<p>I spent four years at Harvard as a post-doc and have friends who teach there. They feel, despite it's reputation, it is NOT the best place for an undergraduate education. Harvard cares about it's professional schools and graduate students. The undergraduates are not high priority. I teach at the Claremont Colleges and Pomona is AMAZING. It focuses 100 percent on undergraduates. There are no TAs (from the Claremont Graduate University). the academics are extremely high and it was wonderful community. It's unfortunate that people are so hung up on "prestige". Pomona is about as great as it gets for a high quality undergraduate education. One of my student told me just yesterday she was in class with a young lady who transferred from Yale to Pomona. She said this girl was brilliant and a graduate of Andover. She said after being at Yale for one year, she wanted something smaller and more intimate. I know for many, turning down Harvard is unthinkable. But, people do it. One of my good friends daughter turned down Harvard to attend Stanford. At any rate, visit both if you can and please decide based on what you're really looking for in an undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>I love you guys! You seem to be some of the few people on this board who don't get a hangover every time they hear the name 'Harvard'. :)</p>
<p>beccaco, congrats on your acceptances! I'm basically echoing what everybody else is saying - consider Pomona/Harvard very carefully and go to the school that fits you most and will be most conducive to your education - taking academics, internships, networks, your peers, the social environment and many many other factors into account. If you have any questions on Pomona, you can post here or PM me. Come to the admitted students weekend! =)</p>
<p>internships? most people don't do internship their freshman-junior year...so that shouldnt even count.</p>
<p>To the parents on the East Coast who get a quizzical look from others when they say Pomona -- well, we're in Los Angeles and we get some quizzical looks. The other night someone I assumed that I must mean Cal Poly Pomona which is a state university. I cannot understand why in Los Angeles the Claremont Schools are still such a hidden gem. Anyhow, having had a kid at UCLA and one at Yale, I know we'll have four years of "huh?" after the easy name recognition schools the last two kids had but that is hardly a consideration in making a decision. Son is deciding between Pomona and Northwestern, Wash U, UCLA and Berkeley and every day seems to point more to Pomona, in part, because after having a kid at school 3,000 miles away, we all (son included) love the idea of him being nearby and yet in a wonderful environment. He was also admitted and wooed by Claremont McKenna which in many ways is a great fit for him but I seriously doubt he would choose it over Pomona now. I think he will cross register for courses there if he wants to experience some of that. My one concern is that he is a pretty conservative kid and Pomona seems like a very liberal place -- it's important to us that there is tolerance both in and out of the classroom for all views, etc. Claremont McKenna seemed to be a more balanced population of students from what I could tell. Can anyone speak to that?</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna has a reputation of being conservative and more Republican that all of the other Claremont Colleges. But, I understand students who don't fit this profile do well there as well.</p>
<p>My daughter is a very liberal CMC student and I worried that the atmosphere at CMC wouldn't suit her. Our experience is that the level of dialogue at CMC is very high and that the kids respect each other's right to a different opinion. I can't say enough good things about the academics at CMC. I know Pomona has the hotter reputation, but it's hard to imagine the standards are THAT different there. CMC students in general seem to me to be very active and outgoing pragmatists, as well as being extremely bright. I've found I like the idea of a real dialogue among the students rather than having them confirming each other in whatever preconceived ideas each side brings to the table.</p>
<p>There is tolerance at Pomona for everyone and it is very liberal, both are true. And many middle of the road students do become more liberal but that is true at most colleges. CMC is actually more middle of the road because of the business aspect but I believe there is tolerance on both campuses for students to be who they are. I have heard some Pomona students complain that there is hyper focus on being "politically correct" Both schools are wonderful and my son was involved in many outside school activities and work study programs at CMC . You could not go wrong at either. The benefit of Pomona is that it is larger slightly and is focused across the board with more breadth of classes. My son chose Pomona over CMC after attending admitted students day and spending a night. All other possibilities ceased to exist.</p>
<p>CMC did a survey of the distribution of students' political orientations a year or two ago, asking them whether they were very liberal/liberal/moderate/conservative/very conservative, and wound up with an almost-perfect bell curve. That may seem equitable but it's actually pretty uncommon for a prestigious liberal arts college. It's very conservative compared to all of its peers.</p>
<p>As a member of the Claremont community, I can attest to the conservatism inherent in the school overall--they're constructing a business school and tearing apart a lot of their strongest departments in the process. Their real intention in teaching and recruiting is to send as many students as possible on to become politicians. Don't get me wrong, it's a great climate if that is what you want to do, but whatever the distribution of their students' political orientation may indicate, Pomona is a far more balanced place.</p>
<p>
[quote]
To the parents on the East Coast who get a quizzical look from others when they say Pomona -- well, we're in Los Angeles and we get some quizzical looks.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>so true, i am in los angeles (45-60 mins from PC) and i can agree with that statement. Most people in my area do not know of pomona college. When i was talking to some kid from san diego, he didnt even know about it either, and pomona is only 2 hours away lol. Can you imagine 8 plane hours (for east coasters)?</p>
<p>Most kids think its cal poly pomona or a community college near cal poly pomona lol</p>
<p>Years ago my brother turned down Yale for Swarthmore. Everyone thought he was crazy to turn his back on an Ivy, but he loved Swarthmore and never looked back. It was at that time that he first mentioned Pomona, saying what a great school he had heard it to be, calling it "a laid-back Swarthmore." </p>
<p>A few years ago, when it came time for my kids to apply to college, they looked at Yale but didn't like it, they checked out Swarthmore but felt it wasn't for them, and instead applied to Pomona, where they are both happy as clams. </p>
<p>My opinion, for what it's worth: Pomona is a fabulous, fabulous school, and a very caring place, offering top-notch, personalized academics in a spectacularly beautiful setting.</p>
<p>People who matter know Pomona. It truly is just an ego boost to have neighbors and people off the street say wow, you must be smart to get into that school. Of course it is nice , we all like that, but we don't need it, more important to have 4 top notch, fulfilling, enriching years abound with opportunities. Employeers and grad schools love Pomona and hold the college in high regard</p>
<p>Go to Harvard! Pomona is very good for a small liberal arts college, but it does not come close to what Harvard can offer in terms of working with Professors who are at the cutting edge of their fields. There are many good professors at Pomona, but it is not a research institution. A Harvard degree will take you much further.</p>
<p>Emma, I beg to differ. Pomona is far superior to Harvard for an undergraduate education. Just recently, there was an article in the NY Times (sorry I don't have time to look up the citation) bemoaning the lack of attention undergraduates get. research professors like to work with graduate students, not undergraduates. It's a big myth that these students work with well known professors. I recall when I was at Harvard, senior professor had to teach at least one undergraduate course - and that was because so few did or wanted to. You want your professors to know you as an undergraduate. Pomona is first -rate.</p>
<p>that's the wonderful thing about Pomona. You are given the opportunity to do so many things (other than the great academic scene) - like internships. Whoever heard of doing an internship in freshman first semester? (actually its not even that uncommon among freshmen lol) A few of my friends got to do internships in education/media this semester. Some of my classmates just received grants to go to Peru this summer to do research with an anthropology professor. We're having a Wall Street Weekend in 2 weeks where nobel-laureates are coming to give seminars on finance and economics.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that Pomona is better than Harvard for an undergraduate education, but I wouldn't say its inferior either. The article lmpw mentioned was out on NYT. Apparently many of the professors were unhappy with the way undergrads were treated and they want to engage with these students more, in the style of Williams College and LACs.</p>
<p>as for people mistaking it for cal poly pomona - yeah, it's amusing, and sometimes irritating. But again, what does it matter? people who matter know pomona and that's really good enough to set you up for success in the future. arizonamom definitely has that right. It's really weak logic to go on anecdotal evidence and then expand it to include the entire East Coast demographic and assume we're unknown - we known far more than what many give us credit for.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't say that Pomona is better than Harvard for an undergraduate education, but I wouldn't say its inferior either." </p>
<p>I would very much agree. It depends upon the student. I grew up in NE so Pomona/Stanford were not on my radar. I was accepted by Yale and Amherst. Visted both and felt much more comfortable at a LAC. For me it was the right choice and I have never looked back. The LAC education prepared me well for my professional school (my top choice) and for life. My brother went to Harvard and enjoyed his experience so I am not knocking attending there. Besides name recognition, there are incredible students, profs, and resources. On the other hand, one can go there for grad/professional school. As far as undergraduate education, if one wants a closeknit community with peers and profs, I believe that the LAC experience, especially at a place like Pomona, is unbeatable. But it may not be for everyone.</p>
<p>On Internships - Pomona will pay you $10/hr to take an unpaid internship off campus, and provide you with a car to drive there. (As well as pay you for gas AND travel time). A significant proportion of students take advantage of this program (PCIP) every semester.</p>
<p>Find another school that does that...</p>
<p>A year ago I was so caught up with prestige, name recognition, the whole nine yards (shame on me :P); however, this year Pomona has just been gaining so much momentum in my College Choices and the more I do research on the school, the more excited I become about the prospects of attending it.</p>
<p>Though, it somewhat irks me when people come up to me asking "Stanford or Pomona?" and respond negatively when I say "Obviously Pomona"</p>
<p>For those of you who were accepted at Pomona or have children going there...do you know anything about their international relations program? How is it?</p>
<p>Schools with good International Relations programs often receive a large number of Fulbright Awards. From Wikipedia:
[quote]
The Fulbright Program including the Fulbright-Hays Program is a program of grants for international educational exchange for scholars, educators, graduate students and professionals, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright. It is considered one of the most prestigious award programs and it operates in 144 countries. The Fulbright Program has 36 Nobel Prize Winners among its alumni, more than any other scholarship program of its kind.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Pomona has the highest Fulbright Awards per capita in the country.</p>
<p>Fulbright Awards, 2007-2008
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 37
Yale University 27
Pomona College 25
Brown University 25
Northwestern University 24
University of California-Berkeley 23
Cornell University 21
Harvard University 21
University of Chicago 20
Boston College 18
Stanford University 18
University of Wisconsin-Madison 18
Johns Hopkins University 17
University of Pennsylvania 17
Arizona State University at Tempe 16
Smith College 14
Columbia University 13
Princeton University 13
Tufts University 13</p>
<p><a href="https://us.fulbrightonline.org/docum...hronicle_1.pdf%5B/url%5D">https://us.fulbrightonline.org/docum...hronicle_1.pdf</a>
<a href="https://us.fulbrightonline.org/docum...ronicle_ba.pdf%5B/url%5D">https://us.fulbrightonline.org/docum...ronicle_ba.pdf</a></p>