<p>Kidding, but really, what sets each apart?</p>
<p>I know that they specialize in different things, but I was wondering, as a person who is very undecided, which would be better for me? My impression is that Pomona=humanities and CMC=international relations/politics type stuff, so what happens if I end up at one of these places and don't want to be in those fields? Are the other programs/majors good?</p>
<p>CMC is more preprofessional, and Pomona is more pre PH.D., to put it broadly. Not exactly like oil and water, but different for sure. Add in Harvey Mudd and you've got three fantastic small schools co-located.</p>
<p>thanks! anyone else?</p>
<p>We've visited both, but don't know much more than what we learned there. Pomona presents itself as leaning toward the theoretical and academic pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Preparing students for grad school and lifelong learning. More cerebral. CMC presents itself as a college filled with students who pursue knowledge so they can DO things, not as an end in itself. Things they do could be politics or business or many other fields. Active, opinionated students who thrive on a fast pace and constant interaction and networking. They both have excellent programs in many different majors, and Pomona is full of students who are pre-professional, whether they want to admit it or not. Some students I could see at either school, others clearly fit better with one or the other.</p>
<p>both have distinct student bodies. if you talk to anyone from either school they're bound to stereotype each other in a negative way.</p>
<p>"both have distinct student bodies"</p>
<p>Actually, I strongly disagree with this. Pomona students are a pretty diverse group, a broad cross-section not easily pigeon-holed. They are not, in my mind, particularly distinct. </p>
<p>CMC students, on the other hand, are one of the most distinct groups I've ever seen on a college campus. I'd call it the social science counterpart to a tech school. This is not necessarily a negative, it's just what it is. Pre-professionalism here is rampant and all about a future career in business, law or politics.</p>
<p>To most people in southern CA who have never heard of either school, yes, they are essentially the same.</p>
<p>wbwa, you should talk to some cmc students because they would disagree with Pomona being pretty diverse.</p>
<p>Pomona is considered more liberal than CMC. Diversity would be in the middle or an equal representation of whats out in this country. The simple fact that Pomona is more intellectual as a distinct student body doesn't make it diverse, it makes it very specific, just like a Swarthmore or a University of Chicago. Diversity in my opinion encompasses everything not just one side of the spectrum. CMCs student body breaks even with number of republicans and democrat. </p>
<p>you saying that pomona doesn't have a distinct student body is like saying Amherst or Brown don't have a distinct student body. When compared to a Williams there is a difference.</p>
<p>Both schools are very strong in all of the departments that they offer. It'd be tough to argue that Politics at Pomona is demonstrably better than Government at CMC, or Economics is better at Pomona than CMC, what you get in any department at either school is a high caliber of student looking to push themselves to succeed in their respective field. </p>
<p>The distinction among the students is that students at CMC chose CMC because they KNEW they wanted a school that focused in the social sciences, whereas Pomona, although equally strong, doesn't have a specific focus. While the majority at CMC will study Government, Econ, IR, etc, at Pomona this contingent of students blends in with students majoring in Environmental Analysis, Biology/Neuro, Chemistry, etc. </p>
<p>You couldn't necessarily say Pomona is STRONGER in the humanities anymore than you could say that CMC is STRONGER in the social sciences. It's a matter of the percentage of the student body following each course. Pomona has students spread across 40+ departments and programs, each very strong. CMC has students spread across 10-15 departments, with a specific focus. </p>
<p>I think the reason CMC, certainly intellectual campus, gets funneled into this perception of being overly preprofessional is because the social sciences are fields that feed heavily into Law and Business school. Students at Pomona who study econ, etc. go into banking/consulting b-school at similar rates, but the "pre-professionalness" of this contingent is overshadowed since they are not the majority on campus.</p>
<p>My overarching point is, whatever you want to do (assuming your major is at both schools), Pomona and CMC will open doors for you in postgraduate life. CMC students have gone into top PhD programs just as Pomona students have gotten top "professional" jobs and law/b-schools. What matters most is which one fits you best, because that will be the determinant of your success in reaching your goals.</p>