DC is at Pomona and seems pretty happy. DC picked Pomona over a couple Ivies and other WASPs because of the location, consortium, and laidback vibe. The 5C consortium really expands the social and academic offerings, but no one is going to get the rah-rah big school feel at the 5C consortium. Pomona is very social, but it is not a party school at all. CMC and, oddly, Mudd seem to offer the most parties. The general vibe at Pomona is intellectual, nerdy, laidback, and social. Students seems to study very hard, but I haven't gotten the sense that there is a real stress culture. Grading seems mildly inflated, which I'm sure helps. Like other LACs I'm sure, the profs seem to go out of their way to help students academically and professionally with things like internships. The location is great IMO. The fire and heat last year sucked for a couple weeks though. During DC's first year, DC went to LA 1-2 times a month via train or in a friend's car. DC also made trips to the beach a few times, Yosemite, Arizona, and Utah (Zion, etc.). DC now has a car, which helps a lot. As far as I can tell, DC has a rich life on the weekends, but studies pretty hard midweek and before midterms/finals. DC likes but doesn't seem to love Claremont Village. I, on the other hand, thinks it's great. I like it a lot more than the other WASP and T10 LAC towns and am looking forward to Parents Weekend in a couple days.

DC didn't apply to Amherst, but it's obviously a stellar school. So this isn't meant to be a comparison at all. In my mind, each WASP school offers something different for each student. Picking one of these schools over others based on vague notions of prestige and general quality seems ridiculous to me, but you do you and whatnot. And I'd add Bowdoin, Wellesley, Carleton, CMC, and Mudd to this general grouping as well.

Don’t be stupid! Amherst.

Anonymous wrote:What are the trico and Quaker schools?

Swat

What are the trico and Quaker schools?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see any value on the Amherst consortium as the other members aren’t equivalent schools, while the Claremont colleges are more on the same level academically and physically in the same space. Not sure why your daughter wants a consortium though, it’s a strange ask.

Amherst (#2) and Smith (#13) are much closer academically than Pomona (#7) and Pitzer (#37)

Pomona, Mudd, and CMC are much closer than Amherst and UMass tho.

UMass has a highly regarded linguistics department though.

They won’t want you around in real classes until you are a senior at minimum. For linguistics, go to Pomona, Swat, Reed, or UMass for that matter — certainly not Amherst.

Trico and Quaker consortium are both great - kid has taken classes at all 4 schools. Helps make the small schools so much bigger.

Anonymous wrote:Interested in personal experiences that relates these two colleges. DD is interested in the consortium element, a strong culture in both the humanities and stem, a major in linguistics (coursework in computational neuroscience or mathematical bio), access to outdoors. We loved both tours, and found them great places for an undergraduate education.

I’m not sure what the hassle is. Pomona is definitely the better choice in this situation. But, if you want an lac with Linguistics to add to your list- I’d add the trico schools- Swarthmore and Haverford- to your list. I don’t think Amherst is a good fit for the niche you want- they also have very few neuroscience faculty at the moment.

In terms of maximum immediate resources, I’d say Pomona, but if you can use UMass Amherst, then Amherst may have more opportunities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see any value on the Amherst consortium as the other members aren’t equivalent schools, while the Claremont colleges are more on the same level academically and physically in the same space. Not sure why your daughter wants a consortium though, it’s a strange ask.

Amherst (#2) and Smith (#13) are much closer academically than Pomona (#7) and Pitzer (#37)

The idea that there is any significant difference in instruction between these two schools is ludicrous.

I also have a kid at one of the other schools in the 5-C consortium. Not only do they share classes, but they commingle in clubs and can use any of the dining halls. Sometimes when I’m describing it to people who are not familiar with it, I tell them it’s like a midsize school with five specialty schools, such as business and engineering. I would also say that the weather in California is significantly better than Massachusetts lol.

I would apply to both of these great schools to maximize chances.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see any value on the Amherst consortium as the other members aren’t equivalent schools, while the Claremont colleges are more on the same level academically and physically in the same space. Not sure why your daughter wants a consortium though, it’s a strange ask.

I'm guessing this poster has zero actual experience with a consortium

I can't speak to Amherst but I have a kid at another college in the 5 college consortium. The area is really a great place to go to college. Wonderful blend of nature plus enough amenities given all the college kids around. There's a Taco Bell for example that stays open til 2 am for all the college kids. Trader Joe's, Target, Whole Foods. I've never been in a place that feels more college centric. Every time we go into the Target, it's all college kids.

The students do socialize with other colleges. My kid was at parties this past weekend at two of the other schools. The consortium is a very nice way to go to a small school but still have expanded experiences when/if you want it. Kind of the best of both worlds.

There is a free bus that goes to all the schools. Granted, my kid complains about it and sometimes ubers instead, but it is there and it is used. Some kids have cars but it seems most of my kids' friends do not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see any value on the Amherst consortium as the other members aren’t equivalent schools, while the Claremont colleges are more on the same level academically and physically in the same space. Not sure why your daughter wants a consortium though, it’s a strange ask.

Consortiums are great if run well. Just brings in a different crowd and community. Nothing wrong with enjoying that.

Yeah the nice thing about a good consortium is it gives you greater breadth of academic offerings and social life while still having advantages of a small school.

I wish more colleges had the 5C setup- it’s very ideal