magazette

I think this topic has been touched on before but never wrestled with directly. In my impression, Pomona seems to have a stronger emphasis on the sciences than a lot of other liberal arts schools. I count that as a good thing, but I've also observed less discussion on the humanities side of things. How does the intellectual atmosphere at Pomona compare to that of Brown, Swarthmore, or University of Chicago (all of which are obviously very different). How present are the humanities on campus?

Dad2

Of the schools you listed, Swarthmore (although also very strong in the sciences) is the most highly intellectual, both inside and outside of the classroom. U. of Chicago likely comes in second, but it has been trying in recent years to become a bit more mainstream in its appeal. Pomona is a great school with alot of bright students, but not known for intellectualism.

Sarah1994

Last April, I was deciding between Swarthmore and Pomona, so I can give you my impression of the humanities and intellectualism at the two schools. I didn't look at Brown or Chicago, so I can't comment on them. Swarthmore is an intensely academic, intellectual place. That is what I loved about it. The school overall emphasizes humanities, although there are a sizable number of kids doing sciences. Most swatties end up going into academia, that is really what the place is known for. Pomona seems a bit more balanced, the kids are very smart and dedicated to their studies, and definitely are ambitious, but seem a bit more balanced. Pomona is a bit more balanced, so while the humanities programs are very very good, they also have strong science programs and pre-professional programs. As a point of comparison, when I overnighted at Swarthmore I ended up sitting on a guy's bed talking about world politics, planning majors, the Spanish department etc. until really late. When I overnighted at Pomona, I found myself in a dorm party. One of the guys I talked to had spent a lot of time visiting friends at Swat, and suggested that kids at Pom let their hair down, while kids at Swat have to force it down. When I sat in on classes, they seemed to be matched in terms of rigor and intellectualism. One huge difference is location. Pomona is surrounded by four other fantastic lib arts colleges (Scripps-women's LAS, Pitzer-social justice/eco bent, CMC-very pre-professional, more conservative, and Harvey Mudd-the MIT of the west) and so at Pomona you will take classes at the other colleges, go to their parties, make friends with their students etc. and it is very, very easy to do this. Claremont (the town around Pomona) is small, but has a significant number of really good restaurants, fro-yo places, shops etc. Swarthmore is in a consortium with Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Penn, but you have to drive/take public transport/school shuttle to get there, so scheduling cross-enrollment can be a bit more challenging. The town of Swarthmore is much smaller than Claremont, it is a dry town (although Swarthmore College is NOT dry) and there really isn't much to do, so most people go into Media (a neighboring town) or Philly. Swarthmore students are more intellectual all the time, while Pomona students are intellectual in the classroom and outside of it, but let go of that outside of the classroom. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about the schools more

earlybird1

There are phenomenally bright kids at Pomona, fascinated by and committed to intellectual life, but they would never want to play Swat's misery poker. I would agree that Pomona is more balanced, socially and intellectually. The professors take mentoring extremely seriously and there are plenty of opportunities for students to engage in the "life of the mind," both inside and outside the classroom.

menloparkmom

Pomona students are much like Stanford students[ maybe its the H2O in Calif] , and I think this description describes both student bodies really well: Duck Syndrome- they seem to be floating serenely across the water, but underneath the surface their legs are paddling like crazy.......

whereas Swat and Chicago students seem to celebrate their intellectualism in a more up-front manner.

mimk6

My son was a science major at Pomona but many of his friends were in the humanities and they strike me as highly intellectual people.

70's Grad

My son graduated from Pomona in May and he would highly recommend the school to anyone for which it was appropriate. I am not sure what you mean about intellectual environment though. Does he and other students have opinions and the ability to discuss both the hard and social sciences, politics and the like? Yes. Did he sit around in the dorms discussing such items consistently? No. Fantasy football leagues and the wide variety of beers available might be a discussion topic just like many other colleges. So what I am saying is you will find a well-balanced life on campus. By the way although Harvey-Mudd is a fantastic school Cal Tech is the MIT of the west or Cal Tech fans would say MIT is the Cal Tech of of the east. Best of luck with your quest.

moonchild

I think of Pomona as having students who are "real world" intellectuals. Outside of class, they might be more likely to discuss the ramifications of Citizens United or the latest Supreme Court decisions rather than dissecting the arguments of Kant's moral philosophy. That's not to say that they couldn't write a dynamite paper on Kant for a class- but they may not carry that topic to the dorm party, like they might do with a political or social topic.
Many of my son's Pomona friends are interested in public service in one form or another. That, and scientific research. The business and financial types are few and far between. (They went to CMC.)