I live in LA. I consider Pomona one of the best colleges in the nation. I recommended it to DC1. I however recommended Amherst more to DC2 due to their health needs being different.

I have posted previously and have a personal preference for Pomona between these 2 great schools. However, I will say that it was pretty disturbing when I basically couldn't see the nearby mountains due to air quality on one of my Pomona trips.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather ski or surf?

There’s um, skiing close to Claremont.

LOL - another reason why so many people need to discount the Claremont location bashers and just see it for themselves if they go to CA to see colleges.

Ha! There’s skiing and surfing within a day trip to all the LA schools. The rest just have better air quality.

Ski, surf, or breathe more often?

You are digging a hole by dismissing those raising legit concerns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather ski or surf?

There’s um, skiing close to Claremont.

LOL - another reason why so many people need to discount the Claremont location bashers and just see it for themselves if they go to CA to see colleges.

Closer than surfing, depending on traffic. On another note, Claremont has some great restaurants. There’s better eating there than in the entire DMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather ski or surf?

There’s um, skiing close to Claremont.

LOL - another reason why so many people need to discount the Claremont location bashers and just see it for themselves if they go to CA to see colleges.

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather ski or surf?

There’s um, skiing close to Claremont.

Anonymous wrote:Is Claremont air quality that bad? I'm using a site called "Best Places" and it rates Claremont 58/100. The US average is 55 and the average for LA county is 38. It's one of the most tree covered cities in the area so I'm guessing that buffers it a bit.

Also, not a huge difference in temperatures between USC, Occidental, Caltech, and Pomona College today. 75/64 USC, 80/62 Occidental, 80/63 Caltech, 80/61 Pomona.

Different people will have different levels of sensitivity to air quality, but it's more of an issue in the hotter months due to how smog forms, fire risk, and the fact that the local winds tend to blow pollution and smoke from the greater area into eastern LA County and San Bernardino.

As the Claremont Colleges start in late Aug, it could be an issue for the first couple months. If you are a fall athlete arriving a few weeks early and competing outdoors, or if you have a respiratory condition, you might be more affected.

As for comparing temps, I would use sites that show averages. The disparity fluctuates and will be greater on the hotter days. Caltech in Pasadena is the closest of the schools you mention. Per Weatherspark, average highs in Claremont in Sep are 88, in Pasadena 85, in Los Angeles proper 83. Recent years have probably been higher as those averages go way back, and there's been a warming trend.

For most people, the heat and air quality in Claremont will be manageable during the school year other. A dorm with AC would be preferred. The worst time will be the early part of the academic year, particularly if there are bad wildfires. Really bad wildfires might happen once every 5-10 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know these two generally rank comparably and are probably equally good as four year experiences, but my understanding is that Amherst is an especially elite name brand that can open more doors than Pomona can (especially in business and finance). It's the combination of history, east-coast tribalism, and a fiercely devoted alumni network (west coast schools in general lack the same "old boy" group).

Is better weather, the ease to take a handful of classes at some other LACs, and some chances to go into LA (not nearly as much as you'd hope for, given the rigorous academics and distant proximity) really worth turning down Amherst's lifelong dividends? I don't know. Maybe at some point in the future Pomona will be seen and held in the same regard, but the current perception is not yet there.

I agree that this may be valid if you intend on a NYC career or one in finance. But it's far less relevant for students who have no interest in that world and I'm pretty certain the Pomona kids don't fit that profile. On the other hand, such a student might land at Claremont McKenna and I think they'd do quite well even against an Amherst grad.

CMC dominates for MBA/IB/consulting on a per capita basis. Usually above Amherst in most, generally goes head to head w/ Williams for #1. Fiercely loyal alumni network.

Pomona students get access to the same on campus recruiting (it's 5 college based), but as you mentioned Pomona simply doesn't attract those students. CMC is a better fit for their interests. Pomona is closer in fit to the intellectually bent Swat/Carleton vs NESCACs/CMC which are more pre-professional. And that's a pretty significant difference.

Yes, KKR (one of the most prestigious PE firms) is especially popular among CMC grads. Not shocking since the active K and R in KKR both went to CMC. The other founder went to Swarthmore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know these two generally rank comparably and are probably equally good as four year experiences, but my understanding is that Amherst is an especially elite name brand that can open more doors than Pomona can (especially in business and finance). It's the combination of history, east-coast tribalism, and a fiercely devoted alumni network (west coast schools in general lack the same "old boy" group).

Is better weather, the ease to take a handful of classes at some other LACs, and some chances to go into LA (not nearly as much as you'd hope for, given the rigorous academics and distant proximity) really worth turning down Amherst's lifelong dividends? I don't know. Maybe at some point in the future Pomona will be seen and held in the same regard, but the current perception is not yet there.

I agree that this may be valid if you intend on a NYC career or one in finance. But it's far less relevant for students who have no interest in that world and I'm pretty certain the Pomona kids don't fit that profile. On the other hand, such a student might land at Claremont McKenna and I think they'd do quite well even against an Amherst grad.

CMC dominates for MBA/IB/consulting on a per capita basis. Usually above Amherst in most, generally goes head to head w/ Williams for #1. Fiercely loyal alumni network.

Pomona students get access to the same on campus recruiting (it's 5 college based), but as you mentioned Pomona simply doesn't attract those students. CMC is a better fit for their interests. Pomona is closer in fit to the intellectually bent Swat/Carleton vs NESCACs/CMC which are more pre-professional. And that's a pretty significant difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amherst and Claremont are both suburban towns though.

Amherst is by no stretch a suburban town. It's a small town with a village green. Not even remotely comparable to Pomona in this regard.

FWIW, I'd pick Pomona due tot he consortium and the weather.

I disagree. It’s got several nearby towns that are larger such as Northampton, Hadley, etc. The area is big enough to support a Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, etc, businesses that a “village green” would not support. A large public university (UMass Amherst with over 30,000 students) helps supports a lot
of these businesses I’m sure.

Anonymous wrote:I know these two generally rank comparably and are probably equally good as four year experiences, but my understanding is that Amherst is an especially elite name brand that can open more doors than Pomona can (especially in business and finance). It's the combination of history, east-coast tribalism, and a fiercely devoted alumni network (west coast schools in general lack the same "old boy" group).

Is better weather, the ease to take a handful of classes at some other LACs, and some chances to go into LA (not nearly as much as you'd hope for, given the rigorous academics and distant proximity) really worth turning down Amherst's lifelong dividends? I don't know. Maybe at some point in the future Pomona will be seen and held in the same regard, but the current perception is not yet there.

I agree that this may be valid if you intend on a NYC career or one in finance. But it's far less relevant for students who have no interest in that world and I'm pretty certain the Pomona kids don't fit that profile. On the other hand, such a student might land at Claremont McKenna and I think they'd do quite well even against an Amherst grad.

Anonymous wrote:I know these two generally rank comparably and are probably equally good as four year experiences, but my understanding is that Amherst is an especially elite name brand that can open more doors than Pomona can (especially in business and finance). It's the combination of history, east-coast tribalism, and a fiercely devoted alumni network (west coast schools in general lack the same "old boy" group).

Is better weather, the ease to take a handful of classes at some other LACs, and some chances to go into LA (not nearly as much as you'd hope for, given the rigorous academics and distant proximity) really worth turning down Amherst's lifelong dividends? I don't know. Maybe at some point in the future Pomona will be seen and held in the same regard, but the current perception is not yet there.

Do kids going to Pomona really intend to end up in finance? It seems more like a Fulbright/grad program place, although I expect the consulting firms get their share. I think that goes back the PP who said Amherst was more bro-ey.

I know these two generally rank comparably and are probably equally good as four year experiences, but my understanding is that Amherst is an especially elite name brand that can open more doors than Pomona can (especially in business and finance). It's the combination of history, east-coast tribalism, and a fiercely devoted alumni network (west coast schools in general lack the same "old boy" group).

Is better weather, the ease to take a handful of classes at some other LACs, and some chances to go into LA (not nearly as much as you'd hope for, given the rigorous academics and distant proximity) really worth turning down Amherst's lifelong dividends? I don't know. Maybe at some point in the future Pomona will be seen and held in the same regard, but the current perception is not yet there.

Anonymous wrote:Amherst and Claremont are both suburban towns though.

Amherst is by no stretch a suburban town. It's a small town with a village green. Not even remotely comparable to Pomona in this regard.

FWIW, I'd pick Pomona due tot he consortium and the weather.