I am currently committed to Yale and just got off the waitlist at Pomona.
I’m interesting in studying political science/women’s studies but am by no means bound to that. I’m passionate about feminism and social activism. I want a collaborative/friendly atmosphere in a college.
A really big pull to Pomona for me is the weather/attitude. I’m from the west coast (pacific northwest) and love getting outdoors, it’s something that’s important to my happiness. However, I’ve been committed to Yale for a few weeks now and it would be difficult to choose Pomona over Yale’s name/prestige/history/opportunities; it’s been really cool to wear my Yale sweatshirt and tell people I’m going to Yale over the past few weeks.
There’s no denying it, the weather is better in CA than CT. But, beyond that . . .
Yale’s entering freshman class of 1300 is about the same size as the entire student population of Pomona, which is currently 1560 students. Is that a plus or a minus for you? Do you want a big school or a small school?
Yale is in downtown New Haven. Do you like cities? Or, are you a country / suburban mouse?
Go to Yale!! I went to Bull Dog Days (hopefully you did as well) and the atmosphere was every bit as friendly as I’d read on the multiple cc threads. I love the residence college system and the weather is absolutely perfect (I am from New England so love all four seasons), and of course its curriculum, faculty, and reputation are among the best in the world.
I cannot comment on Pomona as I did not apply, but go with your gut, and whatever decision you make will be the right one!
Both are great schools and it’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison (college within a leading research university vs.liberal arts college). Although Pomona is part of the Claremont Colleges system so the resources are probably greater than at most LACs.
For what it’s worth, I think a large majority of people choose Yale when making this choice . . . the Parchment cross-admit data (which I recognize isn’t perfect) show 84% pick Yale.
I know the Stanford data published in faculty senate minutes show the only schools Stanford loses a significant number of cross-admits to are Harvard, Yale and Princeton and bet it’s the same at Yale (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford in the case of Yale) . . . to the extent you care about decisions others have made. Obviously your own preferences are what’s most important.
I don’t think it’s a slam dunk for Yale. I have a graduating senior at Yale, and a freshman at Swarthmore. Thus far I’ve been (slightly) more happy with the personal attention at Swat-- YMMV
Congratulations on your acceptances! There have been previous discussions on College Confidential about Pomona versus Yale, Harvard, etc.—that decision can be a difficult one, though probably most people wouldn’t think so. These are two great schools with happy, friendly, collaborative students, so you probably can’t go wrong with either one. If you’re pretty sure you’ll be going to graduate school and that weather will seriously affect your happiness, you might want to choose Pomona. On the other hand, if you think you might go straight into the job market and could adjust to East Coast weather, Yale might be the best bet. Although Pomona is well known to graduate programs, even within California many people don’t know the name—in fact, Pomona is commonly mistaken for Cal Poly Pomona. Good luck deciding!
