Amherst or Pomona?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would choose based on where I think I’d be after graduation. Pomona is very well known in the west coast, while Amherst is better known on the east coast. Other than that, I’d choose by climate. For me, it would be Pomona, hands down.

As someone who is LA, keep in mind that the inland empire (where Pomona is) is not Santa Monica. It is very, very hot especially from Aug-Oct and air quality is very poor due to smog, fires, etc. So that is not a better climate for all people. My kid would take Amherst climate (we live on east coast now) over Pomona any day of the week.

But your kid is looking to try something new just like a northeast kid wants to do the same. This goes back to the those of us saying that if this geographic detail is a key factor in school choice - kids won’t be applying to both .

Note - there are plenty of us that understand exactly where Pomona is… there are reasons for a student to still like the school and location despite the fact that doesn’t register on ‘it’ locations among the wealthy in CA.

As my post said, we live on the east coast now (I just grew up in LA). So, no, he isn't looking for something new. And I was using Santa Monica as a point of comparison not because it's an "it" part of LA, but to talk about the climate. The weather on the west side of LA--Santa Monica, Westwood (UCLA), etc. -- is basically beautiful all year. But the inland empire does not have "perfect weather"; it's VERY hot at certain times of the year and the air quality is poor. I think the Pomona schools are lovely and would be fully supportive if my kid was interested. But it's not an LA school, nor is it a suburb of LA (LA doesn't really have "suburbs" the way other cities do). It's the inland empire -- about an hour from LA with no traffic so, in reality, much further. I mean, would you say Athens, GA is a "suburb" of Atlanta?

1) You are replying to someone who also grew up in LA
2) I don't understand why you (and others) feel the need to educate others about Claremont or why you assume the draw to Claremont has anything to do with LA or being on the coast. (And I'm sorry - but Claremont absolutely IS part of Greater LA metro area.) Don't you think that students that are seriously considering this school will visit and see for themselves? Even if they are coming from far away and visit a variety of California schools, applicants will decide for themselves what they like about each school. Nobody visiting schools is going to mistake the differences between Claremont and Westwood. Nor will they mistake differences between a Pepperdine or UCSB to a Pomona or Pitzer.

I just find it odd that there are always so many people who want to weigh in on Pomona's location.

I also spent time living in Massachusetts and personally, I wouldn't ever want to live somewhere as remote as Amherst and with the length of winter compared to the length of school year (the BEST weather is when you are NOT in school). But I don't spend an ounce of energy weighing in on that when people post about schools in the northeast. Because they will find out for themselves and make choices based on their preferences. I don't need to impose mine on something so personal and something people will find out about before attending a school.

I think you miss the point of both this forum and op’s question,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would choose based on where I think I’d be after graduation. Pomona is very well known in the west coast, while Amherst is better known on the east coast. Other than that, I’d choose by climate. For me, it would be Pomona, hands down.

As someone who is LA, keep in mind that the inland empire (where Pomona is) is not Santa Monica. It is very, very hot especially from Aug-Oct and air quality is very poor due to smog, fires, etc. So that is not a better climate for all people. My kid would take Amherst climate (we live on east coast now) over Pomona any day of the week.

But your kid is looking to try something new just like a northeast kid wants to do the same. This goes back to the those of us saying that if this geographic detail is a key factor in school choice - kids won’t be applying to both .

Note - there are plenty of us that understand exactly where Pomona is… there are reasons for a student to still like the school and location despite the fact that doesn’t register on ‘it’ locations among the wealthy in CA.

As my post said, we live on the east coast now (I just grew up in LA). So, no, he isn't looking for something new. And I was using Santa Monica as a point of comparison not because it's an "it" part of LA, but to talk about the climate. The weather on the west side of LA--Santa Monica, Westwood (UCLA), etc. -- is basically beautiful all year. But the inland empire does not have "perfect weather"; it's VERY hot at certain times of the year and the air quality is poor. I think the Pomona schools are lovely and would be fully supportive if my kid was interested. But it's not an LA school, nor is it a suburb of LA (LA doesn't really have "suburbs" the way other cities do). It's the inland empire -- about an hour from LA with no traffic so, in reality, much further. I mean, would you say Athens, GA is a "suburb" of Atlanta?

Claremont is 35 miles from downtown LA and is considered part of greater LA economically and geographically

Athens is over 70 miles from Atlanta is is not considered part of greater Atlanta on either dimension.

Again - I don't see anyone here "educating" people who want to ask about UGA and how it is not part of Atlanta or how rural it is compared to Atlanta etc.

It's an odd obsession that some LA people have about Claremont and all kinds of weird assumptions on why a student would go there. When we went on tours, we knew people who went to a slew of schools in greater LA. I remember one who loved USC and couldn't fathom the Claremont schools, while another felt the exact opposite. Then there is the USC - UCLA divide....and the lovers of Pepperdine vs UCSB. California is just part of the equation and there are kids who genuinely love each of these schools and some who strongly prefer by location too. Again - such a very strange obsession.

It’s an hour from Los Angeles, time in car means more than miles given traffic there. Athens the same drive time from Atlanta,

More importantly, Inland empire is its own distinct area. It’s nothing like the city of Los Angeles, just like the Valley or Newport Beach area are distinctly different from Los Angeles, even with respect to weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would choose based on where I think I’d be after graduation. Pomona is very well known in the west coast, while Amherst is better known on the east coast. Other than that, I’d choose by climate. For me, it would be Pomona, hands down.

As someone who is LA, keep in mind that the inland empire (where Pomona is) is not Santa Monica. It is very, very hot especially from Aug-Oct and air quality is very poor due to smog, fires, etc. So that is not a better climate for all people. My kid would take Amherst climate (we live on east coast now) over Pomona any day of the week.

But your kid is looking to try something new just like a northeast kid wants to do the same. This goes back to the those of us saying that if this geographic detail is a key factor in school choice - kids won’t be applying to both .

Note - there are plenty of us that understand exactly where Pomona is… there are reasons for a student to still like the school and location despite the fact that doesn’t register on ‘it’ locations among the wealthy in CA.

As my post said, we live on the east coast now (I just grew up in LA). So, no, he isn't looking for something new. And I was using Santa Monica as a point of comparison not because it's an "it" part of LA, but to talk about the climate. The weather on the west side of LA--Santa Monica, Westwood (UCLA), etc. -- is basically beautiful all year. But the inland empire does not have "perfect weather"; it's VERY hot at certain times of the year and the air quality is poor. I think the Pomona schools are lovely and would be fully supportive if my kid was interested. But it's not an LA school, nor is it a suburb of LA (LA doesn't really have "suburbs" the way other cities do). It's the inland empire -- about an hour from LA with no traffic so, in reality, much further. I mean, would you say Athens, GA is a "suburb" of Atlanta?

1) You are replying to someone who also grew up in LA
2) I don't understand why you (and others) feel the need to educate others about Claremont or why you assume the draw to Claremont has anything to do with LA or being on the coast. (And I'm sorry - but Claremont absolutely IS part of Greater LA metro area.) Don't you think that students that are seriously considering this school will visit and see for themselves? Even if they are coming from far away and visit a variety of California schools, applicants will decide for themselves what they like about each school. Nobody visiting schools is going to mistake the differences between Claremont and Westwood. Nor will they mistake differences between a Pepperdine or UCSB to a Pomona or Pitzer.

I just find it odd that there are always so many people who want to weigh in on Pomona's location.

I also spent time living in Massachusetts and personally, I wouldn't ever want to live somewhere as remote as Amherst and with the length of winter compared to the length of school year (the BEST weather is when you are NOT in school). But I don't spend an ounce of energy weighing in on that when people post about schools in the northeast. Because they will find out for themselves and make choices based on their preferences. I don't need to impose mine on something so personal and something people will find out about before attending a school.

I think you miss the point of both this forum and op’s question,

DP. I think you missed the point. OP asked, aside from geography how are these schools different. You’re response was, we must discuss geography, because Pomona isn’t LA, and no one realizes this.

[Anonymous]

It takes an hour to get to Downtown Los Angeles from Pomona College, utilizing the Metro train adjacent to campus.

Once you're there, you can take the light rail E to Santa Monica beach. It's not some impossible destination.

Neither of these options are affected by LA's traffic.

If you want to drive, going on Saturday/Sunday (when students are generally free) is when traffic is light. Currently at 12PM on Sunday, google maps is showing a 40 minute drive to LA and an hour drive to Santa Monica.

A quick look at Pomona's website details a funded internship program for Los Angeles companies and organizations. 10% of the student body participates each year.

Public transit from UGA (Athens GA) to Atlanta takes a *minimum* of 3 hours. Driving takes 1.5 hours.

There is no public transit from Amherst to Boston.

Obviously there is no comparison between the access to LA to say, USC and UCLA, but there's no doubt that Pomona students can benefit a major metropolitan area far more reasonably than Amherst students can.

[Anonymous]

First make sure you can afford Amherst's cost of attendance or can qualify for financial aid. They are more welcoming of top 10% and bottom 10%, somewhat in lower 25%, certainly not in upper muddle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would choose based on where I think I’d be after graduation. Pomona is very well known in the west coast, while Amherst is better known on the east coast. Other than that, I’d choose by climate. For me, it would be Pomona, hands down.

As someone who is LA, keep in mind that the inland empire (where Pomona is) is not Santa Monica. It is very, very hot especially from Aug-Oct and air quality is very poor due to smog, fires, etc. So that is not a better climate for all people. My kid would take Amherst climate (we live on east coast now) over Pomona any day of the week.

But your kid is looking to try something new just like a northeast kid wants to do the same. This goes back to the those of us saying that if this geographic detail is a key factor in school choice - kids won’t be applying to both .

Note - there are plenty of us that understand exactly where Pomona is… there are reasons for a student to still like the school and location despite the fact that doesn’t register on ‘it’ locations among the wealthy in CA.

As my post said, we live on the east coast now (I just grew up in LA). So, no, he isn't looking for something new. And I was using Santa Monica as a point of comparison not because it's an "it" part of LA, but to talk about the climate. The weather on the west side of LA--Santa Monica, Westwood (UCLA), etc. -- is basically beautiful all year. But the inland empire does not have "perfect weather"; it's VERY hot at certain times of the year and the air quality is poor. I think the Pomona schools are lovely and would be fully supportive if my kid was interested. But it's not an LA school, nor is it a suburb of LA (LA doesn't really have "suburbs" the way other cities do). It's the inland empire -- about an hour from LA with no traffic so, in reality, much further. I mean, would you say Athens, GA is a "suburb" of Atlanta?

Claremont is 35 miles from downtown LA and is considered part of greater LA economically and geographically

Athens is over 70 miles from Atlanta is is not considered part of greater Atlanta on either dimension.

Again - I don't see anyone here "educating" people who want to ask about UGA and how it is not part of Atlanta or how rural it is compared to Atlanta etc.

It's an odd obsession that some LA people have about Claremont and all kinds of weird assumptions on why a student would go there. When we went on tours, we knew people who went to a slew of schools in greater LA. I remember one who loved USC and couldn't fathom the Claremont schools, while another felt the exact opposite. Then there is the USC - UCLA divide....and the lovers of Pepperdine vs UCSB. California is just part of the equation and there are kids who genuinely love each of these schools and some who strongly prefer by location too. Again - such a very strange obsession.

DP. There is a poster who replies to all of these threads who always talks about the Inland Empire. Yes, we get it - you don’t like Claremont and the industrial areas around it. Me neither. My kid likes Claremont and likes going up to the enormous national national forest that’s right next to the 5Cs. My kid isn’t a big fan of LA, so proximity to the city isn’t a negative. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

The two schools feel very different culturally. Pomona or any of the Claremont Colleges feel like the same community and everything feels small and intimate. You can eat in any dining hall, use any library or gym, and go to events, concerts and parties on any campus very easily and it is very easy to take multiple classes each semester on other campuses. Sometimes I took no classes at my actual alma mater. It is not so easy to do this at the 5 Colleges Consortium without a car.

[Anonymous]

Unhooked kid from DMV is at Pomona and loves the access to LA (40 minutes by car) and the amazing mountains and deserts to the east. Amherst was too bro-ey and Williams too remote. It came down to a personal preference but there is no wrong choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would choose based on where I think I’d be after graduation. Pomona is very well known in the west coast, while Amherst is better known on the east coast. Other than that, I’d choose by climate. For me, it would be Pomona, hands down.

As someone who is LA, keep in mind that the inland empire (where Pomona is) is not Santa Monica. It is very, very hot especially from Aug-Oct and air quality is very poor due to smog, fires, etc. So that is not a better climate for all people. My kid would take Amherst climate (we live on east coast now) over Pomona any day of the week.

But your kid is looking to try something new just like a northeast kid wants to do the same. This goes back to the those of us saying that if this geographic detail is a key factor in school choice - kids won’t be applying to both .

Note - there are plenty of us that understand exactly where Pomona is… there are reasons for a student to still like the school and location despite the fact that doesn’t register on ‘it’ locations among the wealthy in CA.

As my post said, we live on the east coast now (I just grew up in LA). So, no, he isn't looking for something new. And I was using Santa Monica as a point of comparison not because it's an "it" part of LA, but to talk about the climate. The weather on the west side of LA--Santa Monica, Westwood (UCLA), etc. -- is basically beautiful all year. But the inland empire does not have "perfect weather"; it's VERY hot at certain times of the year and the air quality is poor. I think the Pomona schools are lovely and would be fully supportive if my kid was interested. But it's not an LA school, nor is it a suburb of LA (LA doesn't really have "suburbs" the way other cities do). It's the inland empire -- about an hour from LA with no traffic so, in reality, much further. I mean, would you say Athens, GA is a "suburb" of Atlanta?

1) You are replying to someone who also grew up in LA
2) I don't understand why you (and others) feel the need to educate others about Claremont or why you assume the draw to Claremont has anything to do with LA or being on the coast. (And I'm sorry - but Claremont absolutely IS part of Greater LA metro area.) Don't you think that students that are seriously considering this school will visit and see for themselves? Even if they are coming from far away and visit a variety of California schools, applicants will decide for themselves what they like about each school. Nobody visiting schools is going to mistake the differences between Claremont and Westwood. Nor will they mistake differences between a Pepperdine or UCSB to a Pomona or Pitzer.

I just find it odd that there are always so many people who want to weigh in on Pomona's location.

I also spent time living in Massachusetts and personally, I wouldn't ever want to live somewhere as remote as Amherst and with the length of winter compared to the length of school year (the BEST weather is when you are NOT in school). But I don't spend an ounce of energy weighing in on that when people post about schools in the northeast. Because they will find out for themselves and make choices based on their preferences. I don't need to impose mine on something so personal and something people will find out about before attending a school.

I think you miss the point of both this forum and op’s question,

Or you have….

[Anonymous]

Don't quite understand the point the person arguing against Claremont being in metro LA is trying to make.

Obviously it's not IN LA proper, but Claremont is literally in Los Angeles county. As such, it is NOT considered part of the Inland Empire (if you want to get technical).

The Los Angeles Times, FWIW, considers the Inland Empire to encompass Riverside and San Bernandino counties....

However, more important than the LA Times, the federal agency that defines national "MSAs" (metropolitan statistical areas) does NOT include Claremont in the Riverside-San Bernandino-Ontario MSA (which most people use to define the Inland Empire), but instead in the Los Angeles MSA.

(as an aside, Amherst is NOT in the Boston MSA )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't quite understand the point the person arguing against Claremont being in metro LA is trying to make.

Obviously it's not IN LA proper, but Claremont is literally in Los Angeles county. As such, it is NOT considered part of the Inland Empire (if you want to get technical).

The Los Angeles Times, FWIW, considers the Inland Empire to encompass Riverside and San Bernandino counties....

However, more important than the LA Times, the federal agency that defines national "MSAs" (metropolitan statistical areas) does NOT include Claremont in the Riverside-San Bernandino-Ontario MSA (which most people use to define the Inland Empire), but instead in the Los Angeles MSA.

(as an aside, Amherst is NOT in the Boston MSA )

This is silly hairsplitting. Claremont is 7 miles or a 15 minute drive from Ontario, far closer to Ontario than Los Angeles. On the plus side, students can use the Ontario airport over LAX.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't quite understand the point the person arguing against Claremont being in metro LA is trying to make.

Obviously it's not IN LA proper, but Claremont is literally in Los Angeles county. As such, it is NOT considered part of the Inland Empire (if you want to get technical).

The Los Angeles Times, FWIW, considers the Inland Empire to encompass Riverside and San Bernandino counties....

However, more important than the LA Times, the federal agency that defines national "MSAs" (metropolitan statistical areas) does NOT include Claremont in the Riverside-San Bernandino-Ontario MSA (which most people use to define the Inland Empire), but instead in the Los Angeles MSA.

(as an aside, Amherst is NOT in the Boston MSA )

NP here.

I'm very familiar with the Claremont area.

The colleges are in LA County, but basically on the border with San Bernadino.

The scenery and nightlife are probably closer to what people think of as San Bernardino than what people think of as LA (beaches, downtown, Hollywood, etc).

That said, the Claremont Colleges are fantastic and unique. If a kid is ok with year round warm weather (some aren't!), they should consider visiting or applying if they have the academic record.

[Anonymous]

NP and let's try a different tact.

Amherst was the first school to shut down for Covid. At an admissions tour during last spring (spring 2022) the admissions officer proudly said that they led Harvard in the shutdown.

Before our admissions tour we walked from a parking lot to a tent, and had to sign that we were vaxxed (and I think we also did that upon booking the tour). I was fine with that. They issued me a KN-95 because I had a lesser mask. Fine.

We walked up the hill to the main quad area, and there was a huge tent. I wasn't thrilled bc the weather was lousy, but okay. Then, the chairs were socially distanced. I was thinking, wow, we are all vaxxed and OUTSIDE in KN-95s, in socially distant chairs, in 2022 this is pretty intense.

The first part of the admissions tour was about how they are the most (agressive in) keeping their students safe. At this point I realized we were not going to get to go inside any buildings. I wasn't thrilled about that--we'd driven a long way and (total tangent but ironically for this thread, we came from Los Angeles).

Then a parent asked where the bathrooms were and they were directed to porta-potties, I was suddenly completely furious and I hid it from my kid. Could not wait to get out of there. I felt that at this point, Amherst's ego and identity/culture on the issue of covid safety was overriding the science.

I believe that due to this, the chances that Amherst will shut down in the future for the slightest covid resurgence is high. That is great news to some people and not great for other people, so all I'm saying is to factor in your own family's covid tolerance when looking at Amherst; because it is really a standard deviation or two away from the norm.

Anyways, my DC ended up not liking it for other reasons: that they were so free-flowing about no required classes and "some kids even triple-major...we don't recommend it, but we'll let them, because we don't like to say no to our kids." DC said this was the wrong school as she needed structure.

So I don't know how Pomona compares on those two fronts, but wanted to mention what I did learn about Amherst.

[Anonymous]

The scenery and nightlife are probably closer to what people think of as San Bernardino than what people think of as LA (beaches, downtown, Hollywood, etc).

I don't understand the point of these sweeping generalizations. Most people in LA County don't live near the beaches, Hollywood, or Downtown. The county overall is extremely complex and diverse in landscape. San Bernardino County is similarly difficult to characterize as it hosts some of the wealthiest communities in SoCal as well as some of the poorest and underserved.

Claremont is simply its own place as a town dominated by colleges. I can't think of any other place nearby with that same emphasis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The scenery and nightlife are probably closer to what people think of as San Bernardino than what people think of as LA (beaches, downtown, Hollywood, etc).

I don't understand the point of these sweeping generalizations. Most people in LA County don't live near the beaches, Hollywood, or Downtown. The county overall is extremely complex and diverse in landscape. San Bernardino County is similarly difficult to characterize as it hosts some of the wealthiest communities in SoCal as well as some of the poorest and underserved.

Claremont is simply its own place as a town dominated by colleges. I can't think of any other place nearby with that same emphasis.

You forgot the "etc."

The point isn't just that Claremont is closer to San Bernardino County than to the beaches, downtown, or Hollywood. It's closer to San Bernardino County than to any of the other LA County areas most people from out of town have heard of. When you map the edge of Pomona College to the edge of San Bernardino County on Google Maps, it's like 500 feet. I for one feel it's a bit misleading to tell people the colleges are in LA County without making clear it's really on the border, further from anything else in LA County they may be familiar with than to the start of San Bernardino County.

I like the Claremont Colleges. I personally would not want to live in Claremont itself again-- I already did. I found it hotter and to have worse air quality than most other parts of LA that I have lived in, though that's mostly an issue in the summer, not during the academic year. The online almanac I'm looking at the moment says 61 unhealthy days in 2021 for San Bernardino, 26 for Los Angeles. If you've lived in Claremont, you know the air quality there is far more accurately described by the San Bernardino figure. Here's the link:

http://www.laalmanac.com/environment/ev01a.php