<p>So I am currently at Rutgers University in New Jersey (I've lived here my whole life) and I really want to transfer out to Pomona. I went to a very small all-girls high school (50-60ish kids per class) and Rutgers is so huge. I feel like I spend so much time on the bus getting from campus to campus, just navigating it all that I am left with little to no time to connect with my peers and just enjoy college itself. Overall, the academic opportunities are great but I want that paired with a more lively and just connected campus. I see that all in Pomona and it even has a strong science program which I awesome for a liberal arts school. </p>
<p>I did fine in high school but in no means stellar. I think my GPA was about 3.6-ish unweighted and my ACT was a 31. I had some leadership positions in high school, started a science journal in my school, and am now trying to get more into extracurriculars at Rutgers. I currently have a 4.0 but my biggest weakness is I am REALLY bad at writing essays about myself, which is a huge part of applications obviously. I am also worried because I just recently discovered this school so I think I missed the time to get an Alum interview. </p>
<p>Do you guys have any advice for me regarding this? Will the interview really hurt me? Overall though, what do you think are my chances and how do you guys like Pomona? </p>
<p>I love Pomona! I think you would be a great fit for it. The residential experience here is really wonderful. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, essays do really matter for Pomona. Don’t go in with the mentality that you can only write bad essays. Begin writing, and read it, and see if these points are well addressed. Get opinions from others, read great literature, and write multiple drafts to ensure that your best quality is being put forth.</p>
<p>You want to communicate well:
*Why you think Pomona is better than your current institution for your individual needs
*What resources Pomona offers that you will take advantage of; in other words, what you’ll do here that makes you stand out
*What your personal goals are in the long run, and how a Pomona education will help you accomplish them.
*What makes YOU stand out; why you would be a great addition to Pomona’s complex student background
*Your unique writing style, as the transfer board would take your application more seriously if your material stood out from the other applicants</p>
<p>Things to avoid:
*Anything about the weather.
*Not expressing enough about yourself- Pomona really wants to get to know you well!
*Talking too much about high school experiences
*Being too pessimistic and not being able to find value in your previous institution, as that may speak of a personal flaw</p>
<p>The interview won’t hurt you too much. You have a pretty solid profile (the 4.0 in particular helps), and I’ll let you know that the transfer students Pomona accepts are very different in their testing profiles! </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your response!! I just got so nervous because I had heard about pomona in high school but way after the deadline past. I just rediscovered it and the deadline is less than a month away but I know this is the perfect school for me. Let’s just hope I can show that through my essays! </p>
<p>afk, same! I didn’t find out about pomona until after apps were due and everyone was talking about where they applied. I’m actually trying to schedule a day trip to visit. @nostalgicwisdom, I am probably going to be at Pomona the day before the Cesar Chavez holiday, which falls on Friday. I don’t think I will be there until noon/afternoon because that’s when my parents will be in LA. Are there still plenty of classes I can sit in on later in the day? I really want to see what the classroom atmosphere is like. And we’ll probably be back on Friday or Saturday to see what campus life is like on the weekend.</p>
<p>It’s a bit challenging to find Friday afternoon classes that aren’t labs, but some options are:
Adv Ballet Technique & Theory
Fem Intersectional Leadership at Scripps
Introduction to GIS
American Culture Wars (CMC)
Science in Fiction / Special Topics in History (HMC)
Managing Diplomatic Crises (highly highly highly recommended- the former US ambassador to Pakistan teaches it here!)
Shakespeare (HMC)
Physics in Society: Energy Policy
The Bible goes to Hollywood
Sem: Clinical Psychology
Sociology Through Film (Pitzer)
Corporeal Mime and Pedagogy
Stage and Theatre Management
Theory/Criticism/Praxis</p>
<p>Let me know what interests you and I can tell you when and where they are! Of course if you’re interested in getting to see how labs work that option is available too.</p>
<p>Oh, I’m sorry if my previous post was unclear. March 28 (Cesar Chavez holiday) is a Friday, but I don’t think Pomona has class that day. So I will be visiting on Thursday (March 27), although if you guys have classes that Friday, I would be more than willing to come that day too! I’m super interested in any topics relating to neuroscience, molecular biology (or basically any science), philosophy, psychology, and public policy, although any extremely engaging class would be nice too. </p>
<p>Oh…well there is a large number of options available for Thursday! For your topics:</p>
<h2>Neuroscience and Molecular Biology</h2>
<p>Foundations of Neuroscience at Keck (Pitzer/CMC/Scripps)- noon-1:10
Intro Cell Chem & Cell Bio w/Lab at Pomona: 1:15-5:00
Molecular Biology Lab at Pomona: 1:15-5:00
Global Public Health at Keck: noon-1:10
Lab, Developmental Biology: 1:15-5:00
Topics in the Biology of Aging / Special Topics in Biology at Harvey Mudd- 1:15-2:30
Adv Topics: Environmental Biology at Keck- noon-1:10
Aquatic Ecology Lab- 1:15-5:00
Sci/Bus of Medicinal Chemistry at Keck- 1:15-2:30
Organic Chemistry Lab: 1:15-5:00
Cosmolgy/Extragalactic Astrophys- 1:15-2:30
Foundations of Field Theory at Harvey Mudd- 1:15-2:30</p>
<h2>Philosophy 1:15-2:30 or 2:45-4:00</h2>
<p>Philosophy of Law
Reason and Reality at CMC
Women, Crime and Punishment
History of Modern Philosophy
Science and Values
Metaphysics at CMC
The War on Terror at Pitzer
The Religion of Islam
Post-Holocaust Philosophy
Interpreting Religious Worlds
God, Darwin, Design in America at HMC
Whiteness:Race,Sex,Representation
AfroFuturisms
Afro-Latin America
Chicana/Latina Histories
Mathematics in Many Cultures at Pitzer
Science, Tech, Asian America at Pitzer</p>
<h2>Psychology</h2>
<p>The Social Brain
The Psychology of Multicultural Education
Asian American Psychology
Contemporary Prejudice
Psychology of Morality at CMC
Psychology of Language at Pitzer
Health Psychology at Pitzer
Child Development at Pitzer
Psychology of Women at Scripps
Behavioral Psychology at CMC
Syntax</p>
<h2>Public Policy, Politics, and IR</h2>
<p>Modern Japan
Ethics, Character & Polit Ldrshp CMC
Intro Constitutional Law:Nat Pwr CMC
Introduction to Int’l Politics CMC
Introduction American Politics CMC
Intro to American Politics
Comparative Democratization
Hannah Arendt (taught by one of the best in the politics department)
Adv Questions African Politics
Radical Political Theory at Scripps
Voting, Campaigning & Elections at Scripps
Mapping Global Cultures Pitzer
Conquest of Nature & Rise/State Pitzer</p>
<p>Wow! So many choices! Thank you so much for taking the time to search/list all those classes. You’ve been an amazing help on here, and especially within the Pomona forum.</p>