Pomona College Top Questions

All stereotypes have some element of truth, but this one was created mostly by our rival CMC. No one I know would be described by these adjectives when outside of the 5Cs.

Pomona students are definitely rich, and on the whole uncomfortably so for anyone that doesn't come from a similar background. They're also very smart and on the whole easily successful. There is very little pretentiousness, even though that seems to be the most common and popular stereotype.

In terms of trying to be an East coast institution, I have only seen Pomona do it with it's wasteful use of water as it tries to create East coast plant-life in a desert climate. I have met a number of students who are arrogant but no more than I think I would find in the average school. I really disagree with anyone who says Pomona is full of rich kids. Most of the people on my hall this year said they could only go to Pomona (or that one of the main reasons they went to Pomona) was because of the money financial aid provided them.

No, not altogether. Pomona students are certainly high-achieving academically, but they understand that knowledge comes in different forms and are prepared to learn from a variety of people.

Yes, I would say we do think we are better than the other 5C's overall, though HMC and CMC excell in their special areas. Besides that, we have a reputation for being smart, but social, though not social as in chotchy, like Middlebury.

I would say so for the first one. Not everybody is full of themselves, to be sure, but the intelligence level is definitely there. There is a confidence that comes along with this intelligence that Pomona students posess. As for the second stereotype, there ARE a ton of private school rich kids with fancy cars, but there is also a good amount of diversity and a lot of financial aid available to needier students, like me.

No... maybe just a little bit.

I don't know--we like our school and each other, but it doesn't mean that we talk shit about everyone else.

I've found that most of the aforementioned stereotypes misrepresent Pomona and its student body. The majority of students are white, but I've actually been remarkably impressed with the level of diversity here--it sets us apart from many of our peer small liberal arts institutions. On my hall alone freshman year there were people from New Jersey, Jamaica, Maine, Kentucky, Singapore, New York, England, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Boston, and Kansas. Even more surprisingly, we got along really well. Pomona does an amazing job of grouping freshmen into Sponsor groups based on their housing form information. The result is that even with the real range of races, hometowns, and lifestyles I encountered in my Sponsor group, there is this underlying thread that connects everyone, even if you can’t articulate what makes you compatible. Sponsor groups are one of the many ways Pomona does an excellent job of helping students acclimate to life at Pomona. They unite diverse people into what is really like a little family. Pomona students do tend to lean towards the left politically, especially on social issues, but not radically. Though many students are passionate about specific issues such as worker’s rights and environmental sustainability, they are not particularly partisan. Most of my friends are moderate particularly, and I feel perfectly comfortable as a Republican. The idea that everyone at Pomona is rich is simply untrue. Admission to Pomona is need-blind, and Pomona offers some of the best financial aid in the country. Furthermore, it’s really hard to tell how much money a student here has from just meeting them. Some of my friends have very little money, and some of them have a lot, and I can't tell the difference between them. Even more importantly, if someone’s financial status is known, no one judges them for it. There are schools in the world where you ARE what you wear—you need to have the latest expensive shoes and sunglasses. This couldn’t be further from the reality here at Pomona, where my boyfriend goes to class in pajama pants, and I’ve never once felt pressure to look a certain way. Pomona is one of the most accepting, tolerant environments I know. People are so genuinely interested in getting to know you—who you actually are. There isn’t any of that superficial bullshit keeping some people on pedestals above the rest. It isn't fair to call Pomona elitist either. When I tell people where I go to school, half of them gasp and are impressed, and half of them say "Where's Ponoma?" Pomona has the advantage of being a school that people don't go to just for the name. It isn't full of snotty people who were obsessed with rankings during the application process. Pomona students come here because they love Pomona. Pomona also has the advantage of being a name that the important people--the ones who accept us to the grad school or hire us for their jobs--do know (check out our grad school acceptance rate, which literally rivals the Ivies'). That's why Pomona is such a pleasant place to be for college, and such an exceptional stepping stone for future education or employment. As far as the claim about us all focusing on work too much, there is some truth to that, but we all know how to have a good time. The beauty of Pomona is that people are very intelligent, but not in the brainy, book-smart, stereotypical sense. It’s considered cool to be passionate about your studies here, but it’s more important to be well-rounded, and explore other opportunities as well. You’ll find kids here with interests that cross the board—both academic and non-academic. There’s a really good balance of people who spend most of their time studying, and people who get trashed every night (and everything in between). If you come here, you will find people just like you—no matter what your habits are. Sometimes I need to stay in on a weekend to do some work, and though some of my friends will t

To some extent. There is a lot of pride accompanied with going to Pomona, but I wouldn't go as far as arrogant. As far as the happiness stereotype, well... a lot of people are happy, but there's also a lot of frustration for a significant population.