Pomona to go permanently test-optional
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Anonymous
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https://www.pomona.edu/news/2023/11/15-pomona-college-makes-test-optional-admissions-policy-permanent
Alumni have mixed reactions- some very happy about this, some very disappointed. |
Anonymous
It’s probably in response to UC and CA state system going test blind. Too many CA teens don’t bother testing. |
Anonymous
| I am surprised by this as they are not a school that pulls from CA as their main applicant group unlike UCs. Also they take a number of private school kids who would be expected to still submit tests correct? |
Anonymous
| Lots of LACs were already test optional before Covid. If you look at common data sets, it’s kind of wild how many kids don’t submit at good LACs - more more than good national universities. According to CDS, only 53% submitted SAT/ACT at Pomona and that’s if nobody submitted both. |
Anonymous
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No surprised - they have more than enough perfect GPA/test score kids to choose from....and from our school - they rejected those kids and accepted others with lower stats.
It's such a small school that once they create a pile of qualified students - they are more focused on looking for other characteristics to build a diverse and interesting class. |
Anonymous
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Odd that this fact was inserted. May be irrelevant because a matter like this is usually a President/Board/Admissions decision, not faculty: "Pomona faculty voted earlier this month in support of making this policy permanent. "
Watch, in two years they will switch back like some east coast schools are doing |
Anonymous
| Of course. The schools that like tests have moderate demand and moderate prices (Purdue, Bama) or high demand and high prices (MIT, CalTech). Moderate demand + high price = test optional, starting way before COVID with Bates and Chicago. Pomona definitely falls into that category. I would expect all ED schools to stay TO. |
Anonymous
Cal tech is test blind |
Anonymous
DP but Caltech is an anomaly that it’s test blind. If you look at its admissions site it very clearly states they expect you to take the hardest STEM classes your school offers and it seems like they encourage to go above and beyond if feasible. Outside of first gen students, I don’t think they’re accepting anyone who has just done Calc AB. |
Anonymous
Don’t disagree, but at least kids can spend their time on those efforts vs prepping for standardized tests. Just pointing out the error in PP argument. |
Anonymous
Pomona’s acceptance is 7% which may be a little above MIT’s but is hardly moderate. Given its niche as a top tier LAC in SoCal within the Claremont college consortium I think it’s reasonable to assume they will high demand going forward. Furthermore it doesn’t even make sense that whether a high demand school “liked tests” depends on whether it is high priced or moderate priced— if they are high demand at their price point they can do what they want. |
Anonymous
Correct and if you look at their website they say openly they only want Math kids, kids who have won Olympiads. In the essay questions they literally start with "how many olympiads have you won" type questions. |
Anonymous
Except that Pomona is not moderate demand.... |
Anonymous
| Makes complete sense. UCs and Cal State system and Caltech are all test blind. Not even optional, but blind. They won't accept scores. I have friends in CA who say that no one takes ACT or SAT any more. Any east coast or Midwest college that brings back a requirement will see applications dry up, especially from CA. And let's face it, there aren't many families with kids left in New England. I'm guessing more colleges will go test blind to make clear to applicants that they truly won't be at a disadvantage by not sending in scores. |
Anonymous
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It's an interesting shift. Ten to fifteen years ago, Pomona required SATs at an absurdly high level. They were consistently in the top 10 among all schools for highest enrolled student SAT, higher than Stanford and half of the Ivies. About 5 years ago, they weighted them less heavily with entering SAT scores expectations hitting around the top 30 institutions (but well below the top 10). Now they've decided to go test optional completely.
Swarthmore, Amherst, and Williams are only test optional until 2025. |