What's the difference between Amherst and Pomona?
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Anonymous
It’s the Williams booster! Glad you make it. Sorry, but what you’re selling just isn’t true. |
Anonymous
Here's what AI said: For investment banking, consulting, and overall career outcomes, Amherst College and Pomona College are both elite liberal arts colleges, but they have somewhat different strengths. Investment Banking / Finance Amherst generally has the stronger Wall Street presence and larger alumni network in New York finance. Pomona places students into investment banking as well, but fewer students pursue finance, and recruiting tends to be somewhat more West Coast-oriented. Edge: Amherst Consulting Both send graduates to firms such as �, �, and �. Edge: Roughly equal Graduate School and Academia Amherst has an exceptionally strong record of producing future PhDs and academics. Pomona is also excellent but is usually not mentioned quite as often in discussions of PhD production per capita. Edge: Amherst International Relations / Public Policy Amherst has a stronger reputation in political science, public policy, and East Coast policy circles. Pomona benefits from the broader Southern California environment and the resources of the Claremont Colleges consortium. Slight edge: Amherst Student Experience One of Pomona's biggest advantages is access to the Claremont Colleges Consortium, which includes: Pomona College Claremont McKenna College Harvey Mudd College Pitzer College Scripps College Students can cross-register for classes, join clubs across campuses, and enjoy a larger social scene than most standalone liberal arts colleges. Edge: Pomona Overall Prestige Among admissions officers, graduate schools, and employers: Amherst ≈ Pomona Both are generally considered in the top tier of liberal arts colleges alongside Williams College and Swarthmore College. If your goal is... Wall Street / Investment Banking: Amherst Public Policy / Law School: Amherst West Coast opportunities: Pomona STEM + Liberal Arts flexibility: Pomona (because of access to Harvey Mudd) Traditional East Coast elite-college network: Amherst Largest range of courses and social options: Pomona For a student targeting New York investment banking from a liberal arts college, I would generally rank: Williams ≈ Amherst > Pomona > Middlebury The gap between Amherst and Pomona is not large, but Amherst has a somewhat stronger finance pipeline and East Coast alumni network. |
Anonymous
Reported. |
Anonymous
I think AI got this one right. |
Anonymous
Pomona is a bigger feeder to PhD than Amherst, so that's one inaccuracy. Amherst doesn't even have an IR or public policy major, while Pomona has one of the strongest in the country, alongside PPE, so that's another. |
Anonymous
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Since when did AI become the arbiter of anything? I still stand by that they are both schools. But if you want to remove your bias for east coast finance placement, here you go for another cut at the old AI:
If you deliberately remove East Coast vs. West Coast preferences and focus on educational quality and student experience, it's difficult to argue that one is clearly "better" than the other. Both Amherst College and Pomona College are generally considered among the top few liberal arts colleges in the United States. That said, there are meaningful differences. Academics Amherst Often viewed as having slightly more academic flexibility because of its open curriculum (no core requirements). Access to the broader Five College Consortium, including courses at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College. Historically very strong in economics, political science, mathematics, and the humanities. Pomona Equally rigorous academically. Benefits from the Claremont Colleges system, allowing cross-registration with Harvey Mudd College, Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, and Pitzer College. Particularly attractive for students who want a liberal arts education with substantial STEM and interdisciplinary opportunities through the consortium. Slight edge: Pomona's consortium is often considered more integrated and easier to use than Amherst's. Many people feel Pomona effectively combines a small-college experience with resources closer to a midsize university. Student Experience Amherst More intellectually intense and somewhat more traditional. Smaller social environment. Strong sense of community, but some students describe the atmosphere as serious and achievement-oriented. Winters are real winters. Pomona Often described as happier, more collaborative, and less stressful. Students interact with thousands of students across the Claremont Colleges while still belonging to a small college. Exceptional weather allows much more outdoor and campus life year-round. Social scene tends to feel broader because of the five-college environment. Edge: Pomona. Student-Faculty Interaction This is essentially a draw. Both schools: Have very small classes. Offer close faculty mentorship. Send large numbers of graduates to top PhD, law, medical, and graduate programs. You are unlikely to notice a meaningful difference in educational quality here. Outcomes Both place students extremely well into: Top graduate schools. Competitive fellowships. Consulting, finance, tech, research, and public service careers. Amherst may have a slight historical advantage in Wall Street and East Coast elite networks, while Pomona may have somewhat stronger connections in California and the West. Once geographic considerations are removed, outcomes are effectively equivalent. Overall If I were evaluating only quality of education plus overall student experience, ignoring geography and weather: Pomona College — tiny edge because the Claremont system creates an unusually rich academic and social environment while preserving small classes. Amherst College — arguably the purest traditional liberal arts experience and every bit as intellectually strong. The difference is very small. In most rankings of liberal arts colleges, these schools are in the same tier, and a student choosing between them should probably decide based on culture: Prefer maximum academic freedom, a somewhat more intellectual atmosphere, and a traditional liberal arts feel → Amherst. Prefer a larger social ecosystem, more course options through the consortium, and a slightly more balanced lifestyle → Pomona. |
Anonymous
| ^both great schools |
Anonymous
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My child got into both schools and said the intellectual environment at Pomona was more palpable than Amherst during his campus visits. Lots of pre-professional and jock types at Amherst, lots more nerdy/geeky kids at Pomona. Pomona to him in the same grouping as Swarthmore/Carleton/Grinnell while Amherst/Williams/Bowdoin/Middlebury are in another grouping. Nothing to do with prestige, just the overall vibe and the students they attract.
He ended up going to another school but just one opinion- he'd disagree with "more intellectual environment" = Amherst. |
Anonymous
no, my kids are all at bigger T10 universities. but Williams has been number one of all lists forever. My main point, tho, was that the outcomes of LACs drop off more quickly than the poster I was replying to said. It's not really true that WASP plus the next 10 LACs all deliver same job outcomes in most fields. Also, just because someone name checks one school does not make them a booster. |
Anonymous
WASP don’t really have the same outcomes though. They’re all very different. Pomona has a lot more tech alum than WAS, Swarthmore has a lot more public service and “for the good” careers, Williams has more students in quant |
Anonymous
Mostly they don't. There are a about 8-10 SLACs with basically equivalent stats and outcomes and another half dozen or so right behind them. Same goes for the R1s BTW with about 10-15 other schools with basically equal stats and outcomes though the "T10" crowd hates simple fact. |
Anonymous
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I disagree and agree.
I agree the T25 universities have roughly the same outcomes (maybe take out the T5s which may have a boost). Very little difference btw a Top 10 and a school ranked 18. I think for LACs, the window is smaller. Vassar won't get you the same outcomes as Pomona or Williams or CMC. I think the top LACs are WASP plus Bowdoin and CMC. Add Midd maybe for some athlete-finance pipeline or Harvey Mudd for engineering. Maybe there's 8 but not 10 and not another half dozen behind them. I really only think about this from an investment POV. I wouldnt be paying full boat for a LAC ranked 15, like a Hamilton or a Wes. But if you get a great package from Mac or Grinnell, sure. |
Anonymous
CMC is only good at one thing and completely collapses when a student wants a meaningful career beyond money. |
Anonymous
Okay, sure but that's true for Harvey Mudd even more. All these schools specialize. If your kid wants a future in finance, or medicine, or environmental science .. the list narrows. But it's still from that short list. But at least there is a strong path for CMC kids to move into consulting and finance, from vassar there isn't |
Anonymous
Sort of maybe. There are eight SLACS (Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Middlebury, Pomona, Swarthmore, Wellesley, and Williams) which average single digit rankings over the last 35 years of USNWR rankings. Two aren't mentioned too of which aren't mentioned much on this forum Wellesley and Carleton. Wellesley because of it being a Women's college and Carleton because of location in the Midwest. There is no real difference in them except for their wealth and location. They may have some different strengths but they are all universally excellent. CMC, Davidson, Vassar, W&L, and Wesleyan are close to this group as well with CMC floating around the top 10 for years with particular strengths in finance. Hamilton, Grinnell and Smith hang out with this group as well. HMC gets a lot of play here and it is a great school for what is does but it isn't really a traditional SLAC and it's typically ranked in the 15-20 bracket. So overall 8 equivalent schools followed 5-8 more schools with a shout out to HMC because of it's unique strengths. |