Pomona College
Reviews

Never Noticed It!

There is no serious Greek life on Pomona or any of the 5C's, something I'm thankful of.

Very Accepting and Getting Diverse Over Time, but Still Needs Work

I'm a Questbridge Finalist which is aimed at low income students, and I've met Posse scholars which works the same way. I've never felt so accepted and loved. Pomona is ethnically very diverse with more than 45% students of color, and the students are all individual yet very talented. They make the campus what it is. The campus does seem to be pretty homogeneous politically and cliques just seem to happen, though they aren't walled to be broken. In recent years this has been disappearing so Pomona's getting better at it.

Beautiful and Spacious

I've been to six colleges and Pomona's are large, spacious, incredibly beautiful, and classic. They do get better as you progress throughout your time at Pomona, but you most likely won't be living in as beautiful of a place in your life.

Awesome

Pomona is wonderful! I love it so much! We study hard, but play hard too. They don't call it the Pomona bubble for nothing. Everything you need is right on campus.

Off-Campus Dining

The village is only 5 minutes away and it offers everything from express Indian food to Sports bars to fancy sit down dinners.

Perfect. Obviously.

Don't underestimate the effect sunlight can have on your mood.

Sponsor Groups Are Awesome

They do a great job of matching people with other people they'll get along with through the Sponsor Group system. You don't get options as a freshman, although they will respect any request you make for having a roommate vs. having a single. Freshman dorms are fine for what they are. After freshman year you can choose a group of friends to live with and do the housing lottery thing, or you can live in a foreign language hall in Oldenborg, or you can be a Sponsor or an RA.

Nerds, fear not: CollegeProwler exaggurates drinking/party culture.

These CollegeProwler reviews grossly exaggerate the prevalence of partying/hook-up/heavy drinking culture. There is that if that is what you want your college experience to be, but it is easy to avoid if that isn't what you are looking for. PUB and Table Manners are weeknight parties that are only frequented by a fairly narrow subset of Pomona students, and it is unfortunate that this narrow subset is so overrepresented on CollegeProwler. There is non-stop intellectual conversation and stimulation available to those who seek it, and if you fill out your housing form honestly they will put you with people who will be happy to provide it.

Here are some of the things I do on weekend evenings:

* Go to Harwood Discussion Forum, where attendees pick a topic to discuss and have an open ended, meaningful conversation about anything from politics to philosophy to social norms at Pomona to critical race theory.

* Go to informal blues dancing or salsa dancing lessons/gatherings

* Watch a movie with friends

* Hang out and chat with friends in the Coop Fountain or in the hallway of my dorm

* Homework

* That Saturday Group hosts activities that it advertises as alternatives to drinking

* There are always talks, panels, and discussions to attend on weekday evenings

phenomenal

The professors are enthusiastic about their subjects, outstanding at teaching them, and extremely accessible. It is very easy to get research jobs with professors. The classes are engaging and thought provoking. In the few departments where Pomona is not as strong, or perhaps has a different slant than the other 5C's, being able to take classes at the other 5C's makes up for any deficiencies.

The academic culture is vibrant and thoroughly engaging. I spend a large portion of my free time going to lectures by guest speakers and talking to friends and strangers about intellectual topics. There is non-stop intellectual conversation and stimulation available to those who seek it, and if you fill out your housing form honestly they will put you with people who will be happy to provide it. These CollegeProwler reviews grossly exaggerate the prevalence of partying/hook-up/heavy drinking culture. There is that if that is what you want your college experience to be, but it is easy to avoid if that isn't what you are looking for.

It's Really Not in LA

Claremont is a pretty small and quiet town. Aside from a few shops, there isn't much to do off campus. But I have never been bored with the plethora of things to do on campus, so it's not really an issue. It does take a bit of effort to get into LA - it's an hour train or car ride, and I have only been once in the semester I've been here. Again, I don't feel deprived since campus is amazing, but don't be fooled into thinking it's right next to LA.

Pomona: Gender Demographics

Both males and females at Pomona are talented and have many different interests. At any given time, you will find someone playing classical piano while others play ultimate Frisbee. Because of the great Southern California weather that Pomona has, both males and females opt to don flip-flops and shorts.

Sunshine Everyday

I could not ask for better weather. The sun is out almost everyday and walking to class is always a pleasure.

Dorms

The dorms are pretty nice, some residence halls don't have air conditioning but it is definitely manageable. The new residence halls are very nice. They have queen sized beds and the suites all have their own common room. I personally loved both my room last year and this year. It is not hard to get your own room at all.

Claremont Consortium

While Pomona College is a small liberal arts school, it is not limited by the restraints many liberal arts schools have because of its affiliation with 4 other colleges. Pomona College is part of a 5 college consortium including Pitzer College, Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College, and Claremont McKenna. This allows students to get the small school feel, with big school resources. Students can take classes at any of the schools and receive credit for their requirements or majors.

As a Media Studies Major...

I can say that entering my major was very easy, but I also took a lot of Media Studies courses before I had to declare my major. All of the professors in the department are laid-back but helpful. They are also VERY invested in their studies, so you can ask them almost anything media-related and get a responses supported by years of reading theoretical works. The most important thing for admission would be the desire to look at media in a way that will make you uncomfortable and most likely mad at the world around you...it will be your job to be a critical theorist.

I'm a Media Studies Major...

All of the professors are very involved in their Media Studies theoretical work, and are willing to help students complete assignments. The best thing about the Media Studies major is that is covers all of the 5 Claremont College campuses in terms of classes and access to resources. For example, Pomona has mostly theoretical courses while Pitzer has more courses focused on media production. They even have a large Production Center where you can use tape decks, Final Cut Pro, rent out video cameras, and use their animation facilities if you're enrolled in a production class. Finding internships is also easy to do through Pomona College for Media Studies students--you even get paid if you get the internship through the Pomona College Internship Program.

I Love Living on Campus!

There are many dorms, and many single rooms. It's possible you'll never have a roommate in all your time here. As a first year, you fill out a pretty thorough worksheet about yourself and what you're looking for in a roommate, so most people are usually paired perfectly. Some dorms can be VERY spacious while some are just okay. A new dorm was just built on North Campus that is absolutely beautiful--all singles with full sized beds. It looks like a hotel! Only some of the dorms have air conditioning, but you'll survive if you don't.

Fantastic

In terms of academics, I can't imagine a more encouraging, wonderful learning community. Professors are always there to help you. (And you are taught by professors, not TAs.) Kids love to learn. Students work hard, but they aren't super competitive with one another. While there are open-ended general education requirements, they aren't confining and are not very difficult to fulfill. Also, you can take classes at other 5Cs and design your own major. Pomona's academics are truly amazing!

International Relations

The faculty is supportive and helpful. The workload is very manageable, and the requirements are relevant and yet vague enough to give you some flexibility. I was able to intern at the office of a senator at DC, and it was a eye-opening experience.

Student Center and Library

The facilities at Pomona College are great. The student center is a large space with outdoor tables, greenspace, student store, fireside lounge, and other cool places to hang out or study. The coop, a student run restaurant, is also a great place to play pool, study, and hang out with friends. The library, shared by the Claremont University consortium is vast with great places to get work done. It also just renovated a cafe space which is very modern and very popular.

California Weather

the weather is ALWAYS beautiful and perfect, IT'S CALIFORNIA.

Bike Thefts Common

I have never felt unsafe on Pomona's campus. It is a small campus bordered by an affluent community. However, bike thefts are very common, so invest in a U-lock. Also, students have had laptops stolen, though I have never worried about any of the students taking my things.

Inside Scoop

We have something called Snack Sunday-Wednesday night. In Frary Dining Hall from 10:30-11:30 pm, we get free food. :) There is the soda fountain, cereal with milk and soy milk, peanut butter and jelly-making supplies, coffee, desserts, and a main dish available.

We also have a student-run farm that you can have your own plot on and grow your own vegetables.

Athletics

We are a Division III school, so our sports aren't very good. Our most talented competitive organization is the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company, and our most talented sport is men's water polo. Pomona is a college of brainiacs rather than jocks, though, and I don't think many people actually care about our sports teams.

Local Atmosphere

Claremont is a town of about 30,000 people. Besides the fifth of this who are college students, the majority of residents are old people. We are located 35 miles east of LA, so we have all the benefits of being close enough to go there if we want but far enough to be away from the traffic, smog, and all the other cons of living in a large city. Very close to the Claremont Colleges are the San Gabriel Mountains, making for a beautiful backdrop. People in Claremont LOVE students, and many places will have discounts.