Pomona or Johns Hopkins

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those ill-informed saying Pomona is more selective. Check out the SAT test scores:

Hopkins enrolled: 1460 - 1580 (URM Diversity: 6% Black, 14% Latino)
ACT: 33-35

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/johns-hopkins-university

Pomona: 1330 - 1510 (URM Diversity: 9% Black, 16% Latino)
ACT: 30 - 34

Pomona acceptance rate is 8% versus JHU at 11% . Pomona is also gaming the hell out of the system with Early Decision I and II to get whatever leftovers they can.

I'm a former Hopkins grad who has lived in Socal (Orange County). Would not recommend Pomona at all. If you're interested in grad school, don't sell yourself short - especially in STEM. You will not as respected in engineering coming out of Pomona versus a top tier engineering school like Hopkins - period. Humanities is a different matter.

Hi, can you share why "you would not recommend Pomona at all" for STEM? Pomona ranks 12th in the country for producing STEM PhDs per capita, while JHU is 31st (according to NSF data). A much higher percent of Pomona students have won the top science undergrad distinctions like the NSF, Churchill, Goldwater, Beckman Scholar, etc. (in many cases, Pomona actually has more winners in total than JHU). A study by Nature says that Johns Hopkins has 49 alumni represented in the national academies of sciences, while Pomona has 11; given that Pomona has 1600 students and Hopkins has 20000, that means Pomona is outperforming JHU by 3. Both schools are listed as the top 25 schools for contributing to the sciences.

Pomona and the other top SLACs are excellent for a STEM education. Those interested in engineering could do a 3-2 with Caltech from Pomona, though I agree it doesn't make much sense to pick a school for a department it doesn't have. CS, biology, chemistry, physics, math, geology? Pomona is phenomenal. I actually know a chem student in the Class of 2015 who turned down MIT, Yale, and Stanford to pick Pomona. She killed it there, got a Churchill, and then went onto Stanford for her PhD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those ill-informed saying Pomona is more selective. Check out the SAT test scores:

Hopkins enrolled: 1460 - 1580 (URM Diversity: 6% Black, 14% Latino)
ACT: 33-35

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/johns-hopkins-university

Pomona: 1330 - 1510 (URM Diversity: 9% Black, 16% Latino)
ACT: 30 - 34

Pomona acceptance rate is 8% versus JHU at 11% . Pomona is also gaming the hell out of the system with Early Decision I and II to get whatever leftovers they can.

I'm a former Hopkins grad who has lived in Socal (Orange County). Would not recommend Pomona at all. If you're interested in grad school, don't sell yourself short - especially in STEM. You will not as respected in engineering coming out of Pomona versus a top tier engineering school like Hopkins - period. Humanities is a different matter.

No way are those numbers accurate. Pomona's own data (https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/cds-2017-2018.pdf) says 1370-1530, which is almost the same as Stanford (1390-1540- https://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/pdf/stanford_cds_2017.pdf). JHU is definitely exaggerating their numbers or reporting admitted student numbers when they're supposed to report enrolled data, or they're taking anyone one and everyone with high testing to game rankings like Vanderbilt. Pomona is also far more socioeconomically diverse than JHU, with a higher chunk of first gen/low income students than them, hence lower testing. Unhooked applicant? You can bet that you need a 1500+ to get in, not a 1370, and that Pomona is more holistic about whom it takes.

JHU has an ED process too. They fill some 42-45% of their class with them, while Pomona fills around 50% through both. Hardly any different. If anything, Pomona needs ED more as a total percent of the pool given their small size and need to fill athletic teams. Separating out regular decision yields only, Pomona is at 37% while JHU is at 30%.

Sorry to break it to you, but yes Pomona is more competitive. Accepting anyone with high testing on a whim doesn't make you more selective, or do you want to say JHU is more selective than Stanford also?

Sorry to blow your bubble - but nobody knows Pomona outside Pomona. If you think this is irrelevant, you checkout CC where unemployed or underemployed Pomona students complain about the name recognition. Everyone knows JHU.

[Anonymous]

What's CC? Community college?

Last I checked on this thread (based in D.C), most people recommended Pomona over Johns Hopkins and I'm sure almost none of them have an actual connection to the school.

[Anonymous]

Stanford (I went to GSB there) has more DI athletes where they can bend the rules, so it's hardly apples to apples with regards to test scores. Sorry to break it to you, but Pomona is not competing regularly against the likes of JHU and other top privates for candidates you dimwit. It's winning more against other LACs with a weaker candidate pool.

So no way Pomona's own literature is wrong right?

https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/pomona-college-admissions-profile.pdf

Are the admins as dumb as the students?

You can blame themselves for the CDS discrepancy.

As for JHU, it has higher ranked students versus Vandy, and does not do ED II which Vandy and Pomona both do.

If you go look at the more recent JHU's CDS, it is inline with reported stats. SAT has been around 1400 to 1560 (before recentering) for the past 3 years now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's CC? Community college?

Last I checked on this thread (based in D.C), most people recommended Pomona over Johns Hopkins and I'm sure almost none of them have an actual connection to the school.

https://www.pomona.edu/administration/career-development/where-grads-go

According to that, 35% of pomona grads are pre-homeless. Sounds about right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's CC? Community college?

Last I checked on this thread (based in D.C), most people recommended Pomona over Johns Hopkins and I'm sure almost none of them have an actual connection to the school.

College Confidential. You'll hear actual Pomona students complaining about the school recognition. No recognition outside 15 miles out.

[Anonymous]

If there's a college system that knows about fudging USNews stats, it's the Claremont College consortium. They did it the old fashion way - they fudged the numbers they submitted to USNews.

[Anonymous]

What are your sour grapes with Pomona? I'm curious, did someone from there hurt you or kill a family member?

You sound extremely insecure and bitter. Take a deep breath and say to yourself- it's okay if some anonymous rando on the internet says Pomona is more selective. Whether or not that is the truth is of no concern to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are your sour grapes with Pomona? I'm curious, did someone from there hurt you or kill a family member?

You sound extremely insecure and bitter. Take a deep breath and say to yourself- it's okay if some anonymous rando on the internet says Pomona is more selective. Whether or not that is the truth is of no concern to me.

If we can save one soul from having to become mentally disabled, all the merrier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are your sour grapes with Pomona? I'm curious, did someone from there hurt you or kill a family member?

You sound extremely insecure and bitter. Take a deep breath and say to yourself- it's okay if some anonymous rando on the internet says Pomona is more selective. Whether or not that is the truth is of no concern to me.

If we can save one soul from having to become mentally disabled, all the merrier

Oh, and all the mentally challenged students who end up at Pomona, 22%. Either you'll become one of them - or you'll learn how to game the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stanford (I went to GSB there) has more DI athletes where they can bend the rules, so it's hardly apples to apples with regards to test scores. Sorry to break it to you, but Pomona is not competing regularly against the likes of JHU and other top privates for candidates you dimwit. It's winning more against other LACs with a weaker candidate pool.

So no way Pomona's own literature is wrong right?

https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/pomona-college-admissions-profile.pdf

Are the admins as dumb as the students?

You can blame themselves for the CDS discrepancy.

As for JHU, it has higher ranked students versus Vandy, and does not do ED II which Vandy and Pomona both do.

If you go look at the more recent JHU's CDS, it is inline with reported stats. SAT has been around 1400 to 1560 (before recentering) for the past 3 years now.

I'm a guidance counselor who advises several students who are considering Pomona. They usually apply alongside the top Ivies, top 20s, Stanford, Berkeley, etc. In my experience, half of the admits end up picking Pomona, and the other half almost always goes to HYPS (Yale and Stanford I've seen a TON). Other top 20 schools are a wash and most of the admits who pick Pomona do turn down at least one other top 20 university (especially Rice, Vanderbilt, and WashU).

Haven't seen many who apply to both Pomona and JHU, but according to one source, Parchment, the percent picking either is flat at 50%.

You can play around with the numbers with Pomona and other schools. HYPS is around 80/20 in favor of the former. UPenn/Columbia/UChicago/Georgetown are at 45-60%. Duke/Brown/Dartmouth is at 36-40% picking Pomona. WashU/Northwestern/Cornell/Rice/Vanderbilt/UVA are 64-77% picking Pomona. USC/UCLA/Berkeley is 80%+ picking Pomona. The top SLACs like Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore all range from 50-56% picking Pomona.

The only school that seems to reliably be picked by applicants over Pomona is HYPS. That'd be true for all the other non-HYPS top private schools as well. Is what you mentioned true? I don't think so, not from my experience at least.

Also, Pomona is big on its commitment to diversity. They have one of the highest percent of first-gen/low income students of any elite school, a super high URM percent, and they actively draw from Posse (non-traditional students)/QuestBridge. Some 30% of their class is D3 athlete recruited in ED. All are groups which don't test as highly. I always tell my students not to take the entering stats at face value- the students at the bottom 50% are largely hooked students. You need to have high grades to get in no matter whom you are.

Another source seems to suggest that Pomona may have upped the ante in looking for high testing students this year: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2018/03/16-introducing-pomona-college-class-2022

Ninety-five percent of those who attend high schools that rank are in the top decile. The median SAT scores are 735 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 760 for math. The median ACT score is 34.

Compare to 2021: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2017/03/17-pomona-college-receives-record-breaking-number-applications-class-2021

From high schools that rank, 92.3 percent of admitted students are in the top decile of their class. Median SAT scores are 730 critical reading, 740 math and 730 writing. The median ACT is 33.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford (I went to GSB there) has more DI athletes where they can bend the rules, so it's hardly apples to apples with regards to test scores. Sorry to break it to you, but Pomona is not competing regularly against the likes of JHU and other top privates for candidates you dimwit. It's winning more against other LACs with a weaker candidate pool.

So no way Pomona's own literature is wrong right?

https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/pomona-college-admissions-profile.pdf

Are the admins as dumb as the students?

You can blame themselves for the CDS discrepancy.

As for JHU, it has higher ranked students versus Vandy, and does not do ED II which Vandy and Pomona both do.

If you go look at the more recent JHU's CDS, it is inline with reported stats. SAT has been around 1400 to 1560 (before recentering) for the past 3 years now.

I'm a guidance counselor who advises several students who are considering Pomona. They usually apply alongside the top Ivies, top 20s, Stanford, Berkeley, etc. In my experience, half of the admits end up picking Pomona, and the other half almost always goes to HYPS (Yale and Stanford I've seen a TON). Other top 20 schools are a wash and most of the admits who pick Pomona do turn down at least one other top 20 university (especially Rice, Vanderbilt, and WashU).

Haven't seen many who apply to both Pomona and JHU, but according to one source, Parchment, the percent picking either is flat at 50%.

You can play around with the numbers with Pomona and other schools. HYPS is around 80/20 in favor of the former. UPenn/Columbia/UChicago/Georgetown are at 45-60%. Duke/Brown/Dartmouth is at 36-40% picking Pomona. WashU/Northwestern/Cornell/Rice/Vanderbilt/UVA are 64-77% picking Pomona. USC/UCLA/Berkeley is 80%+ picking Pomona. The top SLACs like Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore all range from 50-56% picking Pomona.

The only school that seems to reliably be picked by applicants over Pomona is HYPS. That'd be true for all the other non-HYPS top private schools as well. Is what you mentioned true? I don't think so, not from my experience at least.

Also, Pomona is big on its commitment to diversity. They have one of the highest percent of first-gen/low income students of any elite school, a super high URM percent, and they actively draw from Posse (non-traditional students)/QuestBridge. Some 30% of their class is D3 athlete recruited in ED. All are groups which don't test as highly. I always tell my students not to take the entering stats at face value- the students at the bottom 50% are largely hooked students. You need to have high grades to get in no matter whom you are.

Another source seems to suggest that Pomona may have upped the ante in looking for high testing students this year: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2018/03/16-introducing-pomona-college-class-2022

Ninety-five percent of those who attend high schools that rank are in the top decile. The median SAT scores are 735 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 760 for math. The median ACT score is 34.

Compare to 2021: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2017/03/17-pomona-college-receives-record-breaking-number-applications-class-2021

From high schools that rank, 92.3 percent of admitted students are in the top decile of their class. Median SAT scores are 730 critical reading, 740 math and 730 writing. The median ACT is 33.

Blah blah blah. Here are some more real stats:

https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/annual_report.pdf?gid=2&pgid=61&sessionid=16b7ff1c-d40f-4939-b4d0-f3269ff924d2&cc=1

Pomona enrolled a staggering 5 national merit scholar winners in its entire freshman class. These are usually students that actually had a choice in terms of ivies.

Williams enrolled 20.

Harvard enrolled 319
Yale enrolled 156
Princeton enrolled 123
Stanford enrolled 168
Hopkins enrolled 45

Go ahead and control for class size. It is still pitiful. Pomona does not compete at all

[Anonymous]

??? Your link says 11 from Pomona, not 5.

Pomona = 11/411 = 2.7%
Johns Hopkins = 45/1349 = 3.3%

I don't consider that especially different. If anything, your point extends to JHU as underperforming as well.

[Anonymous]

Baltimore is not a particularly safe city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore is not a particularly safe city.

Not sure if Pomona is in it's namesake, the city of Pomona, but their horrendous crime rate spills over to crimes on campus. Just check out the rape culture in Pomona College. Good luck with that.