<p>My D is absolutely torn among these three colleges. She has visited all three and says she doesn't care about the weather but does want some info on the pro/con of college. I would appreciate it if you guys could help my D out w/ her decision. She is interested in International relations, English, and Environmental Studies. Thanks.</p>
<p>Wow, such very different schools, this tells me she will do well at any of them. She must be an interesting child. Sorry I can't help much. If she really is torn then can distance from home be a tie breaker?</p>
<p>I understand that Pomona has a more conservative student body than Wesleyan and UPenn is larger than either Pomona or Wes; it is also urban. Middletown is not a very attractive town.
For IR, Pomona would seem to have the edge because of CMC in addition to its own offerings.</p>
<p>dogs- she says distances doesn't really matter
marite-thanks that kind of info is going to help somewhat with her international relations decision.</p>
<p>any more? I really appreciate it because time is running short for her.</p>
<p>Well if all things are equal distnace from home could be a tie breaker---not for her---but the parents. sigh....</p>
<p>co2009, Wow, three wonderful choices! UPenn being an ivy and a research university, is in a completely different category. So if the choice is between a university and LAC, the decision is simple.</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Pomona have a lot of overlap. Outside of their respective geographic areas they're fairly unknown so if prestige (or at least name recognition) is a factor, then it's Penn hand down.</p>
<p>Both Wesleyan and Pomona are excellent academically. Pomona has a slight edge in the ratings, but you'll find bright, engaged kids at both. Wesleyan has a more liberal and politically active student body than Pomona, but both offer a global focus with an emphasis on non-traditional viewpoints. e.g., non-white, non-European. </p>
<p>Although Middlebury is certainly not the most picturesque town in New England, Wesleyan campus is extremely lively and self-contained. There is also easy access to New York and Boston. </p>
<p>My son seriously considered Wesleyan and one of his best friends chose Pomona (over Yale, no less). I know more about Wesleyan, but consider them to be fairly equal choices academically and socially.</p>
<p>I have heard (actually read in the student paper) that Pomona, in their biology department, has been de-emphasizing environmental studies of late. It may not be a concern, but it might be worth checking out. The English faculties at each are interchangeable, come from the same graduate schools, etc.</p>
<p>But I think the best way to decide will be on the basis of "feel". Which "feels" like a place she would enjoy spending four years?</p>
<p>Wesleyan has a very solid Earth and Environmental Studies Dept. Prof. Jelle de Boer has received a lot of publicity over the years with his theories on gaseous emissions at the site of the Delphic Oracle; and most recently his views were greatly sought after following the disastrous tsunami that hit Indonesia.</p>
<p>D (ED1 at Pomona) had visited UPenn but found that it was way too big for her tastes. Pomona is actually quite liberal (it invited Ralph Nader to speak whereas CMC invited Pat Buchanan), and students have the advantage of easily cross-registering at other Claremont Colleges. That's what drew D to Pomona. She's also interested in IR and was attracted by Oldenborg at Pomona where language tables are offered at lunch time (as well as the opportunity to live there starting sophomore year).</p>
<p>Good luck with the decision--they're all good schools!</p>
<p>It's very hard to be more liberal than Wesleyan!</p>
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Pomona is actually quite liberal (it invited Ralph Nader to speak whereas CMC invited Pat Buchanan),
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<p>Seems to me that would be reason enough to rule out both of those schools!</p>
<p>Seriously, though. Do people actually chose colleges based on empty political labels like "liberal" or "conservative"? That seems so superficial and fleeting, like choosing a college because the profs and students wear Izod instead of Ralph Lauren.</p>
<p>What happens if you go to a "liberal" college and, later in life, find that your political views more closely match those described as "conservative"? Does that invalidate your education? </p>
<p>Or, god forbid, what if the political views attached to these labels shifts? I went to a "liberal" college at a time when Democrats hung their hat on government spending and Republicans on balancing the budget. Now, the Republicans are the party of deficit spending? Did I go to the wrong college?</p>
<p>Seems to me that there are a few colleges and a few students at the extreme lunatic fringes (in either direction), where considering political "labels" could be a key issue. But, by and large, I don't see the relevance. I guess I just don't take partisan politics that seriously.</p>
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<p>It's not an empty label -- it's a description of a pretty strong element of the culture of the school. At schools like Oberlin and Wesleyan, the political climate is extremely pervasive and has everything to do with what's going on on campus, what activities are well-populated, what the hot topics around the dinner table are going to be, etc.</p>
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<p>What happens if you go to a "liberal" college and, later in life, find that your political views more closely match those described as "conservative"? Does that invalidate your education? </p>
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<p>It's not about what your philosophy is later in life. It's about the profound isolation and disconnection you're likely to feel on some small campuses if the prevailing culture is foreign to you. I'm not saying everyone has to be a clone, but it is just a fact that a green-haired, nose-pierced vegan radical is going to be lonely at DePauw, and Alex P. Keaton types are likely going to feel contempt and pity for 90% of their classmates at a place like Oberlin. This is just as valid an aspect of a school to consider as a religious affiliation which is an important part of campus culture. Certainly no one would suggest that if you go to Notre Dame as a Catholic teenager and later convert to Buddhism, your education is somehow invalidated. The important thing is that you were able to find a comfortable niche and close friends DURING college.</p>
<p>Most of the people who complain about college liberals are not true conservatives. True conservatives relish a civil debate even though they may be outnumbered; in fact, they're apt to enjoy it even more when they can claim to be conservative Davids against liberal Goliaths. Rather, the people who do the complaining are less concerned with exercising their own right of free speech than with the fact that liberals are exercising their's. Those people might more accurately be described as <em>apathetic</em>. People who are apathetic (and let's face it, they are the majority of people everywhere) would be just as upset if you were leading a noisy demonstration in favor of Social Security privatization (to name just one Republican shibboleth.) Their common designation for both the Right and the Left would be two words: buzz killers.</p>
<p>My two daughters attended (and still are attending ) Penn so I'm biased. One was in nursing and is returning in the fall for an MSN. The other is in Wharton/Engg so they are very different fields from what your daughter is considering. Compared to some of their other considered choices, one thing I really liked about Penn was that if their first choice of major changed considerably, there was so much else to choose from. The nurse took several classes which she enjoyed through the Annenberg School of communications. The younger daughter's roommate started as a premed bioengineering student and switched to a nursing/future midwife student after six weeks. There are opportunities to take part in all kinds of activities. Politically, I think you could find a niche in anything from a very liberal group to very conservative. They both have had opportunities to room with people from very different backgrounds and cultures. Overall it's been a very positive experience.</p>
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green-haired, nose-pierced vegan radical
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<p>But, hanging a simplistic political label on a college tells you nothing about how many "green-haired, nose-pierced vegan radicals" will be wandering around. My D goes to a school that is labeled "liberal", but it wouldn't surprise me if it has one of the lower percentages of green haired students or pierced body parts. It does have a fair number of vegans, however the only vegan I know attends what is considered to be one of the more "conservative" [sic] Ivy League schools. Go figure.</p>
<p>any other opinions/info? thanks guys, my D appreciates your help.</p>