Pomona College Admission
Pomona College Undergraduate Program
Pomona College Application

The Facts

Pomona College is a small, private liberal arts college located in the town of Claremont, California, and is home to over 1,550 undergraduate students. The school is actually a part of the larger Claremont College Consortium, and Pomona often shares various resources with the other colleges in the group. Pomona offers its students a terrific liberal arts education that rivals that of the traditional East Coast liberal arts schools. Pomona offers its students over 42 majors among several areas including programs in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and fine arts. None of the majors are preprofessional; however, they give students a solid base with which to pursue a specific career in the future. Some of the most popular majors at Pomona include biology, economics, politics, English, and psychology.

Admission to Pomona College is extremely competitive, and many California students are drawn to apply. Last year, over 4,540 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 970 of those students were accepted; of those, about 400 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1390 to an impressive 1520, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 29 to 33. Additionally, over 91% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.9.

Pomona College has a terrific student to faculty ratio of 9:1, and it is rare to find a class with more than 14 students. The professors at Pomona are often leading luminaries and researchers in their respective fields, and students give the majority of their teachers very high marks when it comes to accessibility and willingness to give assistance. The core curriculum at Pomona is particularly intense, and includes courses in English, foreign language, writing and speaking skills, all culminating in all-encompassing senior thesis project. Pomona also offers a great study abroad program with partnerships in countries as varied as Spain, Ghana, and France.

The Social Scene

The town of Claremont is located in sunny Southern California, so the steady warm climate is a big draw for many students. However, the town itself doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment, but have no fear, the city of Los Angeles is only about a half an hour away by car (which most students own). The Pomona campus itself is quite beautiful, and filled with palm trees and plenty of Spanish-style architecture. Unfortunately, the beach is about 45 minutes away, but it is a popular weekend destination for those students with cars.

There are several national fraternities at Pomona, and they throw some pretty rowdy parties on campus that are very popular with students. Drinking and partying are definitely the favored modes of social interaction, and many students complain that it feels like high school all over again.

The dating scene is pretty homogenous but hot; expect lots of blond California girls and tanned Abercrombie-clad jocks.

What’s Good

“The classes here are incredibly small, and you never feel anonymous. The teachers really seem to care about your progress.”

“The campus is gorgeous, and you can hang out by a palm-surrounded fountain in between classes. It’s like a little vacation.”

“The study abroad program is incredible, and the school makes it really easy for you to fulfill all your required credits while you’re there.”

What’s Bad

“The student body is all the same; blond, tanned, and usually really wealthy. It would be nice to have some people that stand out from the crowd sometimes.”

“The administration is just covered with red tape, and it’s kind of impossible to speak with a human being, especially when it comes to financial aid.”

“It takes forever to complete the core curriculum, and you don’t really start focusing on your major until junior year, at least.”

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