Hi! I’m a high school senior in the process of applying to colleges, and I have lived in a small town in the Midwest for most of my life. I love the Midwest-nice culture (everyone says hi to people, we all hold the door for strangers, everyone’s polite, we smile and laugh a lot). I’m really interested in Pomona as a college, but I’m worried that the California culture will be more cold or walled off than I’m used to or want. Is this assumption accurate? I’ve never been to California, but I’ve heard that many there are full of themselves, rude, and pretty cold to strangers. I know that this is a stereotype, but I’m wondering if it would hold true at Pomona. Thanks!
Pomona has 1700 undergrads, only 27% are from california. Even if what you say is true ( I am not saying it is) it should not matter.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply! I know that places like Bowdoin have a strong reputation of warmth of community, and that is really attractive to me. I appreciate you giving the statistic about percentage of students from California, but I’m more wondering about the culture of the school as a whole. Is it warm, like Bowdoin, or is there less warmth to other students that aren’t close friends?
If that is your real name, I strongly encourage you to change it to something more anonymous. How Do I Change My Username?
You might find this post from current Pomona parent @BentWookie helpful. They might have an update now that their student has finished their first semester. Colleges your child crossed off the list after visiting, schools that moved up on the list. Why? (NO REPLIES) - #7276 by BentWookie
1 Like
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve changed it.
1 Like
Thank you!!! That is extremely helpful, and it eased my fears about the culture there.
1 Like
I’m so glad that you found the post helpful. I was eager for my student to apply to Pomona since they were only applying to SLACs, but they didn’t want to go to school so far away from home. I think it seems like the best of all possible worlds for SLAC+mid-sized university experience in a location with great access to a city, but with lots happening on campus. Good luck!
1 Like
https://www.■■■■■■■■■/colleges/pomona-college/describe-the-students-at-your-school
Here are students at Pomona answering your question in their own words on Unigo
I grew up in southern California, and the stereotype is definitely not rude or “cold to strangers” – that’s more like the Northeast (where I’ve also lived). The stereotype of Californians (if we’re comparing stereotypes, which is problematic) is casual, definitely warm and friendly, but also superficial. Whether the stereotype bears out in real life is another question entirely. And as posters above have pointed out, while Pomona is in SoCal, most students (and faculty, for that matter) aren’t, so like in most other LACs that draw from a national applicant pool, you’ll get a diverse mix. The best way to see if the vibe works for you is to look at sources like Unigo, ask current or recent students, and visit, if possible.
1 Like
Got it, thanks. I didn’t mean to offend if I did, but I wasn’t sure how to ask that question without bringing up negative stereotypes that I’ve heard (which I’m glad to hear are inaccurate).
Exactly! My fingers are crossed.
1 Like
As a former Californian and UCLA grad, I don’t think any of those adjectives fit Californians. California is huge, so there are large cultural distinctions between Northern Californians (handsome, kind geniuses) and Southern Californians (effete dandies) and Central Valley Californians (farmers). You can probably guess where I’m from. 
And, as someone mentioned, Pomona itself is under 30% Californians, although I think the other 5Cs may have somewhat larger proportions.
From what I’ve seen and my daughter has reported after her first year, I’d characterize Pomona students as very diverse (ethnically, socioeconomically, and geographically), laidback, fairly social, politically and socially liberal, and humble. I don’t think there’s much in the way of competition or resume comparing. My daughter reports that many of her peers are excellent musicians (she is not though) and that each dorm’s piano is well used by the students.
Pomona seems to work pretty hard to help students find their people. It has a 8-9 day orientation, including various 3-day orientation trip opportunities. Each student is as assigned an upperclassman sponsor who lives on the same dorm floor and is meant to help their sponsorees socially and academically. They also have a faculty advisor and numerous other support folks. I think most kids at Pomona find their people, but I’m sure there are some that fall through the cracks.
My daughter describes it as “work hard, play hard.” Usually, the “play hard” bit means parties and kegs. While there are certainly parties (many of which occur at other 5C schools), I mean in it in the sense of “social, non-academic time with friends.” My daughter’s friends are her sponsor, friends she made at a foreign language table at the Oldenborg cafeteria, and friends she’s made at Scripps and Mudd, although I think she has CMC and Pitzer friends too. She said that a lot of her friends are from the East Coast, which is weird because she’s from the non-California west coast. She seems to go to LA a couple times a month (one concert but mostly eating and thrifting), has been to the beach a couple times, planned a camping trip to Yosemite but cancelled due to weather, and made a trip to Arizona during fall break. I think she’s been to a couple parties and has also had a couple sessions of Catan in dorm rooms. She has said she wants to do one of Pomona’s sponsored trips to Disneyland, but has thus far signed up too late.
I mentioned the 5Cs and the consortium is probably Pomona’s standout feature (along with location). From what I can tell, there’s a lot of interaction among the schools, both socially and academically. If you really like Pomona, there’s likely another 5C school that could also be a good fit for you. If you identify as female, I’d highly recommend considering Scripps. But each of the 5Cs offers something unique.
Pomona is great, but I don’t want to give the impression that I think it’s better than other schools. My daughter also liked Swarthmore, WashU, Dartmouth, and Bowdoin, all of which have special qualities that make them great.
5 Likes
Thank you so much for your response! That is extremely helpful, and the way that you characterize it makes me even more excited to go if I get in. In terms of campus culture, how stiflingly liberal is it? I’m liberal on nearly every issue, but I don’t want to go to a college where my views aren’t challenged or where challenging the views of others is frowned upon. I have seen a few headlines that referred to students blocking conservative speakers from speaking in campus, which concerns me (though I don’t know the specifics, so I might be mischaracterizing these events). Is this sort of “liberal intolerance” something that is the prevailing view at Pomona? Do people get ostracized for voicing views that stray from the norm? Thanks!
1 Like
And I believe Pomona tries to admit approximately equal numbers from Southern California vs. the rest of California. So only 15% effete dandies.
5 Likes
The vast majority of Pomona students and faculty are liberal. So, per my daughter’s anecdote, there was a collective post-election depression on campus. But at least one of her good friends there is Republican, so there is at least a little representation. I don’t think anyone is likely to attack or ostracize conservative voices, but I think they may find themselves a little lonely. That said, CMC leans left but is definitely more politically moderate. So if you were looking for a more vigorous political dialogue, you could take more courses or join clubs at CMC, which excels in government/polysci. Scripps and Pitzer are also very liberal. That said, I don’t think Pomona is an outlier. I reckon the political climate is likely to be similar at many other LACs like Swarthmore.
2 Likes
Thank you! That’s very helpful.
1 Like
If you would like ideas for your greater college list, this site may be of interest: Friendliest Students | The Princeton Review. Note that CMC and Pitzer appear, which should meliorate your initial concern about California culture.
Thank you! That’s a very interesting list.
1 Like
Hi!
Like @BentWookie, I am a 5C (step)parent, goes to Pitzer. The schools have such a different vibe from one another yet blend well at the same time. (Funny anecdote, look up “5C and Scooby Doo” analogy. the campuses match the cartoon characters pretty spot-on IMO).He lives off campus now, near Pomona, and his roommate has always been a student athlete - which is a joint team with Pomona and Pitzer. SO, from the start he has had a lot of friends from Pomona getting to know kids through athletics. Currently, he takes most classes at CMC and at Pomona but still loves the Pitzer advisor and takes their classes.
I want to echo what has been said, that the campuses are liberal, with CMC being the most moderate. My kid went to college VERY liberal and the climate there has driven him to be more middle of the road. He has experienced some pretty out of touch kids and just wants to scream “hey that’s not how things work, let’s learn about both sides of a topic, can we at least have a dialogue instead of just pontificating” but then he can’t/doesn’t. That said, he has found a lot of people who feel the same way and are listeners, intelligent and thoughtful annd in the end there are varied voices to be found.
Overall, it is a one of a kind place.The whole campus system is incredible, gorgeous, friendly and you can’t go wrong in the city of trees and PhDs. Highly recommend. Good luck! Chirp chirp!
2 Likes