S got into Swarthmore, Pomona, Bowdoin, Middlebury and WashU and Kenyon now has tough decisions to make. I think its now coming down to Swarthmore, Pomona and Bowdoin and Wash u as top 4 choices. I think he always imagined himself at Swathmore (initially applied ED and deferred and now got in RD) but in the last few mos since he was deferred initially from Swarthmore started to imagine himself at other top LAC. What is the culture of Pomona? One of the things about Swarthmore that has me concerned is the extreme work load and grade deflation. Is that true of Pomona? I know he will work hard at all these schools but think college is also a time to explore things outside the classroom and studying all the time. Does pomona grade on a curve?
@momof2eagles Pomona has grade inflation with an average above 3.5, according to:
http://www.gradeinflation.com/Pomona.html
Among the top LACs, Swarthmore is one of the few with a reputation for grade deflation and course rigor (similar to UChicago among top universities).
Those 4 are all great choices, but IMO they are different enough that each should stand out among the group in different ways: WashU as the only research university, Pomona/Bowdoin for West and East Coast environments and reputations, and Swarthmore with the aforementioned focus on course rigor,
Swarthmore has around the same average GPA- in 2014 the median was 3.56. I donât understand where the grade deflation stance comes. Half the class having over a 3.56 means Swarthmore is grade inflated relative to other institutions.
Declined Pomona in favor of Barnard. Ultimately decided that I wanted to combine a LAC with the facilities of a major research university. And NYC is amazing. Have a great time at Pomona. Beautiful place.
@momof2eagles Many of my professors here at Pomona grade on a curve if they believe itâs necessary (and actually thereâs also some grade inflation). I donât know anyone who is only focused on their academics here. The good weather and the more laid-back atmosphere (compared to other top schools) fosters participation in many extracurricular activities.
momof2eagles I'm a Pomona grad with a student at Bowdoin; two of my child's friends went to Middlebury and Wash U. Congratulations to your son! Where does his heart pull him? As a Pomona student years ago I never once knew my friends' grades or remember people comparing grades, and when we toured with my daughter, our tour guide commented on this very thing still being true. The teaching is stellar, the students are interesting, and you can't beat the weather. It makes people happier and more carefree, it just does. Also, Claremont is adorable, and when you get tired of its crunchy cuteness, the city of Pomona offers internship opportunities and the best Mexican food north of the border. On the other hand, my daughter is very happy at Bowdoin and loves the chillier weather. She has made time to see and touch the ocean. The teaching is phenomenal. She chose Bowdoin because she clicked with her tour guide who stressed how academically challenging Bowdoin is without the comparing and competition. Like Pomona is with Californians, the only the best Maine high schoolers get into Bowdoin. So everybody's smart as heck. And very outdoorsy. Her best friend is at Wash U and loves it but it is very different - big, friendly, academic and diverse in every way. He is utterly excited by his classes, which include math and science. He has felt no pressure to join a frat. He says St. Louis is fantastic -- so different from the northeast. Daughter's friend at Midd is very happy there, too: focus there is on nature's beauty and the humanities. Good luck to your son. He's in a win-win.
@stw2sg thx . My S ultimately chose Pomona!
@momof2eagles chirp!
Turned down Cornell, Emory, Georgia Tech, and Brandeis. 
Turned down Rice, College of William and Mary, Bates, Colby, UVA, Colgate and others.
just for completeness as I didnât include all the schools originally
S turned down Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wash U, Emory, Vassar, Hamilton, Kenyon, Wesleyan U.
He loved the idea of going to a small top LAC but loves having the resources of a mid-size university. He also loved the idea of a beautiful LAC campus and didnât want to be in a big city but wanted access to a city.
POMONA WON HANDS DOWN on so many things important to him
He loved the small feel of all the liberal arts schools but found most on his list geographically isolating but NOT POMONA with access to LA. Some of the other schools claim Consortium but when he went for visit days understood just how special The 5-C consortium was. Some of the other schools that had Consortium he found out on admit days just logistically getting to clubs, activities, classes at the other schools difficult (Swarthmore, bryn mawr, Haverford) but Pomona walkable consortium sold him and the fact the students were really using the consortium and had access to city(LA) if he wanted it for entertainment/internships. He loved how smart the Pomona kids were but also appreciated the laid back vibe he didnât feel at some of the other top LAC where the kids seemed to be drowning in workload.
DD happily gave up spot on Harvard Wait List, and acceptances at Georgetown, UCLA, and U Penn, as well as many others: Colby, Hamilton, all UCâs, Middlebury.
Any more turning down Harvard or Yale for Pomona, and why?
@SkipWoosnam are you deciding? I know @hollya2222 personally (post 119 of this thread) and she ended up turning down Yale. Not sure if she uses CC anymore, but maybe she can post her reasons as a more recent student?
I know a Pomona c/o 2020 friend that turned down Yale just for Pomona. He has been having a amazing time Pomona since last August!
This probably doesnât count as âturning downâ. Just before Jan 1, D decided to apply ED to Pomona and RD to two of the top three ivies and a few elite LACs. Got accepted to Pomona and thus withdrew all others early. Never get to know the results of those applications, but effectively, she put those schools behind Pomona.
Thanks, all. Yes, D into Pomona and Harvard; waiting for Yale.
Congratulations. I think Harvard and Pomona attract very different students, while Pomona and Yale are more comparable to each other. Itâs funny because Pomona and Yale have the same school color as each other :p.
It really depends on âfitâ. I think Yale is a happy medium between providing the liberal arts and residential experiences of Pomona with the prestige and opportunities of Harvard. Personally, I didnât pick Yale because I was drawn to the California atmosphere and an exclusive liberal arts experience rather than a liberal arts college within a university sort of deal. But over my four years, I have come to realize what a special place Yale is since I have a bunch of close friends there- so, so many incredible opportunities, and the type of students who go there- theyâre incredibly distinguished. I donât know what I would have done if I was asked to make the decision today. For all the glamour and exceptionalism, Yale is also kind of an intimidating place. The expectations are high and the atmosphere feels decidedly cold for those whoâre struggling. Pomona hardly feels like that- itâs humble, nurturing, and for lack of a better wordâŠhomey. There was a really nice thread on someone who was deciding between Stanford and Pomona (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pomona-college/1764325-pomona-and-stanford-p1.html), and they picked Pomona:
âLastly, I also picked Pomona because I thought that it would be best for my personal growth. As someone who wasnât the most confident kid in high school, I felt like a smaller school would allow me to keep myself and my development as a person in check. People know you here, people watch you. I may have made that sounds creepy, but all I am trying to say is that people notice and care for you. You will not be forgotten. And in order to work on my confidence skills (and you may be facing other pero snap issues which could be better tackled with a smaller community), I felt like a place where I would have to speak in classes and be conscious of myself in my environment/surroundings would be best for me.â
I think thatâs very accurate to the deeply intimate experience youâll get at Pomona, but not every kid needs or desires that. Thereâs another article here about a college president who has one daughter at Pomona and the other at Columbia, though given Yaleâs residential system and college masters, it may provide these experiences as well: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/l-jay-lemons/the-gold-standard-the-powerful-impact-of-residential_b_4633443.html
Good luck with some excellent choices, and definitely visit if you can. If your D picks Pomona over Harvard/Yale, she wonât be the first one. Not many do, but there are usually 5-10 kids in each first year class who turn down HYP to go to Pomona.
Thank you so much, @nostalgicwisdom! This was really helpful. D did not get into Yale, and now is choosing between Pomona and another school. If she is having trouble selecting after revisiting both, I will post a further question. Again, thank you!
DD was accepted to multiple schools which included G-town, Penn, and Pomona among others. WL at Harvard. Was so afraid she would get into Harvard and her parents would make her go when her heart was at Pomona. So declined the WL. Two of her classmates who got into Pomona and Yale chose Yale. She is finishing her first year and is so so happy with her decision. Go Sagehens!