Do not send your child to Pomona if they are interested in a CS degree. The major is not guaranteed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are restrictions on majors in almost every field at almost every school. Love music but don't play an instrument or sing? Can't major in music performance in any competitive department. Want to major in bio but tanked your STEM courses freshman year? GPA won't be high enough to declare until you raise it. Undeclared rising junior who suddenly decided on French? Likely can't get proficiency fast enough to graduate on time. Want study business at school x but didn't make the bar for direct admit? Could be out of luck.

Where Pomona screwed up was in laying out a lottery system in writing for people to criticize. An objective application process would be preferable (and maybe they'll eventually go there), or even a direct admit process for freshmen.

Pomona is very admittedly "woke" and is attempting to level the playing field, since there is a significant fgli population at the school, who, on average, have less expansive CS resumes. Funny enough, one of the students they banned this semester was a fgli friend of DC, but they are moving on with a math major. There hasn't been a big shift, since they are still accepting a ton of students into the major and a CS major isn't the end-all, be-all. It's definitely a sad situation, but CS departments didn't exist for a long time, and students can find alternative ways of learning. Many have a passive interest at-best anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this sucks for OP and I feel sorry for the kid, but if one goes to college with a sole goal of majoring in CS, an LAC shouldn’t be their first choice. If the school doesn’t work with you to come up with a plan, e.g. cross-registering at another school of the 5C, 3+2 program, or other ways, you can always transfer. Good luck!

It isn't about sole goal as CS. LACs pride themselves on giving you the freedom to explore before choosing majors. Creating a lottery system is a breach of that promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this sucks for OP and I feel sorry for the kid, but if one goes to college with a sole goal of majoring in CS, an LAC shouldn’t be their first choice. If the school doesn’t work with you to come up with a plan, e.g. cross-registering at another school of the 5C, 3+2 program, or other ways, you can always transfer. Good luck!

It isn't about sole goal as CS. LACs pride themselves on giving you the freedom to explore before choosing majors. Creating a lottery system is a breach of that promise.

I mean, they can only have you explore so much with reason. Pomona is giving you 4 semesters to complete two CS classes (really one since you can skip CSCI 51 according to the website if you have any CS experience), that's more than enough time. Most science majors require you to start freshman year or overload if you begin sophomore year. Logistically, a liberal arts college can't take 80+ majors in anything if its class sizes are only 400 like Pomonas. The real issue is the lottery system rather than an application.

[Anonymous]

It's a common sense to check the corresponding department/school/college as well as overall college/university

[Anonymous]

Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

So dramatic. Who cares if the president makes good money? The school has a 3 billion endowment.
How many students are transferring? Why can't they take up applied math majors and just study CS on the side?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

So dramatic. Who cares if the president makes good money? The school has a 3 billion endowment.
How many students are transferring? Why can't they take up applied math majors and just study CS on the side?

dp.. CS majors want to major in CS, not applied math with CS on the side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

How is the college in collapse just because the president has a large salary and CS major is an issue. There are many students who would love to attend there with interests other than CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

So dramatic. Who cares if the president makes good money? The school has a 3 billion endowment.
How many students are transferring? Why can't they take up applied math majors and just study CS on the side?

dp.. CS majors want to major in CS, not applied math with CS on the side.

I'm sure they do, but if 80 of your peers are seeking to and the class size is 400...it's not unreasonable for the college to tell you no. Most CS majors study cs to get a job and the stuff you learn in a theoretical computer science curriculum is useless for that anyway.

[Anonymous]

This is wrong to change for kids midstream. They should say the change will go into effect for next year’s class (and be transparent with applicants going forward).

Yes, it would mean hiring more faculty in the short run, but the scho should feel an obligation to kids in the pipeline.

Thanks for the heads up OP!

[Anonymous]

Oh look, the Pomona troll is having a conversation with his or herself. Weirdo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

So dramatic. Who cares if the president makes good money? The school has a 3 billion endowment.
How many students are transferring? Why can't they take up applied math majors and just study CS on the side?

Or just don't go to Pomona

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh look, the Pomona troll is having a conversation with his or herself. Weirdo.

Is there a way to identify trolls? So many weird comments on different threads recently

[Anonymous]

In all fairness, MANY colleges restrict the number of undergrad students allowed to major in CS. Methods for filtering vary, but the practice of limiting CS students is very very common right now.

I am fully qualified to be a CS tenure-track faculty member and would happily go be a CS professor someplace right now, except that I cannot justify the huge reduction to my (non-academic sector) current income by doing so. And that is the fundamental challenge at any college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Update: The college is in collapse. Recent filings found the president now makes $1.1 million per year, which is twice the rate of peer institutions. The CS department only has 8 faculty after 2 years of searching, Students are transferring out to legitamate liberal arts colleges and universities! Stay clear if you want 0 headaches.

So dramatic. Who cares if the president makes good money? The school has a 3 billion endowment.
How many students are transferring? Why can't they take up applied math majors and just study CS on the side?

dp.. CS majors want to major in CS, not applied math with CS on the side.

I'm sure they do, but if 80 of your peers are seeking to and the class size is 400...it's not unreasonable for the college to tell you no. Most CS majors study cs to get a job and the stuff you learn in a theoretical computer science curriculum is useless for that anyway.

Right, which is why OP is saying t hat if you are interested in a CS degree don't go to Pomona.

BTW, a friend of mine went there eons ago, but they were prelaw.