Pomona visit next week

mfl
Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:13:29 +0000

Asderdiva’s advice is good - just sitting on campus and observing the kids gives you a good feel for the place (and makes you want to return to college life). The students are happy, but the classes are seriously challenging. The professors really get to know the students, in and out of class. For a student who enjoys the academic life, there’s not a better place. Even though the work is very challenging, the atmosphere is still fun, not at all stuffy or competitive. The students really support one another. Ask about the sponsor group program and the orientation adventures – they help students get settled in. The college really promotes a sense of community. Ask about snacks at night: four or five nights a week at around 10, the students break from studying and go to the main cafeteria for snacks and conversation (included in tuition, so no extra charge). Also, as a parent, I can tell you that they take great care of the kids, giving them freedom but also great support. Email me if you have specific questions about my son’s experience. He could not be happier.
If you don’t know the history of Pomona and how it was developed on the Oxford model, ask about that; it helps explain the whole consortium concept.
Also, son visited Rice, which is a totally different kind of school and culture. If the culture of living on campus is important to your son, note that Rice doesn’t have sufficient dorm rooms to accomodate all students for four years. Rice is obviously a great school, but very different from Pomona; after visiting, son would not apply. It just wasn’t what he wanted. (If your son is interested in Rice for math/sciences, you may want to visit Harvey Mudd when you visit Pomona. Pomona is strong in all areas, but math/science is Mudd’s specialty.)