endeavor, since one quickly realizes the truth of what has been described as “the flat maximum”. That is where the tools of measurement available lack the necessary precision to determine the true difference (if any) between two objects of equal value. In other words, the background “noise” or inherent failings of the instruments/parameters themselves is greater than that which is being measured.</p>

<p>With under 1600 undergrads, Pomona is approx. 1/3 the size of Princeton, although when the balance of the Claremont Consortium is factored in they become more or less equal in size. Pomona is on the West Coast – with year-round sunshine, warm weather and a laid back vibe. Princeton is on the East Coast – much colder weather and a bit more uptight/competitive. Princeton (1746) is a well-established Ivy League school, enjoying whatever cachet comes with membership in that small and unchanging group. Pomona is younger (1887) and over the years has built a first-class college with a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence. Both take only the best and the brightest, and cross-admits are common. Both offer plentiful opportunities for undergrad research in a host of disciplines. Both are historically top feeder schools to elite grad institutions. (in fact, in this regard Pomona ranks fractionally behind MIT, Brown and Columbia, and well ahead of Cornell.)</p>

<p>Rankings don’t tell the story, though. They are simply one of many guideposts. Again, deciding on college is a personal decision. Gut level, very much like buying a house. One must visit the property and soak up the atmosphere. If it feels comfortable – just like home – then it is meant to be. If it doesn’t, you will likely not thrive there. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Finding a place to learn and grow? </p>

<p>We always do our best work, and are happiest, in the place in which we feel most comfortable.</p>

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<p>Why are you even asking this question? Princeton is of course the better choice, not that Pomona is a bad school.</p>

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<p>*Rankings don’t tell the story, though. *</p>

<p>I agree (Princeton’s #2 this year, definitely not accurate). </p>

<p>The quality of the professors, classes, student body, research and job opportunities, and school funding tell the story.</p>

<p>Princeton’s kind of better than Pomona at all of those criteria. </p>

<p>*
Don’t worry about the weather, it’s not that bad, and certainly not enough to make a difference. *</p>

<p>Are you out of your mind?!?! Weather at Princeton IS TERRIBLE. You cannot even begin to compare it to Southern California. It makes WAY MORE of a difference than any other factor Pomona may have against Princeton.</p>

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<p>Ok, randrombetch, but I live in New Jersey, anyway, so it really wouldn’t have affected me…</p>

<p>It’s still miles above, say, Bowdoin in terms of weather.</p>

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<p>I’m guessing OP is from SoCal though, and the change in weather is definitely not something trivial.</p>