<p>How do the sciences at Pomona compare with the sciences at the other consortium schools? Do Pomona students take science courses on any of the other campuses? In particular, how does it compare in biology and neurosciences? Which are the strongest science departments?</p>
<p>Pomona and Harvey Mudd are tied in terms of chemistry and mathematics. Mudd has the better computer science, mathematical biology, physics, and engineering programs. Pomona has the better geology, biology, astronomy, neuroscience, psychology, cognitive sciences, environmental analysis, and molecular biology department. Keep in mind that the magnitude of better majors isn’t as significant as Mudd students have 18 majors compared to Pomona’s 47. </p>
<p>Keck is a superb department with its greatest unique asset being a year-long integrated Biology, Physics, and Chemistry class, but its facilities and course offerings aren’t as developed as Pomona’s or Mudd’s. </p>
<p>Usually, most Pomona students tend to stick around at Pomona for their science classes, with the rare exception happening at Mudd with physics, engineering (which Pomona doesn’t offer but Pomona students CAN take), and a few math classes. Keck is usually taken to fulfill a science requirement and get an easy A, but that’s a stereotype and should be handled as such.</p>
<p>Pomona’s strongest science departments are mathematics, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and molecular biology, and all of the rest are also strong with the EXCEPTION of physics, which has awful introductory teachers. The Claremont Consortium makes for a fantastic asset, as each school offers unique courses not offered at the other, like Oceanography at Pomona, Neural Networks at Harvey Mudd, and Marine Ecology at Keck. The Claremonts are a great place to come for science, with 50% of Pomona students, 95% of Mudd students, 20% of Claremont McKenna students, 25% of Pitzer students, and 25% of Scripps students majoring in one or an interdisciplinary involving the sciences.</p>
<p>Pomona and Harvey Mudd are the equivalent of Harvard and MIT/Caltech for liberal art colleges in terms of their science programs- among the best you can find, but with important distinctions.</p>
<p>Pomona is a traditional liberal arts college and as a result has a lot more science major options than Mudd does. Harvey Mudd especially emphasizes math, computer science, chemistry, engineering, and physics, so these tend to be its core strengths. That being said, it’s hard to distinguish whether MIT or Harvard is truly better than the other in math and chemistry, and that is the case with Pomona vs Harvey Mudd- both are fantastic, and in Pomona’s case, its best departments. Cross-enrolling is possible and often done, especially with computer science, as the courses are joined together and students can either choose the Mudd or Pomona track initially with upper level classes joined by both.</p>
<p>Keck is a combined science center for CMC, Pitzer, and Scripps, and it’s very good. I’d say it’s on par with Emory/Rice level if we use the Harvard/MIT analogy for Pomona and Harvey Mudd. The AISS sequence (search it) is fantastic, but I’ve never heard of a Pomona person doing it. </p>
<p>Since you’re interested in neuroscience and biology, I’d recommend Pomona, which has the better facilities, more faculty, and more general student interest with those two majors. If you’re ever interested, the consortium is there and it’s accessible: Mudd is more likely to accept cross-enrollees (because there are so few of them) than Pomona is, so you have a lot of options available by choosing Pomona. The issue is getting into both of them, which definitely isn’t easy. </p>
<p>Mudd requires its students to take 1/3 of their classes from the humanities, while Pomona only requires 4. This is a huge distinction between the schools and should be considered. Furthermore, both schools make it very difficult to double major, especially with neuroscience at Pomona, so you should consider if that’s important to you.</p>
<p>@nostalgicwisdom, I’ve seen several other posts decrying Pomona’s intro physics classes. What are the options for someone who wants to major or minor in physics? Can they take intro physics at HM or Keck? Does CMC even offer it?</p>
<p>I don’t understand the comment that Pomona physics is not strong. My son is currently a Physics/Astrophysics major at Pomona and has found the coursework to be stimulating and rigorous. The profs are very supportive and have offered him numerous research opportunities. He came from one of the top prep schools in the nation.</p>
<p>I have to agree with MomoGold. My son is a physics major at Pomona and has not complained at all about the quality of the physics professors He’s a sophomore, and has taken all of his physics classes to date at Pomona, not at any of the other colleges.</p>
<p>Perhaps Pomona should add a class on manners in a public forum. One topic could be the rudeness of specifically naming people who are being criticized.</p>
<p>If you’re a major, you don’t take 41 or 42. </p>
<p>If you did AP Mechanics you don’t need to take 71, and if you did E&M, you can try to test out of 72 as well. Both are known to be pretty terrible regardless of the professor. 70 with Moore is excellent. He literally wrote the book, and it’s a shame if you don’t get to take it with him. It’s not “rare” for him to teach it, he taught it for the previous two years but was on sabbatical this fall. </p>
<p>About half of the physics profs are unpopular, which is unusually bad for Pomona.</p>
<p>“Perhaps Pomona should add a class on manners in a public forum. One topic could be the rudeness of specifically naming people who are being criticized.”</p>
<p>I don’t think you’re understanding the difference between attacking and constructive criticism. The professor who was mentioned is a great, very talented professor who unfortunately can not teach physics- THAT IS THE ONLY CRITICISM. That is all the posts mentioned- they never attacked her directly. </p>
<p>If people can criticize public officials, why can they not criticize professors? If it isn’t for the criticism, Pomona’s introductory physics will remain as bad as it is. It’s even better that this is a public forum because where those reviews come from aren’t accessible to Pomona faculty. </p>
<p>Even if I had excluded the names, only one teacher teaches intro physics in the fall. It wouldn’t have made a difference, and it certainly isn’t a matter of lack of respect like you think it is.</p>
<p>lockn- I agree. Thomas Moore is great! I have intro physics with him right now and he’s fantastic! I had to drop out of some other physics teachers because their class was awful, but Moore rekindled my interest in physics.</p>
<p>I’m glad I got to read your post nostalgic wisdom, before it went away. It adds something else to consider if my D is accepted and decides to attend. She likes physics, but has not had AP classes in that area. Her HS physics teacher is encouraging her to attend Chicago, but at this point she does not know what she will major in.</p>