Pomona College Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Martha

Students are very attractive and intelligent---also worldly-wise.--so yu can keep your virginity in every sense of the word, but your grades may suffer if you do

Alison

The best thing about Pomona is the people. When I first got to campus I was actually a little freaked out by how nice the people were. Pomona students are friendly, outgoing, kind, interesting, and trustworthy..and it isn't fake. Despite the lack of an honor code, students naturally act as if there is one. One of the most important things I learned during my time at Pomona was not to judge people based on appearances, because no matter what your first impression of a Pomona student, there are always really, really cool things about them that are worth getting to know. One really cool thing about the social scene is that despite the very high level of socio-economic diversity, you'd never know which kid is getting a full ride and which kid has a parent with a private jet. I think that's partly to due to with the super relaxed attitude on campus. There's absolutely zero pressure to ever dress up or own brand-name items. In fact, if you do, people will probably wonder what you're doing...

Kendra

Students mostly wear shorts, shirts, and flip-flops for most of the year. Unlike where I went to high school, no one cares about any designer or brand name stuff. Students are from all over the country. California is the most popular state, but Washington and New York seem to be a close second. The only type of student who would feel out of place here is a student who really thrives in a competitive, high-stress environment, because you really don't find that at Pomona.

Dane

People here are generally liberal and middle- to upper-middle-class financially. A somewhat accurate characterization would be to say that many people are like the type of person described in Christian Lander's book/blog "Stuff White People Like" (if you haven't seen this, check it out its pretty funny), ie. they like indie music, sushi, environmentalism, etc. But there are also politically conservative students, international students, sports bros, gamer nerds, and people from many different backgrounds and with many different ideas.

Jessie

My classmates enjoy being intellectually, socially, academically stimulated and challenged. They all have amazing future goals they strive towards, and they all have a story to tell. Pomona students all have a very distinctive trait about them, but they are all very outgoing and sociable. The most impressive thing about Pomona students is the work hard, play hard attitude of the student body. We know how to study for a test as well as to have some fun!

David

The Pomona College community is filled with very nice, interesting, and incredibly intelligent people that come from a plethora of backgrounds which create a nice and diverse community.

Jasmine

My classmates are diverse, quirky, and all smart in different, individual ways.

Silas

Everybody has an amazing life story to share at Pomona. They are wildly creative individuals and ridiculously smart, and always available to lend an ear or collaborate on a research project. They are amazingly wonderful people. I've never been happier as when I'm surrounded by this group of students.

Devin

Driven and seeking to learn about the world through learning about those around them.

Kristen

My classmates are friendly and outgoing, happy, helpful, very bright and I'm sure they will succeed in life.

Cameron

Pomona strikes a pretty good balance with interesting, (fairly) diverse students without so much of the crazy. People are idealist to the point that they'll respect moral obligation and considers non-profits, but also pragmatic enough to interview for industry as well. We're pampered and often I feel this place could use a little anarchy. Also, you'll often hear of the insane things the administration will do to be politically correct. Nevertheless, between the 5 colleges, you'll find the people you're looking for. Students are from everywhere. Sophomore year I roomed with a Bulgarian who went on the equivalent of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (translation: Who Wants to be Rich?, top prize $20,000). He's one of the only people to get to the last question, but lost on it. Most people there know of him. He's a goddamn Bulgarian celebrity!

Scott

Pomona students are intelligent, hard-working people who really want to make a difference in the world, however they are often frustrated by the difficulties facing them in their pursuits.

Rachel

accessible, real, friendly

Katy

We are definitely a liberal school. There is a small number more politically or religiously conservative students, and I suppose they might feel out of place sometimes. I think Pomona is diverse in terms of race, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, etc, but not as much as it could be. Since Pomona is need-blind, there are defintiely all kinds of students that go there, but that often causes students to tend to hang out with students that are more like themselves, like all other schools. However, sponsor groups provide a good environment for a cross section of students to know each other. There are a lot of politically and socially active students on campus. There is a wierd population of frat-y boys that kind of live amongst themselves. Some students are more focused on their future as i-bankers, but for every one of them there is a student who will apply for a Fullbright to go research in West Africa or Vietnam. There is a strong community of activists, people that are involved in different student organizations. Organizations work together to put on lectures, workshops, study breaks, etc.

Niki

I think a fair amount of people here come from wealthy families, but it took me a while to figure it out. Most people are very down to earth and do not flaunt their money or talk about future salaries. I come from a lower income single parent home, but your background or financial situation in no way determines who hangs out with who. I have a couple groups of friends, and everyone come from different socio-economic, geographical, and racial backgrounds. The two trends I do see at Pomona is that most people are not religious and most people lean left. There are a few right-leaning people, which spices it up. They get a hard time sometimes, but at the end of the day, they are accepted and have diverse groups of friends.

Natalie

There are a variety of religions, races, and other groups on campus. I can't think of a single student that would not find his/her niche. In general, the different groups act with respect for one another, however I find that the groups stick to themselves a bit too much, rather than branching out and simply using the group as a support system. Many students are from the East and West, and come from financially well-off backgrounds. Many are also politically aware and active.

Blake

If a person has come from a racially diverse city, they might be disappointed at Pomona. Other students who come from a less diverse place, might think Pomona is incredibly diverse. It all depends on past experiences. Some African Americans from places like New York or Chicago, think the African American population at the Claremont colleges is very small. People like me, from a hometown where there is next to no African American population, Pomona seems really diverse. I feel like if one is comfortable with a certain group, the colleges offer organizations for those people to go to, so that they can feel more comfortable. I felt welcomed and included by both AAMP and OBSA. The good thing is that you can be as involved as you want to be, if you don't want to be pressured to do things with an organization, then all you have to do is say so. You choese how involved with them you want to be.

Lee

The student body leans VERY far left politically. I would consider myself a liberal, and even I find some of the activism at Pomona to be a little over the top. Other than that, there is no typical student. The body is very diverse in ethnicity, background, where they're from, and so forth.

Adam

More than not a student is from the Northwest. Not many southerners like me, but the ones there are great. It doesn't really matter where you are from. Politically, the students are pretty liberal. Some more conservative ones, but few and far between. But people here like to talk to people of different political backgrounds. They will listen to your point of view. You jsut better hope that you can defend it well.

Devin

see Pomona the Big Picture Pomona students are not the most fashionable group. A well dressed girl usually elicits comments about "Scripsies" and a boy wearing a polo shirt is almost always from CMC.

Sarah

Maybe it's just me, but Pomona seems to be the epitome of self-segregating. There are mentor groups for basically every minority, and while I think it is important to foster community and safe space on campus, these groups seem to exacerbate the problem. I don't think anyone would feel out of place at Pomona, unless they wanted to make a diverse group of friends. I haven't met many people here from California. All of my friends are from Chicago, New York, and Seattle. But I think that just once again highlights the self-segregation element of social life, since 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students here are from California (supposedly... I still don't believe it). Most of my friends are upper-middle class, I think, but it honestly doesn't get discussed much. People are left wing, but just barely. A lot of people understand the issues in the world, but don't see how those same issues play out in their everyday lives. Like they will learn about economic inequality and white privilege, but then not acknowledge that Pomona is a great example of how those dynamics play out (for instance, the relationships between students and staff workers). Still, I think there are some very politically active students who are fighting to raise awareness.

Alexander

Generally very smart. Mostly liberal. Nearly everyone is friendly and laid-back. Most kids study hard, but very few let school take over their lives. Kids choose Pomona because they love to learn, and they want college to be fun. Many kids at Pomona could have gone to Harvard, but they thought it was too high-pressure and/or too stuck-up.

Jamie

Pomona students are very open and liberal. People come from all different racial backgrounds and socio-economic levels. There's a group for everything and their are mentors that students can request through Asian, Latino, LGBT, Jewish etc organizations. Students that like big parties or that don't want to put a lot of time into academics would feel out of place at Pomona. It's useful to visit Pomona before enrolling and even do an overnight visit of you have time because there' a certain feel to Pomona that some students love and others may not like so much. Most students are seem pretty laid back and wear jeans or shorts to class with flip flops. Different types of students interact on the whole. People sometimes end of spending too much time with their sponsor group at Pomona during freshman year and you will often see dining halls tables filled with students from the same sponsor group or athletic team. Students come from all over the country and internationally. Students come from all financial backgrounds because Pomona is need blind in financial aid. Students are predominantly politically liberal and fairly knowledgeable about Politics.

Sabrina

Pomona does tend towards the rabid-liberal, and while everyones all "accepting", conservative types probably won't feel as comfortable, though they exist. There are sort of two factions- that of the politically-correct, activist types, and that of the people who think those people are irritating. Besides the political, the students tend to be very interesting, and scarily smart. In high school I thought i was smart... turns out i was wrong. My roommate is a double major in chemistry and math and my neighbor freshman year can solve a rubix cube in less than 2 minutes. Lots of people are involved in a bunch of activities, they work, they play a sport, etc. It can be intimidating. But we're all there together, and despite the fact that I don't play a sport and I'm not the president of anything, I feel like part of the community. Coming from a public school in New Mexico, I was a bit struck by the amount of blond rich kids at pomona- about half the school isn't on financial aid (which means they have money). But you're going to find that at any of these schools. usually it doesn't bother me that much, it was just different. My freshman year I was part of the asian people group on campus, which was good times.

Eleanor

Pomona students come from almost every part of the world, and from many different economic backgrounds. We have support organizations for every minority group you can think of, and we take them very seriously. The vast majority of the students do tend to be liberal, but I had conservative friends at Pomona. It makes for more interesting discussion when not everyone agrees with each other! Because Pomona is so small, chances are you'll meet most people in your class, either through coursework, extracurriculars, or social activities. I found that very different types of students interacted often, and that you could simulataneously hang out with your friends from your freshman year hall and your junior year class on whatever. Realisitically, there are some lines between certain groups, especially during freshman year, but those lines tend to blur. By senior year, chances are, you won't even notice the lines as you're stepping over them.

Blake

There is a lot to address in this prompt, and I don't think I want to touch base on all of it although I could. So here it is in a nutshell. Pomona is rich, very rich. It has a lot of support networks inlcuding Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA), Chicano Students (CLSA), Asian students (AAMP/AARC), Queer Resource Center a.k.a. QRC for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans, and Allied Students...Also there are sponsers, head sponsors, Resident Advisors, Deans, ETC Even more important there are student created and ran organizations that the school supports. This past year two close friends of mine created a group on campus for women of color called RARE Diamonds. It is a sisterhood for sisters from every hood : ). I am so proud of them. They have created a student led organization that addresses issues that we create and execute. As for socio-economic backgrounds, I come from a working class family. My father is a carpenter and my mother was a secretary. I have friends that come from wealthy families and some from working class families. There is definitely a mixture although I don't know how comfortable people would feel sharing that information.

Devin

Pomona's study body is becoming more and more diverse. The majority of the last two incoming classes have been minority students. There are so many groups associated with minority students that they are impossible to list. Some of the major ones that come to mind are OBSA and AAMP. Most of the students will interact with each other. There aren't any tables at dinner for "the cool kids" and everyone gets a long. The biggest issues on campus are those associated with Race, Gender, and Sexuality. Being an upper middle class white conservative male, I tend not to get too involved with many of those conversations, but they are usually being discussed in some capacity. I prefer to focus on economic and political issues. I would say 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of th campus is going to vote for Obama in November if that is any indication. I voted for Ron Pual in the primaries, so I tend to debate with friends every other day on the merits of everything from universal health care to immigration.

Megan

Like I briefly mentioned before, we have a lot of racial/ethnic diversity (and have mentor programs for each ethnic group) and welcome LGBT (also has a mentor program). The need-based financial aid means we have quite a few students or poor economic backgrounds as well as rich ones who can actually pay for the ridiculous tuition fees. The one group that would really feel out of place would be conservatives, as this is a very liberal group of students. One thing that's really cool is that Pomona students are from everywhere. I don't just mean every state (although I think it's only 42 or something) but a bunch of different countries, as well. One of the girls in my sponsor group was from Bulgaria. How cool is that?

Chelsea

I always like to say that Pomona students are racially, socioeconomically, and geographically diverse, but lack diversity in their mindsets. Pomona students are friendly, open-minded, driven, socially-aware, well-rounded, intelligent, hard-working, busy, and of course more than a little nerdy. We're passionate and excited about life and like to live it to the fullest! The vast majority of Pomona students aren't religious, so if religion is central to your life you might feel a bit out of place here. Pomona students are also really laid back folks and don't focus a lot on their appearance. This isn't to say that we don't look presentable, it's just that if you look like you spent more than 10 minutes dressing, doing your hair, or putting on makeup in the morning, people would probably think you spend your time unwisely. People DEFINITELY don't get dressed up to go to class. In fact, people don't really get dressed up for anything. Typical class outfit is moderately priced jeans, a basic-T, and flip flops. Hair in a ponytail or combed for guys. Definitely no elaborate hair-dos or excessive gelling. Most Pomona folks are very respectful when speaking about money and it can be difficult to know how wealthy a student's family is unless you know their hometown or parents' occupations. As a bisexual female, I can speak a bit to Pomona's LGBT scene. First, since Pomona is a small school, there simply aren't that many queer people here. I'd say that there are twenty to thirty queer students (split evenly male and female) per class, which isn't a whole lot of folks to choose from. However, there are also queer people at the other 5Cs, especially Scripps College, which has a thriving lesbian scene that centers to some extent around the Motley Coffee House. (However, this scene is pretty cliquey and you definitely have to commit yourself to being in this scene if you want to know the people in it). Pomona has a Queer Resource Center (QRC) which puts on events, usually sponsors weekly group meetings for queer men, queer women, and transpeople (in some years), and also has a great library and film collection.

Jordan

The majority of Pomona students are upper middle class, white, non-religious, heterosexual, and politically liberal. If you don't fit those bills, you won't die, but you'll have to create a supportive community on your own if that's what you need. There are several groups and organizations on campus to facilitate that, or you can do it in your own way. Pomona is also very segregated. Even though we're liberal, if you look at dining hall tables, most groups are homogeneous in terms of race, class, sexuality, sometimes gender. So if you want to actually have an integrated experience, you'll have to do some legwork on your own as well. The culture, in essence, is very laid back. Most people wear flip flops and casual clothing to class. A lot of people skateboard, hang out on fields.

Parker

I came to california for the bades. You'll soon learn that "california girls" are a myth, because the girls who are smart enough to get into pomona look like shit. But then again, the consortium is a redeeming quality that you won't find at other schools. Stupid hot people are just a five minute's walk away from your dorm, and they are often so impressed by the fact that you got into pomona that they'll have sex with you.

olivia

They're a lot of debates, discussions, and informational events on campus with racial, religious, socio-economic and other topics. There are also numerous groups and organizations that put on these events and others for on campus and off campus issues. Since the school is so small, everyone tends to interact with everyone. In general the school is very diverse.

Andy

Pomona is definitely a liberal campus, and many people do not like to have these beliefs challenged. This sometimes stifles discussion because many very smart people choose to center arguments on morality and not merit.

Rachel

Pomona is overly interested in being politically correct, with the best of intentions, but often barring students from the real issues because so tangled in not committing a faux paus. Students notoriously liberal, but lacking extreme social activism. Hardly anyone is especially "alternative" and everyone is VERY well-rounded.

Ricki

People are quick to gripe that its not diverse enough, but the student body is actually pretty diverse. It's self-segregating though, so don't expect a miracle place where everyone is friends with everyone. You will come into contact with people with a lot of very interesting backgrounds - sometimes this is easy to describe in terms of nationality race or sexual orientation, but more often it will be the unique story of what people have done and experienced (cage fighting, child guitar prodigy, spent a year in Thailand...) The campus is pretty left wing, and people may take for granted that you come in knowing how to be ridiculously PC. If you don't know how, just point out that this puts you in a minority and you'll start getting sympathy.

Angie

This sounds cliche, but my biggest problem with Pomona students, at least initially, was that they are too goddamn happy and well-adjusted. My freshman year, I felt like the most neurotic person I knew, and that drove me nuts. For the most part, I've gotten past that initial impression: either it no longer bothers me that people are so happy or I've gotten to know people well enough that I realize that they're not actually so annoyingly perfect. First impressions aside, Pomona students are generally relaxed and easy-going. If you're really competitive, you keep yourself in the closet a little bit, because it's not cool to be cut-throat here. Students are ostensibly open and accepting, but you'd be surprised at the nasty comments you hear when a republican speaks up in class. Despite the best efforts of the admissions commit, the student body here is really homogeneous: not racially or even socio-economically, but ideologically.

Carson

Pomona's politically correct climate is intensely stifling - especially if you come from a big city that's diverse enough to prime you against culture shock. Often times it feels like people are either tip-toeing around a "socially sensitive" issue, or creating an issue where one should not exist. People who fancy themselves social activists end up doing more damage than good. Blind justice is all the rage.

Robbie

Pomona's students are very politically aware and active. The student body is overwhelmingly liberal. Students are less concerned with future salary than they are with doing something that inspires them. There aren't too many religious outlets, but Pomona is a pretty secular place. Nonetheless, it seems to have its own religion, characterized by a strong sense of justice and equality. It is very progressive, indeed.

Lucy

First semester I thought Pomona students were boring. Then I found some more interesting people. I've got friends I really like, but I still get the impression that a lot of the Pomona student body is really bland. Athletes are cliquey, there are the kind of "popular kids" you see in high school movies but I never encountered at my own high school. I like that there are more people at the other Claremont colleges to meet. Pomona students are only moderately politically active, less than they should be. They're predominantly left, politically. Students aren't very business-oriented as they are at CMC; they care more about learning than their future salaries. However, plenty go into financial consulting to make some cash their first year out, even some good ones.

Cassidy

Pomona tries hard to make virtually every concievable social minority feel welcome on campus, and students tend to be very concerned with political correctness and supporting diversity. That being said, most student come from privaledged backgrounds, including a lot of private schools and wealthy families and whether we like to admit it or not we are recieving a rarified education. In general, I don't think students appreciate this enough. Despite this, students do care a lot about social issues and respecting eachother and the vast range of diverse groups on campus. While fiscally political views are split, socially Pomona leans far to the right.

Lizzie

There are a lot of support groups at Pomona for minorities - blacks, asians, LGBT - as well as many groups on campus for various religions. Pomona promotes and encourages diversity. A student who doesn't love to learn would feel out of place. Pomona students are from all over - there are quite a few international students, yet there are few students from the south. Pomona is a very liberal campus.

Chris

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.

Ryan

Pomona is a very diverse place, and people from all backgrounds are embraced and accepted into the community. There are many gay, lesbian, bisexual, minority, and low income students. Also, there's a good amount of interaction between people with different backgrounds. Students aren't materialistic and do not get dressed up for class. A typical outfit is jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals. It is more socially acceptable to wear a semi-trendy outfit from the local second hand store than expensive designer clothing. However, there is a sizable contingent of artsy students who like to wear very trendy vintage clothing.

Lane

The students on campus have the opportunity to participate in many different organizations, and as much, or as little, as they want. There are political, environments, religious, and LGBT groups that are very easy to become a part of and are filled with very eager students. Pomona also goes out of its way to make sure that when students first come to college they are given a great opportunity to meet many other first-years and many chances to meet different people. This means that there aren't people who are left out and there's always a complex network of friendships, not just groups. And because students make friends early on, they aren't confined to friends solely in their major. In fact, of all of my close friends we are all different majors with widely varying interests.

Cameron

The student body has numerous organizations tailored for every imaginable minority, most of which are funded through the school as it promotes diversity to an extreme degree. Students of all backgrounds interact freely and comfortably with one another. About 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are on financial aid of some kind, and while economic issues occasionally limit social options (weekend trips, going out to meals, etc.), economics does not divide the campus body. Politically, the campus leans left, but with a libertarian twist.

Lindsay

Pomona has groups to make all minority students feel welcome and to help students adjust to college life. Students are politically active and predominantly liberal.

Kris

Pomona is amazing, and it's largely because of the students. I won't cover the relaxed thing again, cuz I already have. Basically, I can summarize the great things about Pomona's student body with a single idea: Pomona is a place where you can have a game of ultimate frisbee on the quad (an extremely common sight), go to dinner, and have a 2 hour conversation about philosophy or politics before realizing what time it is. It's an unbelievably fun intellectual environment: while undeniably liberal-leaning, the Pomona environment both inside and outside the classroom is very intellectually accepting, and I have had fascinating conversations about philosophy and politics with people I barely know and with my close friends, just because a certain topic comes up (and this is somewhat remarkable, because, as a staunch libertarian and an atheist, I disagree with basically everyone on at least one thing very close to their heart). No one ever gets shut down for their beliefs; everyone is simply interested in talking about current events, philosophy, and so on, just because they want to hear what other people have to say and to have a solid debate.

Lindy

So, nobody has ever heard of Pomona. That can be difficult. Lots of our students turn down a place like Princeton or Stanford to go to relatively unknown Pomona. But, I think that the choice to turn down the Ivies is part of what makes Pomona students so amazing. We are a unique set of students who are able to balance our competitive nature and our relaxed love for the sun. We often joke that Pomona gets all the imbalanced kids who are constantly bouncing between different personalities. Pomona students are flexible and welcoming yet intense. But, keep in mind that the intensity can sometimes overwhelm the flexibility, especially in political discussion. Pomona is "accepting". That is if you are a liberal like everyone else. Conservatives beware... The only other bigger split at Pomona is between substance free and substance use students. As a substance use student, I would say that of the 100 or so kids in my grade that I don't know, 80-90 of them are substance free. Because there is separate housing available, this divide is even greater.

Michele

I don't really think a whole lot/hear a whole lot about race, religion, or class on campus. So either we're really accepting or really homogenous. Even though Pomona is in California, the vast majority of students are not from California. So it's really fun to meet people who have grown up in really different places. And you always have somewhere to stay if you travel around the country! Money (how much your family has, how much you want to make someday, how many Gucci purses you own) is politely off-topic.

Gina

Pomona is over-the-top with clubs and support groups for every imaginable issue. There is a queer resource center, mentors for women, Jewish people, Asians, etc. etc. ETC.! Flip-flops are very "Pomona", no one really gets dressed up. About 1/3 of Pomona kids are from California but the rest are from everywhere! Students are really politically active and definitely lean way left.