Columbia or Pomona

golfcashoahu
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:56:54 +0000

@mommyrocks ^That’s probably one of the worst posts I’ve ever read on CC.

“Every American has heard of Columbia, but I hate to inform you that most Americans do not even know about Pomona…there is just no comparison between Columbia and Pomona. If those are your final choices, then go with Columbia.”

True, not many people have heard of Pomona. If you were to go ask 10 random people, 1 would probably know it and another might have a vague idea that Pomona’s in California. But who cares? Employers, graduate schools, etc. (i.e. the people that need to know about Pomona) do, and it’s very well respected. A school (Pomona, not Columbia) doesn’t get ranked #1 on Forbes and #4 on US News & World Report by accident.

(The everyday person you see on the street is unlikely to know, in all reality, of many of these schools. They’ve likely never heard of Pomona or Swarthmore. They’ll think Duke is an athletics school. They’ll think UChicago is a state school.)

“In NYC there is the public transportation you would expect in a city, coming from Shanghai, but if you go to Pomona you will be lost without a car…you will feel isolated there.”

Pretty weak argument here. Don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say they feel “isolated” in California. While Columbia’s environment is more booming and dynamic, that doesn’t diminish the life available at a place like Pomona.

OP: Looking at your schools: Columbia, Pomona, Duke, Swarthmore, UChicago, NYUAD.

Really, if you’ve completed a thorough review and it’s between Pomona and Columbia, I think (if possible) that you should visit both campuses and see where’d you’d fit best. Out of curiosity, why did you eliminate Duke and Swarthmore?