Reply to What's the difference between Amherst and Pomona?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We visited both. Didn't attend so this n=1 opinion is based on touring only:

Amherst kids seemed more social, [b]under less academic pressure. Talked about fun courses[/b], parties, casual hangouts with professors. Pomona kids seemed more academically serious but not intense like Swarthmore kids. They talked fondly about professors too but in an academic setting, didn't talk about hanging out with profs. Amherst campus looks more scenic. [/quote]

Kid just finished her freshman year at Amherst, not her experience at all. She's pre-med though, so it might be major dependent.[/quote]

How was her experience overall as a freshman? Did she also apply to Williams and Swarthmore? How would you compare those 3 schools (+ Pomona if that was in the mix)[/quote]

Applied ED to Amherst so can't compare beyond general visits. Williams felt snobby and too remote and Swarthmore felt grindy in a "students relish bragging about how little sleep they get" kind of way. Was impressed by the academics for sure, but they didn't feel like a happy fit for her. Really liked Pomona, especially the consortium options, but preferred the East coast in the end. Thought Amherst, Pomona, and Bowdoin felt culturally very similar. Almost interchangeable, with Amherst maybe a touch more intense. Her impression that Amherst felt academically rigorous but socially more relaxed has been the case. The workload is challenging, but professors and classmates are generally supportive and collaborative, and that was important to her. I don't know if I'd recommend Amherst for pre-meds right now, because there are too many of them, making it harder than usual to get research opportunities, and lines were out the door for professors' office hours. My guess is this will all improve once through the larger (~90) intro courses. She does feel the quality of the education is excellent and, by cold e-mailing alumni, found a nice research opportunity this summer that Amherst is paying for. Socially very content. [/quote]
Have a premed at Pomona and personally attended Pomona and the experience is about the same. One thing I wish people would understand is that Pomona is culturally chill, as in, no noone will talk about how much work they have. But, a lot of students spend most of their weekends studying and the day to day culture is very academic. People do, of course, lay out on the quad...to study. There's a lot of wellness elements of LA that brush onto campus, but I don't think that it is any less intense than peers.

On the other hand, research opportunities and office hours are very easy and accessible, even for her intro courses. Pomona alumni actually are shocked when anyone reaches out to them, so a proactive career-oriented student will have a lot of help.[/quote]

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