Pomona College Top Questions

Some of the stereotypes are true: It does seem that a lot of students come from comfortable or well-off backgrounds, despite the amount of financial aid we give. A fair amount of the population came come off (or truly is) pompous and pretentious, but overall it's really because we worked to get in here, we work to stay here and we're proud of it (not to mention we have to deal with a lot of heat from the other sister schools.)

to some extent

While it's true that some Pomona students ended up at Pomona because they were rejected from a more prestigious school, there are also a fair amount who rejected the Ivy League to come here, as well as a ton of people who applied E.D because they know Pomona was the perfect place for them. I've never met anyone here who is bitter in any way: in my experience, Pomona students love their school and take their academics seriously because the professors are so engaging, not because they're out to prove something. Professors at Pomona will bend over backwards to hook their students up with internships and summer jobs; PCIP (the Pomona College Internship Program) is a great way of getting practical experience as an undergraduate. It's true that Econ majors find it a lot easier to get a great job straight out of college than say Philosophy majors, but I think that's true of any school. Pomona alumni and professors are very well connected, if you're motivated enough, Pomona can get you valuable experience in the professional world. I'd have to agree with the last stereotype-- Pomona students don't care about appearances, a lot of them felt much less accepted in high school than they do at Pomona. But it's great because most Pomona students are just unabashedly themselves, all are interesting people. And again, this is a generalization, there's a wide variety of students here, it would be hard to label any of us.

Yes, we are awesome. No, we're not pretentious. The southern Californian environment effects everyone-- it's hard to be in a bad mood when it's sunny and 77 degrees. People are really friendly, and the community is welcoming and enthusiastic about everything from sun-tanning to chemistry research.

yep

It definitely can be. Mostly, however, the stereotype is just made up by the jealous cmc-ers.

I think so. I think there is a sustained dialogue about this privilege on campus, but it is among students who sometimes come from extremely wealthy backgrounds. But it is a very comfortable school, where there is a very comforting environment. I don't think I would want that to change.

While I think it's true that many students are self-righteous, I sometimes don't think the majority of the student body is political ENOUGH. While walking around campus, you can hear all sorts of racially, sexually, socioeconomically prejudiced or insensitive things. However, most of us aren't snobby or elitist, but regular goofballs with senses of humor and quirky talents and interests.

Not at all. Everyone here is smart but not to the extent that we think we're better than anyone else. People here are competitive with themselves and not interested in comparisons to others. This goes for all academic endeavors (grades), extracurricular involvement (how many clubs you are a part of/ what positions you hold/ what you do). Mostly, people are pretty modest and do things out of genuine interest.

See above.