gettinready14

Hey,

So I'm really stoked to go to Pomona and i'm not second guessing myself or anything... it's just frustrating that the vast majority of the people where i'm from (NY suburbs) either haven't heard of pomona (maybe 80%) or don't think it's that amazing (10%). Out of curiosity and so I can satiate that 90% that thinks i'm going to a community college, where did some of y'all turn down to go to pomona?

Thanks.

RBallard14

i haven't gotten into Pomona yet, but i think that I would definitely turn down Georgetown (where I'm in) to go to Pomona.

washableglue

I haven't gotten in either, but I would choose Pomona over every other college on the west coast except maybe Stanford.

mariw

My son was accepted ED to Pomona, also from the NY metropolitan area, and we've found the same thing to be true. When people hear "Pomona", confusion overtakes them. No one has heard of it. They either feel sorry for you, or think you've made a weird decision. It surprises me. The college process is so competitive around here, it's like a contact sport. I would have expected people to have the rankings committed to memory. To answer your question, my son would have chosen Pomona over every other school, including those ranked above it. The learning/living environment at Pomona is simply amazing, and you've chosen wisely.

midatl_dd

Mariw - I can relate. We're down in Maryland and my daughter was also accepted to Pomona ED. I don't think it's as intense here as it is in New York, but people are still pretty serious about college admissions. There's this weird disconnect – you work hard and pray that your kid will get in to this highly competitive school. Then when she does, no one you mention it to has a clue.

Not that it matters. This was her first choice school. There is definitely not a another school regardless of ranking that she preferred.

fuzzypanda

I'm a current freshman at Pomona who turned down enrollment at Duke, William and Mary, TCNJ, BC, as well as recruitment offers from Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Brown. It has been nearly a year since I made that decision and I can honestly say, after looking back on my first semester, that any doubts you have about Pomona being amazing will be wiped away after a couple weeks there.

collegehopeful78

Why does Pomona have a repuatation for being the Stanford reject school? Even my Pomona interviewer was rejected from stanford and said it was his first choice.

cbreeze

There's also another side to this story which doesn't get mentioned. A friend's son rejected Stanford to attend Pomona. He has absolutely no regrets. I am sure there are many more similar stories.

A.S.A.P.

Stanford, like Harvard, Princeton and Yale, are large research universities with worldwide reputations. Pomona, like Amherst, Williams and other top LACs will always "suffer" in the name recognition battle against the bigger schools. If that kind of name recognition is very important to you, then maybe Pomona (or any of the LACs) may not be your best match.

My son is a Pomona sophomore. People often confuse Cal Poly Pomona with Pomona College, even here in California. It doesn't bother him at all. He realizes that not everyone is a college prestige junkie! Also, he has seen the reactions of people when they hear where his sister went for her undergrad, and he's glad he doesn't have to deal with that kind of pressure, or deal with some of the negative stereotypes that go along with a more famous college.
And when people HAVE heard of it, the reactions are always extremely positive. "Oh wow, that's a great school! " is the usual reaction. That's IF they have heard of it.

I will add this. When you get to Pomona, you will be amazed at the calibur of students in your class. Any of them would have managed just fine at the big name universities.

catsushi

I've noticed that anyone who is a good student has heard of Pomona. I don't mean this in an elitist way, but I mean that Pomona always comes up on the list of possible college choices for those aiming high, while others may consider applying to the general schools.

I applied to Brown U, but I would turn it down for Pomona. I would even turn own good ol' Harvard! :P

brassmonkey

We had transfers this year from Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, and other top schools.

It seems like a lot of people choose between Pomona and Brown or Pomona and Williams. I turned down Williams, but I'm far from unique in that choice.

tetrisfan

Yeah, Pomona and Brown seem to have a lot of cross admits - what are the similarities/differences between the two?

midatl_dd

I see Brown and Pomona as pretty different. I'd be curious to hear other responses. To me, Pomona is one of those schools where students work really hard – like Williams and Swarthmore. Brown is the "laid-back Ivy." I don't associate Brown with hard work.

tetrisfan

According to the students on CC, Brown does force one to work hard - it ain't all fun and games there!

chikadee

If I do indeed get in ED II, I will be turning down the University of Chicago.