Pomona College Top Questions

Pomona's pretty great in terms of on-campus resources and attention paid to students. The per-capita budget is a truly absurd amount of money, and generally it shows. The financial aid office has also been ridiculously helpful. I literally wouldn't be at the school without them given it's rapidly increasing price tag. On the downside, the administration, or rather the highest levels of the administration, do a really poor job of responding quickly and well to student opinions. The responses I've gotten from them usually amount to something like "Oh, that's nice, you have an opinion. Now go play and let the adults deal with this." Obviously this is a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Several recent cases of this are: an ongoing workers' rights campaign in which the administration has been incredibly slow to even consider what the students have been saying, or a recent decision in hiring a new XC coach that basically completely ignored the opinions of the entire team. Claremont is kind of a suburban yuppie haven too, so if you're into that kind of thing it's fine, but for anyone who doesn't have 10 dollars to spend on every meal it can be a little frustrating sometimes. I find myself eating a lot of 5 dollar burritos at the Taco Factory when I eat out, which is actually fine because they make a damn fine burrito. Most of the really good stuff to do is outside of Claremont though, or at least not in reasonable walking distance. My life got much more interesting after I got a car last semester, because it's very nearly impossible to get much out of the LA area otherwise. That said though, I like a lot of things about Pomona. The size is pretty much exactly what I wanted, the campus is beautiful and pretty much treats us like we're in a country club most of the time. Finding a group of friends has been a bit of trial-and-error, but I've met some great, smart, cool people there. As far as school pride...I honestly think a lot of Pomona kids are almost too introverted for much of that. There's a lot of egocentricity, but more in the sense that people are really focused on themselves and their careers.

Pomona is what you make of it. While the school itself may seem small, there are four other schools right next door for students to explore. Some students choose to stay indoors instead of spending time out on the beautiful quad and taking advantage of the amazing Southern California weather. Also, there are two different ski slopes within 45 minutes of campus and the beach is less than an hour away.

Broadest. Survey Question. Ever. The best thing about Pomona in pretty much every way are the people. They are awesome. You don't really get jerks or other people you wouldn't want to spend time with. (Okay, there are a few, but they're a definite small minority.) Not only will you have a bunch of really good close friends, but just being around people in general will be a positive experience because they're so great. Random interactions will be pleasant and make you new friends no matter what kind of person you are. For what it's worth, most of my friends have at least partially regretted their college choice. I have never regretted my decision to attend Pomona.

Pomona has been an excellent academic adventure for me where I have been intellectually challenged but still able to have fun and to learn outside of class. The atmosphere is more laid back then other places I had visited and a healthy balance between work and play is easily maintained at this school. The size of Pomona is perfect for me because the class sizes are very small so you can get plenty of attention from professors and the chance to really get to know your classmates. The four other schools in the Claremont consortium provide additional people to meet which is great for people who might like bigger schools (total number of students at the 5 C's is about 5000). One great thing about Pomona is that the town is very student friendly. While there aren't too many things to do in this small town (although downtown Los Angeles is only about 45 min. away) if you need supplies, clothing, or just to get off campus it is only a 8-10 min. walk. I have had such a wonderful time at Pomona that I really look forward to the next three years I have here.

The best part of Pomona is the student population. People are good and bad, but they're extremely real and they won't hide it. I'm always asked what I don't like: I don't like that I have to go home for breaks. If Pomona were year-round, I'd like it better. Pomona is a small, inclusive environment, and I love it. The small school atmosphere is nice when I can walk into a dining hall and know people, or walk down the streets and say hi to everyone. When I tell people I go to Pomona, most frequently, they get a confused look on their faces. Pomona is not well known among the average person, but very well known among employers. On campus, I spend most of my time in my dorm or at the library. We lack a college town; the bubble is called "Claremont" and it's a retirement community. It's not really a problem, since you can take the Metrolink to LA. There is always some controversy on campus, usually dealing with what is "politically correct." The last one dealt with the music to our alma mater, which apparently was used in black minstrel shows at one point in history. Generally, there is a lot of attachment to Pomona on campus, but not a lot of sports pride. There's a handful of unusual things about Pomona - from our rabid obsession of the number '47' to fascination with the sagehen, we're not your average cup of tea.

Pomona is small, but the only problem that causes is a lack of classes available in a special area or when looking to do research. I have personal relationships with some of my professors, and enjoy seeing them out of class at events and such. One comment I might make is that sometimes diversity is not helpful unless is engenders a diversity of opinions in the classroom. Pomona has very good diversity stats, but a liberal is a liberal; we could use greater ideological diversity.

Pomona is a small, very residential liberal arts college. Pretty much everybody lives on campus, and no one ever seems to leave the campus for anything. It's small enough that it can feel like high school sometimes, but it also has that wonderful aspect that professors really get to know you and really do become invested in your edlucation. Pomona is part of the Claremont Colleges, and that is cool because you have like 5 different dining halls, restaurants, cafes to go to around the colleges. You also do not have far to go to watch rivaly athletic events against CMS. (Claremont-Mudd-Scripss). Pomona and Harvey Mudd are known for being the smartest and most difficult to get into of the five schools. Pomona also has this very weird infatuation with the number 47. For some reason, this number always pops up in conjunction with Pomona and therefore, it is on everything. Bear this in mind on tours and stuff!

I wish Pomona cared a little bit more about athletics. The athletic website is horrible, and I think the athletic programs should be better funded.

I love everything about this school. You name it.

The best thing about Pomona is the people...and the milkshakes. Claremont is not your typical college town. It doesn't have lots of bars, stores aren't open late, and things are pretty expensive (though there is plenty of cheap food/clothing to be found). Claremont has three really important things going for it, though: it's beautiful, convenient, and safe. There is no need for a really exciting college town near Pomona because a. The train station is two blocks away. With a few dollars you can be in Santa Monica or L.A. in no time. b. there is plenty going on right here on campus, or on the other campuses. Claremont and the rest of California are just added bonuses.