Why is Pomona so special?

[Anonymous]

It is the best small college in the west and a lot of people don't want to come/stay out here for college. It stands out for many of the same reasons Stanford is special among universities. It has elite academics, a pretty campus, good weather, and a slightly more laidback lifestyle.

Also with SLACs, so many top schools are remote or in tiny towns where you can't spend days or weekends easily getting away. Swarthmore is the really the only Eastern coed exception to that being right on the train line outside Philly (Wellesley being the top women's college).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

The author actually comments on how odd the list will look after years of getting used to one set of criteria being used. I agree it's interesting to see how things shake out looking at things through a different lens.

It’s odd because Scripps is not the third best college in the US in any conceivable sense.

Except for the sense that encompasses the criteria used for this list, of course you mean. If you read the whole essay, they're not saying this list is supposed to be for everyone, only for the author. It's supposed to inspire you to make your own list instead of relying on what someone else tells you is best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people from out of state think it’s in the LA area, but if you live in LA it’s pretty far away. I drive past it on my way to the desert (Palm Springs), and it’s surrounded by exurban wasteland.

However Claremont itself is an oasis in a pit!! The campus is gorgeous and the little downtown district is very cute. I can see why it’s popular.

I think that too. East coast kids think "Wow, Los Angeles!" and it's not. Pomona, has, however, done very well riding up the USNWR rankings so it's now hot simply because it's highly selective.

No, it's not in LA. When you visit, you realize that pretty quickly. Although, I would assume kids with the chops to get into Pomona have the capability of looking at a map before putting down the deposit or booking the tour.

Is the location as nice as say, UCLA, no. But for my child who hates cold weather, it still has a WAYYYY more appealing location/climate than any of its east coast counterparts. It has palm trees! She doesn’t need winter boots or a huge parka! No shoveling out in March (or ever!). She goes on runs outside year round! Good enough. Also, while the Inland Empire is generally kind of a pit, Claremont itself is a lovely little town.

Is she going to the beach or LA every day, or even regularly, no. But if she wants take a day trip to the beach on the weekend, or go to a specific event in LA…that’s an option in a way that it’s not an option if you’re in Middlebury, Vermont

(FWIW, she didn't get in to Pomona. She's at Scripps.)

[Anonymous]

The big university comparison with those top few liberal arts colleges, just for comparing how the SLACs relate to each other, does kind of make sense and is interesting to think through for minute. Williams would be the Harvard OG; Amherst the Yale with great recognition and reputation but always comparing itself in relation to the rival OG; Swarthmore the Princeton that is maybe the best of the group now and farther south but without quite as much name recognition and history as a non-rival; and Pomona the up-and-coming western Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Location isn't that great either. Very far from the beach and downtown LA, very smoggy.

It's one of those cases where "it's great because everyone thinks it's great".

Basically the beaches are at one end of LA county and the school is at the other. DD really liked the campus - as well as Pitzer - but the drive from our hotel in Santa Monica to the Claremont campuses, then back in one hot afternoon was not lost on her.

Yeah, it makes sense that the beaches are in part of LA county that’s … by … the … ocean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

The author actually comments on how odd the list will look after years of getting used to one set of criteria being used. I agree it's interesting to see how things shake out looking at things through a different lens.

It’s odd because Scripps is not the third best college in the US in any conceivable sense.

Is it the worst of the Claremont Colleges?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

The author actually comments on how odd the list will look after years of getting used to one set of criteria being used. I agree it's interesting to see how things shake out looking at things through a different lens.

It’s odd because Scripps is not the third best college in the US in any conceivable sense.

Is it the worst of the Claremont Colleges?

Scripps and Pitzer typically rank a little lower than Pomona, Harvey Mudd & Claremont-McKenna, but all 5 undergraduate colleges in the Claremont consortium are in the top 40 of US News's LAC rankings. It's not like one is a total fluff compared with the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

But the results are ridiculous, which suggests the methodology is flawed. Garbage in, garbage out. Way too much emphasis (as always nowadays) on diversity, especially when all these schools are committed to diversity. Anyone who chooses a school based on diversity stats is a true imbecile

There's actually a wide diversity of success in achieving diversity on college campuses. And how can a methodology be flawed based on someone's opinion of the results? It is what it is, just like USNWR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The big university comparison with those top few liberal arts colleges, just for comparing how the SLACs relate to each other, does kind of make sense and is interesting to think through for minute. Williams would be the Harvard OG; Amherst the Yale with great recognition and reputation but always comparing itself in relation to the rival OG; Swarthmore the Princeton that is maybe the best of the group now and farther south but without quite as much name recognition and history as a non-rival; and Pomona the up-and-coming western Stanford.

Princeton grad here- sort of bristling at the comparison to Swat although Princeton is also pretty close to Philly. Curious though why one would assert that Swat is now the best of the group? (My beef with Swat is that it seems to have a rep of being painfully competitive and dull - a real grind)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

But the results are ridiculous, which suggests the methodology is flawed. Garbage in, garbage out. Way too much emphasis (as always nowadays) on diversity, especially when all these schools are committed to diversity. Anyone who chooses a school based on diversity stats is a true imbecile

There's actually a wide diversity of success in achieving diversity on college campuses. And how can a methodology be flawed based on someone's opinion of the results? It is what it is, just like USNWR.

I think even the diversity stats could be misleading- I noticed west coast schools fared relatively well- this could just be a result of a higher level of Hispanics and Asians in California. Is Scripps better than Williams because of that?

[Anonymous]

I'm from Los Angeles. It is popular among the LA private school crowd partially because, as someone else pointed out, there really aren't as many options if you want to stay relatively close and want a small LAC that is not religious.

Agree the location sucks by Los Angeles standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

But the results are ridiculous, which suggests the methodology is flawed. Garbage in, garbage out. Way too much emphasis (as always nowadays) on diversity, especially when all these schools are committed to diversity. Anyone who chooses a school based on diversity stats is a true imbecile

There's actually a wide diversity of success in achieving diversity on college campuses. And how can a methodology be flawed based on someone's opinion of the results? It is what it is, just like USNWR.

I think even the diversity stats could be misleading- I noticed west coast schools fared relatively well- this could just be a result of a higher level of Hispanics and Asians in California. Is Scripps better than Williams because of that?

It's better than Williams in terms of diversity, but diversity isn't everything. The ranking shared above is based only 20% on diversity, though, so Pomona beats out Williams (and everyone else) based on the totality of the specific set of factors included. If you prefer USNWR's factors, use that. If you like Niche (not sure why you would), use that. If you like Barron's or Forbes or whatever, use them. Or, as ranker above says, make your own list.

[Anonymous]

it's not special

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jobs and grad school.

It's 10 year out median earning is mediocre at $69,149

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?121345-Pomona-College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The factors that make it #1 on this ranking that includes both LACs and universities explain at least part of it.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

That is a very odd list.

I thought it was an interesting set of criteria, and one that I think my kid would also value in a school (small class sizes yet also a wide variety of available courses; diversity among both professors and the student body; well-educated professors; general student satisfaction). It's at least as valid as the factors that US News values heavily.

But the results are ridiculous, which suggests the methodology is flawed. Garbage in, garbage out. Way too much emphasis (as always nowadays) on diversity, especially when all these schools are committed to diversity. Anyone who chooses a school based on diversity stats is a true imbecile

There's actually a wide diversity of success in achieving diversity on college campuses. And how can a methodology be flawed based on someone's opinion of the results? It is what it is, just like USNWR.

I think even the diversity stats could be misleading- I noticed west coast schools fared relatively well- this could just be a result of a higher level of Hispanics and Asians in California. Is Scripps better than Williams because of that?

It's better than Williams in terms of diversity, but diversity isn't everything. The ranking shared above is based only 20% on diversity, though, so Pomona beats out Williams (and everyone else) based on the totality of the specific set of factors included. If you prefer USNWR's factors, use that. If you like Niche (not sure why you would), use that. If you like Barron's or Forbes or whatever, use them. Or, as ranker above says, make your own list.

I get the idea that we can all draw our own conclusions but we look to these lists because we think they have some kind of credibility or value. Even if I cared a great deal about diversity, I would be hesitant to rely on the particular metrics used. Maybe for example these west coast schools have much lower Black student and professor populations. They are just score well because there are a lot more Hispanics and Asians out west. A methodology is only as good as what it produces, and a cursory glance at this list makes it seem very fishy. Like is Richmond a high diversity school?