Wesleyan vs. Vassar vs. Pomona (...vs. Whitman?)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey guys! So, I have a predicament. I have to make a decision about what college to go to by May 1. My problem? I haven't visited ANY of the top schools I've applied to/been admitted to yet. I am scheduled to visit Wesleyan during WesFest, April 14-16. But that only leaves me one more weekend during April to visit a school! (I have an orchestra trip/ all-state the weekends before.)</p>

<p>I've already been accepted to Wesleyan and Vassar, but I'm still waiting on Pomona. I've also been accepted to Whitman, Willamette, University of Colorado at Boulder (visited--brother attends), UC Berkeley (visited--friend attends), and the University of Oregon Clark Honors College. I've pretty much ruled out the public schools because they don't offer much financial aid to an out-of-stater from Nevada. Whitman and Willamette are fine in terms of scholarships, but I know they are generally not considered on the same academic level as Vassar, Wes, and Pomona.</p>

<p>So, as I try to figure out what the hell I'm doing next year, I was wondering if anyone could give me information on some specific aspects of Vassar, Wesleyan, Pomona, and Whitman if applicable. </p>

<p>Some topics I'm interested in:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How does the social atmosphere at the schools vary? I've heard that Wes is "hippie", Vassar is "hipster", and Pomona is "laid-back, slightly pretentious". Do these stereotypes fit the student body? How much do they actually affect typical social life? If you are a student, can you describe a typical weekend for me?</p></li>
<li><p>SCIENCE PROGRAMS! I am interested in science or math--which school has the best resources and programs? (I've heard Vassar is more about humanities...)</p></li>
<li><p>MUSIC! I'm a cellist! I don't want it to be my life in college, but I would like the orchestra to be respectable. I'd also like a lively music "scene" where there are many performances and art in general is respected by the students. Best school for that?</p></li>
<li><p>Opportunities after graduation. How do the schools help their graduates get into grad school or land jobs?</p></li>
<li><p>Dorms/ food. I would appreciate nice dorms, of course. Also, I'm vegan, so food is very important to me :] nom nom nom... How do the schools compare? And what is dorm life like?</p></li>
<li><p>Sustainability and commitment to the environment. Which schools take the most steps to be green?</p></li>
<li><p>Outdoors programs! Good, bad?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If you can only address a question or two, I would totally appreciate it. I'm just trying to narrow down my choices a bit so I can make the best of my visits and ultimately, my college choice. As of now, I'm thinking Wesleyan and Pomona (if I get in) would be my best bets. I'd just like to hear what others have to say from experience. I also hope this thread will be relevant to others in making their decisions.</p>

<p>Oh, by the way, I have seen many other threads pertaining to these topics, but I haven't found them completely relevant to some specifics such as orchestra or the outdoors program. I'd like to know about the "little things", like those. Which is why I feel the need to raise the question again :] Thanks everyone!</p>

2

<p>kclarevalentine, I know Whitman is an outlier on your list but you did sort of include it in your question.</p>

<p>The Outdoor Program is tops, loads of trips, equipment rentals, leadership opportunities, also skiing an hour away. </p>

<p>Social atmosphere is laid back and unpretentious, and not cliquish either. As weird as it sounds, the prevailing social atmosphere seems to be tolerant and nice. My son is the student so I can only give you second hand reports on what a weekend is like. Usually some sporting events or outdoor activity (son plays rugby, rock climbs and snow boards) he also cheers on his friends while they play sports. He goes to the plays because his friends are in them and they’re good. There are also music, dance and art shows to see. The frats give lots of parties but they are open to all. Fraternities and sororities seem to be a kinder gentler variety than is traditional. Then after Sunday brunch it sounds like its back to the library. </p>

<p>There is a very active music scene, a new conductor for the orchestra I believe. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about it because my son has apparently given up the trumpet. Darn! Great theater program and visual arts are very important. The school has invested a lot in a large and wonderful collection of public art, which really enhances the campus.</p>

<p>Dorms are very comfortable and clean. Choices are given about how social or loud you want it to be. My son is in the rowdy dorm by choice, there is also a bunch of single rooms and quiet dorms if that’s what a student needs. </p>

<p>This is the Pacific Northwest after all, vegans are everywhere and Whitman is very accustomed to feeding them. The campus is also very committed to sustainable green living. They outline all their efforts on their website.</p>

<p>Whitman is a top notch liberal arts college, so by nature is not geared toward preprofessional training. The faculty and students actually do become friends and work together on research and scholarly papers. The sciences are very strong departments and very popular majors. Check out the Semester in the West, a totally unique program. The college talks a great deal about teaching each student to communicate effectively and think analytically, preparing them for coming jobs that don’t even exist yet. This is the strength of a liberal arts education. </p>

<p>Whitman does not have the name brand recognition that others on your list have among your family and friends, but graduate schools know that Whitman students are fully prepared and accept them readily. Many Whitman students go on to the best graduate schools in the country, as well as joining the the Peace Corp and Teach for America and hundreds of other fulfilling things.</p>

<p>My son was admitted to 5 other schools that were more selective and better known by the public, but he made his choice based on the academics plus social environment. As he put it, Whitman has a huge heart.</p>

<p>Congratulations on all the wonderful choices you have. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Well I go to Pomona. It’s awesome. (But so are your other choices). </p>

<p>As for your concerns-</p>

<p>We aren’t really pretentious, it’s just a stereotype spread around mostly by the other schools, particularly CMC. Like we say that all CMC students do is get drunk. That’s not true, of course- they also study sometimes. (That was a joke, I swear.)</p>

<p>I think Pomona has three big social advantages over your other schools: the existence of the four other schools, access to a city, and the weather. The other schools add a lot of events (and parties). CMC has speakers four days a week. Pomona has some great speakers too. We had Bill Gates a couple weeks ago. Each school kind of alternates big social events. Pomona hosts Pub on Wednesday night, which is basically a big party. CMC can have some pretty big parties during the weekend, if that’s what you’re into. Harvey Mudd can also throw some really crazy parties, as ironic as that may seem. (That was a joke, too.) Plus the other schools just add more people. It adds the social advantages of a mid-size uni to a great LAC. Cool stuff.</p>

<p>I personally have a car, so LA is a big part of the school for me. LA obviously has everything. You can also rent zip cars for a very reasonable price (I think like around $6 an hour, not sure though.) The Pomona activities office will actually pay for any event you want to go with your friends. If you want to go to a Lakers game, Pomona will pay. A concert? Pomona will pay. It’s a small rebate on the crazy tuition price!</p>

<p>The weather is also a big thing for me. I don’t know about you, but I hate the cold, and during winter at schools in the NE, it seems like a lot of people get depressed. At Pomona, winter is the best time- the weather stays around 60 during the day. And if you want the winter outdoors experience, I know a lot of people that do go to the mountains to ski on weekends. It’s also not that far from the beach. We have a ski-beach day where we go skiing in the morning and the beach in the afternoon. </p>

<p>The Pomona science department is pretty awesome. Lots of cool, fancy stuff to play with. I haven’t taken a specialized science class yet (I’m a freshman), but I see the crazy science geniuses doing all sorts of weird things all the time, so I assume they have a lot of fun. I’ve heard some good things about the math department. Plus, there’s Harvey Mudd if you want to go all out in your math, although Pomona’s math dept is still great. The math/science classes can be a lot of work. But that should be true for all the schools on your list. </p>

<p>I’m an artist, so I don’t really know anything about the music dept. There are a lot of musicians here, though. And Pomona offers individual music lessons. </p>

<p>Pomona has great grad school placement, and so far my advising has been pretty good. The seniors I’ve met are really doing the things they want to do. It’s really easy to do research with profs. I have a few freshman- yes, freshman- friends who are doing research this summer. It’s also relatively easy to get an internship, and Pomona actually will pay you to do one, even if the internship is unpaid. I think Pomona does a great job building up resumes. The career development office posts job recruiting visits and hooks you up with alumni. </p>

<p>I’m not sure about vegan options, but food is definitely the next thing that I think Pomona wins in. I can write a lot about this, but I’ll try to control myself. There’s seven dining halls since you can eat at any of the 5 colleges, plus a few other eating options like The Coop. There’s awesome smoothies at Frary- wonderful creations of deliciousness. And unlimited frozen yogurt. Sushi night at Scripps and Pomona. Brunch on Sundays. Pitzer has really good lunch options. At 10:30, there’s Snack every night at each dining hall. They give us small foods like hot pretzels and burritos. There’s always cereal and other small things. Good for procrastinating if you need to write a paper. Snack is also a pretty big social thing. And plus the LA chinese food (and asian food in general) is sooooo good. </p>

<p>There are a lot of environment things going on. They just built a new dorm that’s partially solar powered. The air conditioning won’t turn on if you have a window open. More fancy stuff. </p>

<p>Pomona’s location is really great for any outdoor stuff, because it has driving access to the beach, the desert, a mountain range, the grand canyon, etc. Plus the weather lets you wear flip flops all year long.</p>

<p>I’m going to stop writing before I write a novel… Anyway, I really like Pomona. I hope you have a chance to visit.</p>

4

<p>I’d have to go with Pomona or Wesleyan and it would come down to $$$$</p>

5

<p>I’ll just add one little tidbit about Whitman in case you don’t get into Pomona - D’s friend, a science major (sorry, I don’t remember which science) and a senior at Whitman, just got into every Ivy graduate school he applied to, but chose Stanford. Whitman is known for having excellent science depts.</p>

6

<p>Wesleyan - best sciences <a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/sciencefacts.html[/url]”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/sciencefacts.html&lt;/a&gt;
Vassar - prettiest campus
Pomona - best weather</p>

<p>Socially, there’s not a lot of daylight between them. You’ll need a car to take full advantage of the outdoor recreational opportunitities at all three.</p>

7

<p>No car needed to go on outdoor trips at Whitman. If you go on trip organized by the Outdoor Program transportation is provided. They rockclimb, backpack, kayak, bike, and snow board/ski.</p>

8

<p>If Whitman offers money, I would seriously consider them. It’s an excellent school. However if you really enjoy your time at Wesfest, then just go to Wesleyan. BUT if you feel the need for nice weather, then go to Pomona. Pomona, Wesleyan, and Vassar are all on the same plane, and have very similar student bodies. To be honest, you have four great choices, and at this point you can’t make a bad choice.</p>

9

<p>The Vassar orchestra is excellent and Eduardo Navega (the conductor) is just fantastic. There are many conservatory level musicians at Vassar and the level of music is high. Wesleyan also has an excellent orchestra but it did not seem to have the energy level of Vassar ( but I only heard one rehearsal and have been to many Vassar concerts). The Vassar campus is beautiful and Wesleyan is very nice also. The music building at Vassar is gorgeous with a window in every practice room. The Wesleyan music building is gray contemporary. I hope you can visit both - make sure you hear the orchestra rehearsals at both schools so you can hear which is ‘right’ for you.
Vassar is building a new science building.
Disclaimer: S is a physics and music major at Vassar so you can PM me with any other questions.<br>
Disclaimer 2: Considering both Vassar and Wesleyan for junior S2. Both are great schools.</p>

10

<p>Thanks very much everyone! I was rejected from Pomona, so that’s out of the running for me, but I hope the comments will be helpful to others in making their decisions. From what it sounds like, Whitman would be a great match for me and I will try to visit to see for sure! Luckily, it seems like I’ll have another weekend open where I can make the trip. Vassar, Wesleyan, and Whitman all gave me great financial offers, so that’s not an issue. </p>

<p>Chemusic, can you tell me more about sciences at Vassar? It seems as if they have the best music programs, but that Wes and Whitman may have stronger science. </p>

<p>Bopambo, thank you very much for the in-depth description of Whitman!</p>

<p>Kolijma, wow that is amazing that the Whitman senior was admitted to all those grad schools! I will definitely take that into consideration, especially because I am thinking about Stanford for grad. (I know it’s a little early to consider that, but I just love California and would like to go somewhere there.)</p>

<p>Thanks again everyone! :D</p>

11

<p>Wow, kclarevalentine, it’s great that you have 3 wonderful schools that are all offering you good financial packages. You’ve obviously worked hard to get to this point. I wasn’t going to say this while Pomona was still a possibility but, while it has many things going for it, air quality is not one of them.</p>

<p>Once you go visit these places I’m sure one will stand out as THE place. Have fun, it’s an exciting time.</p>

12

<p>Don’t know if you’ll see this but just found your thread and these are some of my tops as well. Which did you choose and why?</p>