Hello, I am a senior who has enrolled at Bowdoin and just got off the waitlist for Pomona. I’m from around DC and was wondering if anyone had any advice.
I’m looking at Pre-law/PPE/general humanities as an area of study
I’m not what some people would call a “go-getter” or a “door-knocker,” I’d really like a smooth transition from a small private school to a school with more resources so that I make best use of them. If anyone knows anything about the advisory systems for research and internships and general career advice im all ears
I’d really like a normal student body, to put it bluntly. There’s a stereotype of LAC’s attracting a quirky crowd, and I’d like to be in a position where I can find a group of people that aren’t really “weird”. I’d be able to walk on for football at either college, so this might not be a problem
I’d like to be able to party, at least a little bit, was wondering which college had more options.
Thanks so much to whoever replies, stressing myself out just thinking about it, if I forgot any information let me know
The Claremont Consortium will have a wider range of options, in terms of sub-communities and “vibes.” There are simply more students altogether, plus there are more partitions that you can cross, to find different options. For example, you can attend parties on any of the five campuses, but you’ll find a different “flavor” of party scene at CMC vs. Pomona vs. Pitzer, vs. Mudd vs. Scripps. The football team will be a mix of Pomona and Pitzer students, and you’ll meet students from all of the campuses in your classes.
I don’t think of either Pomona or Bowdoin as being overly “quirky,” and I don’t doubt that you can find plenty of mainstream friends at either school, even leaving aside the broader consortium community at the 5C’s.
Pomona does have a formal PPE major, and I don’t believe Bowdoin does, so that could be a factor if that’s important to you. Of course, all of the elements of PPE are there for the taking, but it can be nice to have an interdisciplinary cohort. I know that the CMC version of PPE is quite self-contained; Pomona’s version seems to be more of a “take x number of courses from each discipline” kind of thing, so I’m not sure how cohesive the student cohort in the major is or isn’t - that could be something to ask about. If you’re just checking off requirements, I’m sure you could assemble something similar at Bowdoin.
As an academic aspect to consider, Pomona is among the relatively few LACs to offer a defined program in public policy, which relies on the fields of political science, economics and philosophy for its foundation:
I’ve visited Bowdoin and absolutely loved it, I haven’t been able to visit Pomona because I got accepted yesterday and a) I have AP tests Monday and Tuesday and b) I’ve heard people have already left the Pomona campus because graduation just happened.
I was wondering if you knew anything about the support system in place to help students make the most of resources available—maybe an advisory system? I’m worried I’m going to end up going to class, going to practice, going to sleep x100, and I don’t think it will happen necessarily but I’m not used to an environment where I really have to go out and make things happen.
I totally agree—however the people I’ve talked to that know Pomona and are from the west coast treat an acceptance to Pomona like a winning lottery ticket. Of course this isn’t scientific at all, I just feel silly throwing away an opportunity like Pomona away because I didn’t get a chance to visit a place I might have fallen in love with.
Both schools are excellent for your major and overall so you can’t go wrong. I would hesitate to choose Pomona without seeing it, especially since you loved Bowdoin when you visited. Congrats on both acceptances!
This is said often about colleges in Pomona’s range of selectivity. In this analysis, for example, Pomona placed as the 16th most selective school in the country, as well as the 3rd most selective west of the Mississippi:
Note, however, that Bowdoin was not included in the analysis.
Pomona - acceptance rate around 7%, Bowdoin, acceptance rate around 9%. So both lottery tickets. Both are top Liberal Arts Colleges, both have amazing opportunities, and each is in beautiful, albeit very different, settings.
They are the same in regards to prestige, and have the same top education. The only two things that you really need to consider are fit and availability of major. Fit seems to be good for Bowdoin, but Pomona seems to have better match for what you are thinking of for major. Could you visit Pomona before you need to decide?
Congratulations, BTW, these are not lottery tickets - you earned them. Very Very few applicants are taken off the waiting list for Pomona, which means that you missed being accepted by a hair.
100%! Lottery ticket outcomes are based on randomness and luck. Your acceptances to two highly selective schools is reflective of your hard work and uniqueness resonating with AOs who review thousands of applications. The opposite of a lottery ticket in many ways.
I wouldn’t hesitate to attend Bowdoin where IMO the student body is primarily mainstream. Bowdoin’s acceptance rate for class of 2028 was 7% so no meaningful difference there. Bowdoin’s yield rate does historically tend to be higher than Pomona’s (e.g., class of 2027 Bowdoin 57%, Pomona 50%)…suggesting Bowdoin is the first choice for a higher proportion of accepted applicants.
At both schools you will have to make things happen re: intern/career opportunities. Neither career center is going to do the heavy lifting for you. I can speak directly to Bowdoin’s alum network which is strong and always receptive to networking with current students (my D was an athlete who attended and graduated last year.)
There will be plenty of parties at Bowdoin, but primarily during the weekend…students generally aren’t going out/drinking M-Th nights. By joining the football team at either school you would have a group of friends right away which will make your transition easier.
If you want to end up on the east coast for school/career wise, Bowdoin likely makes more sense. But I don’t think you can go wrong with Pomona either if you want to experience living in California. Not being able to visit is a distinct disadvantage though, IME students either like the vibe out there or don’t. It is different than Bowdoin’s east coast/mainstream vibe, again IME.
This is a great choice/problem to have! Couple of thoughts in no particular order:
I agree with above comments that if you think you may end up on the east coast in the future, Bowdoin is possibly a better choice. Not because of name recognition, but because people tend to settle closer to where they went to college, so you’ll have a stronger alumni network with Bowdoin which is especially important in public policy/law etc. However, if you think you may want to head west and possibly stay there, then Pomona would clearly be the better choice
Worth visiting if you can after your APs even if students are gone. I’m sure if you ask admissions for an extra couple of days given the circumstances they’d say ok. I know it’s hard to hustle a west coast trip on short notice, but this is important and worth it imo. See if you can get connected with a member of the football team even if just by phone/text.
Related to #2, being an east coaster and attending college on the west coast is a pain in the butt sometimes (speaking from my own experience). You have to fly (obviously) which means moving there and moving back (if you come back for summers) involves dealing with all your stuff (putting it in storage, shipping it home?), also if you have a car you have to drive it back and forth (which can be really fun, or really boring depending). Even little things, like calling/texting home are a little more difficult when you’re 3 hours behind (unless your parents like receiving calls at midnight
California really is quite different and spending 4 years in the warmth and sunshine was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. It is a big change and it will feel more like you’re separated from your parents. For me that was great. I gained a ton of independence. I’m not sure I’d be willing to take that risk though without a visit.
I’ll add to the chorus of people saying Bowdoin and Pomona are peers, one is not a materially better opportunity than the other.
I think on paper there is some possible benefit to consortium system, but in your case, it seems to me like you are really a great fit for Bowdoin. Like, you sound like exactly the sorts of kids I know of who go to Bowdoin.
There will definitely be plenty of resources, but peers also tend to push each other a bit. I’d just start by getting involved in some different activities where you meet people across multiple class years–football is great for that, but maybe another thing or two if possible. Then just chat with them about stuff.
Congrats on two amazing choices - these are two of my favorite LACs. Students at both seem really happy with their experiences. I think for pre-law, poli sci, economics either is a great choice. You may have more course choices at Pomona given that it is part of the Claremont consortium, but I’d recommend looking through the course catalogs to see if one calls to you more. Also, I think you’ll find your people at either, though as some have said, there are just going to be more students at the 5Cs in general, so take this into account (as a plus, or possibly a minus if you want a smaller environment, though Pomona itself is small so its kind of the best of both). To me the biggest difference is the location - small town in Maine or, or outer suburb of LA. Each has benefits and drawbacks. Sports might be a little more competitive at Bowdoin, since it is a NESCAC and I get the feeling that the SCIAC is a more laid-back conference, so that may affect walk-on prospects, but I’d do more digging about that if you’re really going to factor it into a decision. Good thing is you can’t make a wrong decision here!
Hi! It’s an unrelated question but the chance of seeing another Pomona WL is so slim. I was wondering when they would start pulling people off the waitlist till I saw your post. May I ask what major you applied as and did the admissions office give you a deadline on replying to the waitlist decision? Thank you so much.
If you’re from DC, I would think Bowdoin would be hard to pass up, especially if you eventually want to work/live on the East coast. It’s well known, part of the Colby, Bates, Bowdoin consortium and the NESCAC league (so you network among the 10 NESCAC colleges – great rivalries!), and is in a very nice town that has Amtrak and the nearby Portland airport. I’m in CA now but went to college in New England, and the flights back and forth can be tiring – if you haven’t visited Pomona then I’m not sure why you would switch, unless you really want the California experience and weather? Bowdoin is definitely “known” on the East Coast – I had not heard of Pomona growing up in New England (but it’s well regarded in CA of course). Both have about the same acceptance rate, so both are considered highly selective/equally prestigious in academic circles. In terms of student body, Bowdoin seems more mainstream (but you can check the Instagram groups and read profiles if available – or try connecting with current students). Good luck with the decision! Amazing to have these two choices.
Yeah for sure. I applied as a Hispanic Studies/Econ Major. I got the news on May 10 and they gave me four days from the date I received my acceptance to reply.
