Pomona is a hidden treasure when it comes to colleges. With a very high rate of selectivity, Pomona picks out some of the most incredible, interesting, and unique students across the country. Yet, ask a stranger on the street anywhere outside of Southern California, and they won't know the name. As a member of the Claremont Consortium, Pomona is 1 of 5 schools located within a square mile in Claremont, CA. The result: small school academic environment with the benefits of 4 other colleges a 5-minute walk away. That means you get a better social scene, more clubs/activities, 5 times the number of classes that would normally be available (you can take classes at any of them), and a grand total of 6 different dining halls to choose from (2 on Pomona's campus). The atmosphere at Pomona is welcoming, and the college does some great things to make sure every student enjoys and benefits from their experience here.

The educational opportunity here is great. There are so many unbelievably cool and engaging professors here. Granted, there are a few here and there that make people wonder "How'd they get a job here?", but largely, students know and love their profs, and often end up in their research labs, co-authoring papers, chatting in office hours, babysitting their kids, even meeting up for lunch. The atmosphere of the college is intellectual, but it's remarkable, given the level of competition in the admissions process, how little peer-to-peer competition their is in terms of grade performance. Pomona students are very internally driven, but they strive to succeed for themselves, not to outperform their peers. I've never felt, in 3 years, any sense of academic competition from a peer, something I frankly expected at a school like this.

Career services are excellent and always available to help, from correcting typos on your resume to contacting alums working in your field to locate internships, to locating job placements or grad schools for life after Pomona.

In sum: this is a great place to get a great education to set yourself up for a great career.

The best part about this place is the people, namely the students. You will have a hard time finding a more fun and intriguing bunch of people anywhere. Every student brings a unique set of talents and interests that make lunch-table conversations fascinating and keep everyday life at Pomona exciting. There are varsity soccer players who play first-chair violin in the orchestra, history-philosophy double majors who run the pre-law club, acappella singers who breakdance; people you won't find anywhere else. And the best part of it all: for the most part, they tend to be nice, laid-back, fun people, even when they aren't playing violin while breakdancing.

Because Pomona's a part of the Claremont Consortium, the access to clubs and organizations and other activities is unparalleled. 5 colleges worth of groups with different interests provides an amazing number of options, from standards such as acappella groups (6 of them) and debate teams, to more unique interests like the climate change awareness group and the investment club. You like it? You'll either find it here, or you'll find a few other people that like it too and you can found the club (which, speaking from experience, is easy and really fun).

The social life is enhanced by how amazing the people are here, but can be dampened by how hard everyone works. There's a T-shirt you can buy from the biology department that says "I can't, I have lab," the last word of which could be substituted for "too much work", "rehearsal", "an essay to write", etc. You'll hear one of those versions, among others, fairly often. That said, there are students who go out 4 nights a week, and generally, the student body knows how to enjoy themselves one way or another.

The primary social scene involves college sponsored parties, and you can find one at one of the 5 colleges every Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. These are often themed dance parties with a DJ and a few kegs (with beers served to 21+ students, who then hand them to their 21- friends and go back for their own cup). There are also unsponsored parties, but they usually attract smaller crowds and usually head for the bigger parties by the end of the night.

While that may be the biggest deal, there are lots of options for non-drinkers in the social scene too. Pomona's "That Saturday Group" plans at least one alcohol-free event every Saturday evening, giving those not interested in the dance party an alternative. Additionally, many students choose to just hang out, watch movies, play video games, etc. with their friends rather than party hard on weekends. Depends on the person, the night, the mood, and the weather (rain can really kill a party down here, but thankfully it almost never rains).

The stereotypical Pomona student is arrogant, preppy, brilliant, multi-talented/multi-tasking, rich, pretentious, and elitist.

There are few students who accurately portray that stereotype in total. Are there some arrogant people at Pomona? Sure. Pretentious and elitist? A small handful. Pomona students are remarkably diverse in their personalities, interests, and talents, making them a very interesting bunch of people. The only stereotype you'll find pretty consistently is brilliant--there are some amazingly smart people here.