<p>Brassmonkey, thank you for the lengthy explanation. </p>
<p>In the past, I have often written that the best attribute of the Claremont 5C is the complementary of courses offered at the various schools. One of the reasons is that each one of the schools has developed specialties that exceeds the average of the remaining school. </p>
<p>Inasmuch as Pomona is easily the most recognizable school --and the still the most selective-- among the five colleges and that it offers several programs that are better and more competitive, Pomona cannot claim to be better or even equal to the specialty programs at the remaining four schools. </p>
<p>From my vantage point, this is something that you have some difficulty in accepting when posting statements such as “Yes, CMC has a larger faculty than Pomona for Economics or Government, but that does not mean CMC is a better choice for those two programs.” In so many words, this is an attempt to equate Pomona’s programs that are better than average with CMC’s best programs. </p>
<p>When it comes to making a choice between colleges within the 5C, it is very true that the issue of best fit becomes critical. However, recognizing **correctly **the best programs at each school should play an important role as well.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, I have recommended Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, and especially HMC more than I can recall, and more often that I have recommended CMC.</p>