Why is Pomona College so highly rated??

alscharr
Fri, 02 Jun 2006 18:39:07 +0000

I’m from right outside Boston. There’s a LAC about every 15 minutes on the highway! The only people I’ve met who know about Pomona when I tell them that that’s where I’m going are people who know someone who went there. I’d say three people have said “oh yea! out in California!” Everyone else looks slightly confused, smiles and asks “Where’s that? Why did you decide to go there?” Would anyone ask me “Why did you decide to go to Harvard?” (actually, for a long time, people asked me why I DIDN’T apply to Harvard. After looking into the school, I wonder why the hell any serious student WOULD). I don’t mind it though. I say “It’s a small liberal arts college.” They say “oh, like Hamilton or Providence college?” I say, “Um, kind of, maybe more like Williams… or Bowdoin?” THEN they get wide eyed and go “oooooo!”

I don’t really like all that attention. People make assumptions about you if they know what school you are going to, even if it is a “good” assumption, like “oh, you’re really smart.” I’ve been ranked 1/300 for two years and I’m really tired of my friends introducing me to strangers as “the valedictorian.” People get caught up on stuff like that. I’d prefer that people get to know me for who I really am. I don’t FEEL like a valedictorian or supersmart or anything like that. I guess I’ll get the name recognition in california, but I’m kind of enjoying the anonymous school name right now.