Pomona v Tufts

[Anonymous]

Student admitted to several schools but after recent RD admissions to these two accompanied by generous financial aid packages, they have risen to the top. For sake of discussion, both will allow student to graduate debt free. Student is male, high stats (4.0 uw, 10+ APs, 1580) URM from a public option in DC. Intends to pursue biology on a research not necessarily pre-med track. Has not been to Pomona but the school has offered to fly him out for admitted students event. Benefits of the 5CC are attractive obviously but being on the west coast is not ideal. Research opportunities (at least for now) may be more abundant at Tufts. However unlikely, curious to hear from others who considered both schools.

[Anonymous]

Pomona hands down. For the weather alone.

[Anonymous]

Pomona, attending accepted student day should make it clear.

https://www.pomona.edu/academics/departments/biology/research

[Anonymous]

Pomona. He should fly out to see it.

FYI these days Pomona is way harder to get into than Tufts.

I will admit tho that I don't know much about opportunities for biology research in either place. He should ask to speak with people in the Bio departments and students there.

[Anonymous]

Why not let your DC pick whichever he prefers? Both are excellent for STEM but have very different locations and feel. I personally am not a fan of Tufts' location (though only 30ish minutes to get into the city using public transportation). That plus the consortium opportunities and ranking difference would make me lean Pomona. But your DC can have terrific outcomes at either. When he flies out, he can see how he feels and ask about research opportunities. Hard to imagine he wouldn't have a preference in terms of his college experience after visiting both.

[Anonymous]

Congrats. My kid loves both. I’d push for Pomona myself.

[Anonymous]

Congrats to your DS - what a great accomplishment!

I think location matters more than people think. If West Coast location is not ideal now, the cost of travel and time zone difference and isolation to friends/family can add up.

Also, you can visit Pomona and decide if the location is a fit. It's not in LA but at least an hour from the closest part of it, if you have a car. Public transportation isn't great.

I like both schools and live in CA fwiw.

[Anonymous]

There’s a train link now between downtown LA and Claremont. FYI.

[Anonymous]

I’ll play devil’s advocate. Pomona is an hour from LA in ideal traffic conditions, UCLA and USC hospitals a little to a lot further. Tufts has its own medical center. Boston is the best college town in the country with three of the best research hospitals in the country. It’s inconvenient to have your kid across the country and dependent on planes to come home with current questionable faa leadership. If kid is interested in premed, Tufts seems the better choice.

Inland empire is not coastal LA. Hot and smoggy during the day. Some of the dorms are Pomona not air conditioned and wild fires are a concern, as students learned this year.

That said, I’d let your kid fly out and take a look on Pomona’s dime before deciding.

[Anonymous]

I agree with letting your kid decide after visiting. He will know where he'd feel more at home and excited to study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll play devil’s advocate. Pomona is an hour from LA in ideal traffic conditions, UCLA and USC hospitals a little to a lot further. Tufts has its own medical center. Boston is the best college town in the country with three of the best research hospitals in the country. It’s inconvenient to have your kid across the country and dependent on planes to come home with current questionable faa leadership. If kid is interested in premed, Tufts seems the better choice.

Inland empire is not coastal LA. Hot and smoggy during the day. Some of the dorms are Pomona not air conditioned and wild fires are a concern, as students learned this year.

That said, I’d let your kid fly out and take a look on Pomona’s dime before deciding.

Adding train from Pomona to LA takes one hour 15 minutes according to google.

[Anonymous]

Congrats!! Two very different schools but both great in different ways. Have your kid visit both before deciding, if possible.

[Anonymous]

They're probably about equally good schools all things considered, but Pomona is the best college in Claremont, whereas Tufts is possibly at the bottom of the top 5 in Boston, depending on how you rank things. You're going to have more local bragging rights and a better experience overall at Pomona.

[Anonymous]

Tufts. Being in a college hub with other world class colleges and students matters.
Unless your kid wants to be West Coast, honestly fewer people have even heard of Pomona.

[Anonymous]

This is interesting to me because I thought of Pomona and Tufts as among the two best schools for my son but you don't often see people comparing them. In the end my son did not apply to Pomona because did not want to be all the way across the country and leaned toward access to a college town. I love LACs (and have two older kids at two different WAS) but this kid is very social and needs to have a wider network of peers. I saw Pomona and Tufts as both offering what he needed academically and socially. He is going to Tufts! But congratulations on having such excellent choices.