Pomona College Top Questions

For me the most awesome student organization at Pomona is certainly the On The Loose - an outdoor center where you can check out backpack, sleeping bags, tents and all that you will ever need for a hiking trip for free. They also have a website where students can post trips for others to sign up, and the OTL will even reimburse the leader/driver for the gas cost! Life really doesn't get much better than this.

There are a lot of things to do at night at Pomona. If you choose to stay on campus, which most students do, Pomona hosts dance parties most nights of the week (with free beer!), but speakers, comedy shows, and Pomona Student Union panels are also super popular, as well as That Saturday Group events (my favorites have been laser tag in the SCC, tie dyeing, and a performance by a "psychic" who was once featured on Oprah).

Our outdoors club, On The Loose (OTL), is by far the most popular club. Students leave doors open all the time. Athletic events are fairly popular, especially our rival games since our rivals (Claremont Mudd Scripps) live across the street! There are lots of parties going on the five colleges. You could go to a college-sponsored party Tuesday-Saturday if you wanted to. We have underground fraternities, but they don't have houses or anything so it's not a big presence on campus.

Pomona students LOVE to talk about politics and about the events that happen around the world. Often times, speakers come through and debate or discuss different points of view on controversial topics, and a lot of students are a part of those efforts.

The people here are fun and friendly. I certainly know kids who go out every night of the week, hardly at all, and everything in between. I usually go out Thurs through Sat like many people do. Parties are school-sponsored dance parties, in dorm rooms, and occasionally off campus and there is always something going on whether you want to drink or not. The other colleges here are vital to the experience. They add people to hang out with, different cultures to experience, different classes to take, more parties and events, etc. I have friends at all the schools and they all have much to add to the consortium. One thing I miss from high school are house parties. There is not as much of that drink, play games, and chill atmosphere going on without many people living off campus and without legit frats (the frats here kind of just throw parties in random places on campus and don't have actualy houses). Still, there are some off-campus things and I've been on some great ski trips where we all head up to the mountains for a couple days and nights and pitch some money for a house to stay in. Those have actually been my favorite weekends of school so far!

Midnight Echo, a co-ed a capella group, performs "Demons" by Guster at the Southern California a capella Musical Festival (SCAMfest).

Men's Blue and White performs "Kiss From a Rose" at SCAMfest (Southern California A Capella Music Fest).

Daniel describes beautiful Zion park, where she spent a weekend with some friends--all made possible with the help of OTL.

Ross talks about his fun fall break trip to Joshua Tree National Park--made possible with the help of OTL.

Terry, a senior, is the head of Skeeze, Pomona's ski club, which works very closely with the outdoors club.

Thad, a junior, is director of On The Loose, Pomona's outdoors club that takes you out into Southern California.

You'll hear a lot of people talk about sponsor groups. This is basically the hall that you live on during Freshman year. Many become very good friends with their sponsor group and continue that for the next three years. This has it's consequences. It's more difficult to branch out earlier on; this place is cliquey. Also, these things breed incest, which can become tricky. Then again, you will know people well that would wouldn't know otherwise. Everyone is, of course, terribly friendly. Doors are open, chit chat is welcome. I personally have never locked my door. I find that I have at most, two nights a week where I can go out. Some have more. There are a lot of school-sponsored things. In fact, I believe that the school provides beer five nights a week if you know where to look for it. Nice! We have two excellent events during the year: Harwood Halloween and Smiley 80's. The first is a subterranean parking garage Halloween party and the latter is self-explanatory with a pretty rockin' 80s cover band. Oh, and there's a weekly thing called Table Manners that's pretty wicked. The school tries to wow people with things like ski/beach day and death by chocolate, but they're not as sweet as they sound.

I would say sponsor groups provide the first way for people to meet their closest friends. 3 years later I am still very close with students in my sponsor group. We are a pretty friendly campus. I am still excited to meet new people as a senior. There are plenty of students who work hard and party hard, and there are students who spend time with there friends by doing homework together on some weekend nights before relaxing. You don't have to drink to have fun on campus. There are weekly parties on some weeknights. Tuesday nights there's Table Manners, where student dj's show off their schools and people dance. The school has an alcohol fund for beer and wine, which is great. People do try to go into LA or Pasadena on the weekends.

One great thing about Pomona is the fact that every incoming freshman is put into “sponsor groups” which has 12-20 freshmen and 2 sophomores that live in the same hall based on their housing application. They help make the transition to college easier, and the people that were in my sponsor group freshmen year are still some of my closest friends. In many of these sponsor groups (though not all, it depends on which one) there is a sense of community, and people tend to eat together, go out to parties together, hang out talking and eating ramen at 3am, etc. I normally drink 3-4 nights a week and am an occasional pot smoker, but every person and group is different. There are people who drink and/or smoke everyday, people who are completely sub-free, and people everywhere in between. Fraternities/sororities aren’t big on campus (maybe 3{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people are in them, and they don’t have houses), so almost all parties are put on by individual people in their rooms or by the college (parties at only of the 5 colleges are open to anyone at the colleges, and there is always free beer!) I would say most of the people I know go out Thursdays-Saturdays. If you don’t want to drink though, there is a substance free club that puts on events every Saturday night like movie night or doing tie-dye. There are always a lot of stuff to do on campus, but if you ever want to get into LA, there is public transportation available. Also, the school organizes off-campus events that are highly subsidized and include transportation, so you could go to six flags for $10, the beach for free, etc. There is also an outdoors club called On The Loose (OTL) that organizes trips to go surfing, hiking, skiing, etc all over the place.

I feel incredibly comfortable in my dorm, and my roommate and I usually leave the door unlocked when we are in, so people are coming in and out. Sponsor groups can either be really successful in forming close bonds or not. Different groups have completely different dynamics. Some groups are always hanging out together, others have different circles of friends. For me, the people I usually hang out with are from my sponsor group, since we get along pretty well. If you like to party you will be able to find places to party, and if you don't there are still things for you to do. There are usually events to go to on the weekend. I work at the theater, and students from different campuses like to come to performances. The ballroom usually have dance lessons and a party that's alcohol free. They have movies showing for a cheap price. Sometimes it's more fun to stay in with friends and play cards or Taboo. We dunk people in fountains on their birthday. Yes, we really do. There are just so many fountains to choose from. Be prepared, they may or may not (usaully not) tell you when or where.

You make your own fun here. There is plenty of extracurricular stuff to take part in. There are plenty of parties between the 5C's and the drinking policies are (for the most part) hands off. There is no Greek life and everyone lives on campus.

Pomona is not a giant state school. There are no frats (atleast in the southern state school sense) or sororities. There are big parties from time to time, but mostly it is smaller dorm parties. There are people that like to get fucked up in every sense of the phrase. And there are those that swear they will never touch a substance. I personally like to party and I find that this does happen. I was never into the whole bar scene, so it doesn't matter that Claremont doesn't have a huge bar scene.

see Pomona the big picture and The sponsor group program is really great way to start out college your freshman year. You basically have a group of friends from the very start and the people from your sponsor group often turn out to be your best friends throughout college. Football is not big at Pomona at all. Water Polo and Basketball games are pretty popular and bigger than the PP-CMC football game is the PP-CMC Basketball game. That is a can't miss. Pomona is small enough though that you will know people on all the teams and friendship usually draws people to games even if they aren't that exciting. The social scene is divided between those that go to the parties and drink and those who are in "sub-free" housing. This is very frustrating as I feel that I only know and only see half of the school. There is a group that organizes Saturday night activities such as karaoke, pool tournaments, twister, etc.

I don't really do extracurriculars, but it seems like there are lots of clubs and such to join. I don't know anyone who goes to sports games... but that's probably just my friends. I went once, and there were a bunch of drunk kids... I didn't really enjoy it. Parties are mostly school sponsored since the frats that exist suck a lot, and not many people live off campus. There is a substance free group that runs activities on Saturday nights... the only times I've gone, I've been drunk, so they probably don't like me very much. Sometimes I go into LA to hear some live music or go to a museum or something, but not too much. I go to the beach or to Joshua Tree a few times a semester. Dating is probably similar to most colleges: non-existent. People are either in serious relationships or drunkenly hooking up. No one actually goes on dates. I haven't found many boys I dig on here... many are awkward or bland looking or... I don't know, just not appealing. Pitzer boys on the other hand.... H-O-T. Unfortunately, I don't really have any Pitzer friends, so I mostly just ogle from afar.

Most kids party on campus, which means drinking in the dorms and courtyards. There are dance parties every weekend. It's usually not that cold at night, so kids chill outside and play Beirut on their balconies. Many kids like to smoke weed. But there are plenty of kids who don't smoke or drink, and they still have fun. The few kids who live off-campus have parties at their houses. A lot of Pomona kids play music and form bands, and the bands play at parties. Pomona has good sports teams, and a lot of kids watch the big rivalry games against the other Claremont Colleges (but otherwise no one goes to sports games). The outdoors club is rad and very popular. Pomona is in a great location for hiking, backpacking, beach camping, climbing, kayaking, surfing, etc. On weekends, a lot of kids go to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Catalina, Big Sur. During Fall Break and Spring Break, kids go to Mexico, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite. The Metro (a train) runs right by campus and takes you to LA in like 20 minutes. Most Pomona kids don't go to LA often, but you could if you wanted to.

On the loose is a pretty popular club. It's student run and the group plans outdoor trips all over California that the school pretty much pays for or at a minimal cost to students. There are a lot of varsity sports and intramural sports, but students on the whole don't follow school sports. I'm involved with the varsity softball team and like many varsity sports the team is close knit and hangs out a lot on weekends and often members of the team go to dinner together. Students generally leave their doors open, unless they are studying and don't want to be bothered. Pomona has a lot of guest speakers and the events are fairly popular. The school also plans events into LA and around Southern California for a minimal cost to students. Many relationships start at Pomona through consistent drunken hookups although that's not to say that's the only way to find a relationship. I met my closet friends through the sponsor group system, orientation adventure (a trip to somewhere in California students go on during orientation) and through the softball team. If I'm awake on a Tuesday night at 2 am I'll usually be talking in the hallway with my sponsor group or hanging out in a friends room. Pomona has a lot of traditions the biggest one being that students are thrown in a fountain on their birthday. People go to parties usually every weekend, although their are school hosted parties Tuesday-Saturday and if someone wants to party during the week he or she can usually find friends who will go out and party as well. There is practically no greek life on campus. Saturday nights don't have to involve drinking. That Saturday Night group puts on events every Saturday which are actually pretty cool. There last event of the year was histing a carnival. Other students go into LA on weekends, although LA is at least an hour away students can easily take the Metrolink to get to LA.

Social life in college is awesome. My best friends lived across from me and next to me freshman year. We were in each other's rooms all the time that year, and it really hasn't changed. I haven't really been that successful at dating on pomona (I had a boyfriend at a different school for a year and a half) but people obviously do get together. It seems like everyone's either drunkenly hooking up or in a verrry serious relationship- not much on the dating. The partying varies a lot- freshman year my roomate went out 4 nights a week, while I was doing my chem homework. My boyfriend didn't drink, so we were more likely to do other things, which was fine.

Pomona has a great social scene of its own, and then when you add in the other four Claremont Colleges, you've got something to do every night. Pomona throws parties for its students often, and they are very fun. We have lots of themed parties, fundraiser parties, debates and discussions. Speakers are popular, especially those that come to the CMC Athenaeum. Athletic events are very popular, especially those againt the CMS teams (intra-Claremont colleges rivalry). You meet your friends through a variety of ways. You may live with them, have classes with them, meet them at a party or even through another friend. You could be in an organization or on a team with them. The possibilities are really endless, and I can think of a friend that I made and kept through each of those avenues. There are sub-free activites often, and in particular That Saturday Group organizes one every Saturday night. We have a couple frats; none of them are nationally recognized, and one even lets girls in! Basically, there is no party that you won't be allowed into. At Pomona, your student ID is your all-access pass.

Couldn't tell you much about life in the dorms...I've lived off campus since I was a freshman, so I don't attend as many of on-campus events compared to my friends. For fun I go to comedy clubs, host dinner parties, go to restaurants, shop, go to amusement parks, etc with my friends. On campus they have lectures, shows (musical, theatrical, dance, etc), themed parties such as SYR (Screw Your Roommate), Blackout, Foam Party, 80's Party, Grammer School Party, Roller Prom....

There are so many clubs and organizations to get involved in and just about everyone is involved in at least one organization or club. People normally party from Thursday until Saturday night. The school throws most of the parties and they always provide alcohol of some sort. The best parties of the year include Smiley 80s and Harwood Halloween.

The various mentor programs are really popular; my friend is involved with the college's radio station; and I'm in a video club, which actually owns some expensive equipment we can borrow to make films. People are really friendly, most of the time stopping by to chat if their on their way somewhere and your door is open. The theater program is pretty dang awesome, so their multiple productions are well attended, as are the big sporting events. Dating is strangely nonexistant on campus. The thing is, because there's so much on campus, people don't usually "go out," just hang out at things here or in dorm rooms. There are a few, of course, who go to the Village, say, or maybe make a trip to LA; but, in general, it's more constant hooking up than actual dating. Harwood Halloween is probably the biggest campus party and of course happens Halloween weekend every year. Smiley 80's is the second biggest, held in the spring, and quite amusing. (We do like our costume parties.) General partying, of course, happens at least every weekend, and some more questionable people party several times a week. The beauty of these hall parties, though, is that if you know about one or just stumble upon it, you're welcome to join in the festivities. And, as I mentioned before, if you're not into drinking, The Saturday Group almost always has something fun planned (tie-dye, gingerbread houses, a carnival with bounce houses). We do have two frats on campus, but neither is all that important or even ever discussed. Usually certain halls turn into what many people would call a frat, though it's obviously not campus-recognized. Off campus, with a car, anything is possible. It's the LA area, so you mention it, you can do it. For instance, my acting class organized an event (not actually related to the class) where we all went to an amazing gay club in West Hollywood. While only one of us was gay, we all had a blast.

The most active organizations on campus are On the Loose (the outdoors club) and the Pomona Student Union, which puts on debates, talks, and panel discussions. The ASPC's (Associated Students of Pomona College, i.e. student senate) Committee on Campus Life and Activities (CCLA) puts on the vast majority of campus parties and social events. Campus Climate Challenge and other environmental groups are also active on campus. The student farm is also quite popular. There are also a lot of students on campus that serve on faculty-student committees. There is one frat (without a house) and one co-ed frat/sorority (drug heavy) on campus, which is something that I and just about everyone else is very happy about. The most popular events on campus are speakers, school-sponsored parties, schmoozing events (i.e. wine, Trader Joes snacks, good conversation, and good music by a campus band or duo), a cappella and other music performances, and private room parties featuring beer pong, board games, drinking games, movies, and general merriment. Art openings, farm parties and house parties (all specific types of schmoozing events, I suppose) are also popular. Athletic games are sparsely attended, though student athletes don't seem to care much. Unfortunately there aren't a t Though there are a handful of alcoholic events during the week, the vast majority of students only drink in any real quantity on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This said, most students don't drink three nights a week. I'd say drinking one to two nights a week is the norm. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm definitely studying!

A lot of organizations, a lot of events. As a student of color, I've gotten involved with the Pan African Student Association and Associated Students of Color. Great groups if you're looking to find a community of other students of color who yearn to create events and spaces to celebrate their history, culture, and accomplishments, and fight inequality and further social justice. Athletic events are not that popular...our football stadium looks worse than my high school one. But people go to the basketball games and those can be very fun. The dating scene is that, well, there is no dating. You either casually hook up with people or you are in a relationship. There is no in between. Often times women of color will say it's the hardest to find a relationship at Pomona, but I believe you have to make what you want out of it. I am a woman of color and I have had a white boyfriend for the past 2 years, and I've had other options, so it's not all cut and dry as you might hear. But then again, that's been my experience. There are a couple small frats on campus, but in general not that important at all. Most parties are sponsored by student organizations. They card for the horrible beer so that's frustrating at times. And most parties consist of students standing around and drinking. If you like to actually dance, you will have to venture to other campus 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time. Luckily, LA is about 25-30 minutes away. So find someone with a car if you want to widen your social horizons...you tend to do it more in your upperclassman years.

I got asked to rush by a frat, but the frat wasn't really a frat. It was more like boy scouts. We sat in a circle and told stories. I liked it, but I didn't have time to earn their merit badges and do all the other stuff I wanted to, so I chose not to join. I don't know about the other two frats on campus, but this one was quite harmless.

Most groups on campus are political or social groups, followed by intellectual groups and then social clubs. Sports teams also play a role in unifying students. Socialization is encouraged through school hosted events and just general opportunities to join an organization or meet people with similar interests.

A lot of the nightlife focuses on drinking, because there is not a lot else to do, but there are many groups that sponsor non alcohol related activities on the weekends. Clubs are pretty accessible and well funded, and sports teams provide a great way to stay active and form bonds with students across disciplines. PE classes are a fun way to stay active and meet people while learning a whole new sport, and Pomona does a great job of providing a wide spectrum of classes to choose from.

There are three frats, active on campus but generally taken with a grain of salt. They don't have houses. The Sponsor system highly influences social groups for all four years of school. Freshmen are put into sponsor groups, headed by two sophomores and grouped by interests. Actually a great system that really helps ease students into social life in college. There are plenty of non-drinking activities, but attendance is limited unless people show up drunk. It can be frustrating to do things off campus because public transportation is awful and limited students have cars.

Obviously you can find a range of types of people and what they like to do (although most people are quite seriou about their studies during the week). Keep in mind that Claremont is not LA - things happen on campus, or you drive into the city; Claremont doesn't seem to realize it's a college town. With 5 schools to choose from, you can find stuff to do every weekend, though it can get monotonous. In terms of extracurriculars, most people have a couple things that they are very passionate about. I tend to gravitate towards less manic people, who have a variety of interests but don't really go nuts over any one thing - and there are plenty such people at Pomona as well.

I've come to love social life at Pomona, but I didn't always. Freshman year, most people end up hanging out with people in their sponsor group (basically, people they live near). This works great for some, but it didn't for me. My sponsor group was a very weird mix of people that didn't work very well together, and it quickly broke into factions, none of which I liked very much. Because I was dating someone in my sponsor group (avoid this), I didn't branch out and meet other people, and I really regret that. Sophomore year I finally found a great group of friends and started loving my social life. Since then, I've started working harder, playing a lot harder, and actually getting better grades.

People are very involved. Sports are accessible to most students. Students remain on campus most of the time. Students study fairly hard, but certainly make time for leisure. Partying is usually saved for weekends, and most people get involved when the time comes.

Pomona has lots of activities! They pay for all sorts of stuff, like bringing moonbounces to campus and showing movies and bringing cool speakers. It's great. The social life is okay. The parties are pretty monotonous, just a DJ, a keg with some dude checking student IDs, and drunk kids dancing. Lots of kids drink, and sub-free kids are somewhat stigmatized. One of my closest friends is my freshman roommate, the others I met through mutual friends. I met older students playing beach volleyball in the spring. Fraternities and sororities aren't a big deal, which I like. If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night, they have pretty fun activities from 8-11 or 12 which I go to sometimes even if I'm going out drinking afterwards (or before).

Pomona students are very social. If you're not into the regular lively party scence (and there is a decent minority that isn't) there is still no end to the number of social events provided by the administration adn various student groups and any given day. Pomona does not have loners. We do homework together, lie outside together, play sports at every level, get drunk and dance at parties accross the five c's, curl up on twin XL beds to watch movies, play boggle late at night, and simply sit around and talk to eachother constantly. People always leave their doors open. The only frats could be better described as "drinking clubs" that host weekly parties. Dating occurs rarely, most people are either in committed relationships or hooking up often and randomly with a variety of people (with a majority of students falling into the later catagory). There are dance parties virtually every weekend, and the perenial favorites are Simley 80's and Harwood Halloween, where everyone goes all out.

Athletic organizations are quite popular on campus, even though some teams aren't that competitive. There are a ton of organizations of campus and most people are involved in one or two. People leave their doors open and love when people come to visit. We have quite a few great quest speakers. People party Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays... but sadly there aren't too many BIG parties a year. There are a couple great parties and then a lot of beer pong. There are no sororities, but there are a few fraternities - but they don't play a great role in social life on campus. Most people stay on campus for parties on the weekends, yet many people go to LA for concerts and other things.

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).

Pomona is a very social place. Students usually leave their doors open, and it's easy to strike up a conversation with most people. The social scene on weekends is very alcohol centric, so "sub-free" students often find little to do.

There isn't a huge party scene at Pomona, and thankfully we don't have any real fraternities or sororities. Also, since we don't have great sports teams which means there isn't a huge emphasis on going to games, though joining teams is much easier. Since Pomona is part of what is referred to as the 5 Seas, which includes four other colleges, there are a lot of parties going on at other colleges if that is what interests you, but there are also a lot of places to just hangout with friends, like campus cafes, coffeehouses, and lounges. The atmosphere is generally really loose and many people, including myself, feel free to leave our doors open. Pomona also puts a lot of effort into organizing trips and events for the weekends that are cheap or free and often very fun. Trips include LA museums, comedy shows, theme parks, laser tag, and theater performances.

There are all sorts of school sponsored events, including a list of 47 (the special Pomona number) things in LA that every student is recommended to do in order to experience the area fully. A number of campus orgs plan parties and events frequently. Ski-Beach day, Death by Chocolate, Harwood Halloween, Smiley 80's are all big events that most of the school attends. There are no frats or sororities, parties are done either on a group of friends scale or on a large planned event scale. There are parties around most nights of the week if you look, but never in a disruptive manner. And partying is not the only social option around. The entire LA region is around for off-campus trips (Disneyland, Six Flags, the Beach, Chinatown, Hollywood), and people hang out on campus too.

Pomona has parties for anyone who likes to party and non-party activities both during the week and on weekends for anyone who doesn't. The presence of the other four Claremont colleges right there also opens up a huge number of party/friend/activity options all the time. There is certainly a large amount of drinking, but I can say from personal experience (I don't drink) that no one who doesn't drink will ever find themselves without friends or without something to do on a weekend.

Harwood Halloween and Smiley 80's are the biggest Pomona parties of the year. There is usually a big party going on every weekend at at least one of the schools. Harvey Mudd's Foam Party is AMAZING and you should go to it if you can. Death by Chocolate happens at the end of first semester and the school has a big ballroom and fills it with all the candy, chocolates, ice creams, eclairs, etc that you can possibly eat. Sororities don't exist at Pomona (someone donated a TON of money on the grounds that there would never be a sorority) but there is one fraternity and one coed "frorority". They're more like clubs that put on parties and stuff. But I've never felt like Pomona has suffered for it's lack of Greek life. The drug scene exists if you want it to, but it'd not loud and if you don't do drugs you can go all four years without noticing it. But Pomona drug use is generally on the level of pot and shrooms, not heroin. Drinking is WAY bigger than drugs. But you don't have to drink to feel comfortable at the parties and people really don't feel pressured to drink. But unless you are choosing it to make a statement, DO NOT CHOOSE SUBSTANCE-FREE HOUSING! Lots of halls are "low sub" so you'll still fit in and then you avoid the stigma.

People leave their doors open, and there are a sizable amount that leave them unlocked when they are not there. There are a ton of Pomona traditions- you will definitely get fountained on your birthday. Dating scene, not so great. There are a few couples but keep in mind the small school size- you get to know everyone in your social circle and hooking up with friends can be interesting. Lots of one-nighters and awkward seeing the person every day for the rest of your time at school. Fraternities/sororities exist, but that is it. There are a lot of Saturday night groups with non-drinking activities, along with sub-free housing.

I don’t participate in any school-sponsored activies really (I know, I’m horrible) so I can’t really say. However, I have some friends who do sports and extracurriculars and they really enjoy them. Parties are variable here, although I’m not much of a partier so I can’t give you the complete story. In my experience, the major parties on campus are way too hyped and not that fun. White people (who predominantly go to those “major” parties) tend to throw boring parties, while groups like the Cabrones and more “colorful” organizations tend to throw crazy ones. Yeah, I’m generalizing, but it’s a pretty assessment, haha.

Greeks are not a big thing on campus. There are like three frats/froroities (coed), but the people who are in them are in no way defined by that. Parties are mostly put on by the school, which is unusual in that they are awesome and tons of people go. Partly b/c the school serves it's own alcohol. They are really well put together. My favorite is the Halloween dance, Harwood halloween, in a parking garage. IT's crazy, almost everyone from all five colleges attends! Which brings me to another subject -- the 5-C's. There is always sooo much going on becuase there are five colleges all putting on stuff. You will never lack for something to do. Most clubs are 5-C, so you can meet a lot of people that way. I know a bunch of Pitzer people because sports teams are Pomona- Pitzer, and I am on one. One cool 5-C club is OTL, or On-The-Loose. They have website, check it out. They just lead a ton of really cool trips all around, like to lots of national parks, rock climbing, hiking, surfing, skiing, and on and on. Oh, and all for free. REsidential life: Most people live on campus all four years. South Campus is mostly underclassmen, with more traditional hallwayed dorms, north campus is upperclassmen and has more suite-style living. In the hallway dorms, doors are usually open. Oh, how could I forget! Sponsor groups! When you get in, you fill out this extensive housing questionnaire, and POmona carefully groups you with 12-20 other first-years along with two sophomore "Sponsors," and you all live together in the same hall. Sponsors have no jurisdiction over you, they are just their to be your friend and help you acclimate to college. Your sponsor group is like a ready-made group of friends because you are grouped according to compatibility. I, like most people, am still really good friends with many kids from my sponsor group. It's the best thing Pomona does for freshmen - no need to stand around in the dining hall wondering who to sit with on the first day! Also, Orientation Adventure is really fun. It's a four day trip right after you arrive on campus and move in, and you make even more friends. I went canoeing on the Colorado river. Atheltics are not USC-style - Mostly people go to games to support their friends, unless the game is versus CMS, in which case the gym (or pool, track, field) is packed and rowdy. If I were up at 2am on a Tuesday? Hmm, well that doesn't happen very often, i need sleep! But I could be: studying (meaning I had procrastinated - I almost never stay up this late studying), dancing at Table Manners (the weekly dance Tuesday nights), or most likely talking with friends. I'll always remember freshman year staying up til 3 many nights talking, freshman-style, about, for example, sex and gender inequality. Some people never drink. For them, a club called That Saturday Group puts on fun non-alcoholic activities. Other drink five night a week (there is an official event every night of the week except Sunday nights). Most poeple fall in between. Wednesday night is Pub, a fun dance party that lots of people attend. Saturdays are more wild than Fridays. As for dating, everything goes. One-night hook-ups, multi-year relationships, abstinence, whatever.

Pomona is a very social and safe campus. When I moved in as a Freshman is barely ever closed my door. I didn't even feel the need to lock in when I went out. Usually friends would just walk into my room and start playing video games when I wasn't there. The only problem this caused was that I would join in rather than start working when I returned to the room. Athletic events have varying degrees of popularity. Any games against CMS (The cross street rival) will bring a lot of people to the games. Generally, basketball, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball are the most popular sports. However, because the school is a division 3 athletic program, interest in the games for other other sports is somewhat limited. There are no frats or sorrorities, which means that there are very few saturday nights in which people need to go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. However, Pomona does hav a party scene. Every Saturday night there is something to do. There is always some sort of school sponsored party either at Pomona or one of the other campuses. These always serve alcohol, and have the feel of your average college party. However, there is always other stuff to do. Groups put together different events for students who don't want to drink, but still want to have fun with their friends. The best thing about Pomona is that 97{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body lives on campus all four years, and barely anyone leaves for the weekends. This residential community allows everyone to become really close.

Pomona is great with setting up opportunities to get involved with something, whether it be a club, a sport, an organization, etc. Pomona leads numerous trips throughout the year to fun and exciting places and events all around the southern california/ los angeles area, and beyond. Socially, Pomona is a very open campus and it's pretty easy to make friends right away the way things are structured. Freshman year, students are placed in "sponsor groups" which consists of the other students in the hall they are living in, and the sponsor group typically ends up being like a family. Students doors are usually open, and students are typically open and inviting. The party scene is at Pomona is decent, with a chance to go out just about every day of the week. Frat life isn't big on campus, and the few frats that do exist don't have houses or some of the other priviliges that frats on bigger campuses do. The other four colleges also allow for diversity in the party scene with Mckenna, Havey-Mudd, and Pitzer all a short walk away. In terms of frequency, a small number of students might go out four or five times a week, some once or twice, some none at all. There is no pressure in any direction and wherever you fall, there is a group of people similar to you. While many people drink, there is no pressure to and there are lots of alternatives. There is a group that puts on really fun, sober activities every saturday night and even kids that don't drink will go to the dance parties put on by the school. The alcohol policy on the campuses is pretty lax, and if your beverage is in an oblique cup, there is nothing administration or security can do to you. The school even provides kegs at some of the parties.

I met my closest friends in my sponsor group/hall freshmen year as well as from classes. When they're in their rooms, students do keep their doors open. Athletic events are not the more popular events, except when we play CMS (Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps). There are a significant amount of couples on campus, as well as the usual hook-up scene at parties. The are 3 fraternities with a very minimal presence on campus. On a Saturday night, if you're not into drinking, "That Saturday Group" always has a non-alcoholic event planned.