Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 22:16     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
It’s like UPenn Wharton vs Yale. Both excellent schools, but one is preprofessional, known as a party school, and is politically diverse while the other is well-rounded, politically liberal, and more of a “traditional” liberal arts experience.

Except you can benefit from the resources at both because they’re next to each other.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 22:08     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Career outcomes is a stupid discourse. CMC has like 60% Econ students and even other non-Econ folks want to do finance and the like. Pomona has sociology, anthropology, art, etc majors and people who want to invest in the common good and may not make as much. Also, a much higher ratio of STEM students who usually don’t make very much in early PhD programs. If you want to go to finance from Pomona, you absolutely can- it’s just not as overwhelming a path trajectory of interest for their students.

It’s the Claremont Colleges. Grads of the 5Cs help all 5C students. Career events are 5C. Pick by the kind of environment you want and not simply outcomes, because that’s a byproduct of overall student interest rather than institutional strength. Both schools are good but attract very different students.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 21:58     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Pomona every day of the week. It’s no contest.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 21:50     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Pomona seems like a much worse fit for this kind of student. Very theoretical school with little real world impact. Look at CMC closely.


Theoretical school? Are all CMC parents like you? Why are you boosting this hard? Pomona is not a theoretical school. What nonsense.

Yes it is. Almost all the math courses are rooted in pure mathematics with very few applied math options. CMC teaches the applied math courses industry actually wants.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 21:15     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:Pomona seems like a much worse fit for this kind of student. Very theoretical school with little real world impact. Look at CMC closely.


Theoretical school? Are all CMC parents like you? Why are you boosting this hard? Pomona is not a theoretical school. What nonsense.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 21:10     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:Let’s get something straight: if you’ve heard of Pomona you’ve heard of CMC. The fact is, most people haven’t heard of either. To suggest that you pick one over the other because of name recognition is ridiculous.


I'll be honest. I hadn't heard of either my whole life (and I'm not an educational schmuck, I went to Penn) but recently I heard of Pomona. It's ok and quite normal if people haven't heard of Claremont McKenna. I just googled McKenna now it and seems it's pretty like it was created 60-ish years ago and started out as a men's college so maybe that's why few outside it's target audience have heard of it.

Normalize not knowing 100 different colleges. It's ok and nothing to get defensive of.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 21:05     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Pomona seems like a much worse fit for this kind of student. Very theoretical school with little real world impact. Look at CMC closely.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:50     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:So the 5C kids compare the schools to Hogwarts Houses (according to the 2 tours we went on).

Pomona = Gryffindor
CMC = Slytherin

Put the "sorting hat" on and determine which one fits your kid's personality better.

Good luck!


Interesting.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:49     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Let’s get something straight: if you’ve heard of Pomona you’ve heard of CMC. The fact is, most people haven’t heard of either. To suggest that you pick one over the other because of name recognition is ridiculous.

If you’re in business or finance, Claremont McKenna is a name that travels where Pomona can’t.


That’s a different issue. You still know both schools if you know one of them.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:47     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would pick Pomona over CMC every day. I prefer the student community (more collaborative, curious, intellectual) over CMC's relentless pre-professional vibe. Also Pomona has more name recognition and a larger, more diverse student body. There's more range and dimension at Pomona and they anchor the entire consortium. Yes, you can cross-register at the other Cs, but what college community does your DC want to reside in dorms with? they will be her roommates and floormates and first friends.



Speaking directly to your point about dorms, Pomona dorms do not have A/C and it is hot as balls in Claremont. Dd is at one 5C and her close friend is at Pomona and she’s there frequently. Other parts ita with you

same
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:46     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
So the 5C kids compare the schools to Hogwarts Houses (according to the 2 tours we went on).

Pomona = Gryffindor
CMC = Slytherin

Put the "sorting hat" on and determine which one fits your kid's personality better.

Good luck!
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:45     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We’re completely stumped on where to go. DS is generally interested in computational majors or research (not cs but using coding to do things in the sciences/social sciences). We were very impressed by CMC’s integrated sciences and heard rave reviews from students unlike what’s been said on DCUM. We also were impressed by pomona’s math department and resources. Both seemed close knit communities, but CMC students discussed more academic fit while Pomona Students social fit. Any information from parents here?

Next door, turn right then left, you will find Harvey Mudd.


Yes, get the degree at Pomona and take the occasional core at Mudd or Claremont McK.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:43     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:go to Pomona. CMC still has a few faculty ties to alt-right MAGA group connected to project 2025 Trump.

some backstory was covered in 5C newspaper:

https://tsl.news/the-claremonster-under-the-bed-the-claremont-institute-the-conservative-think-tank-from-the-claremont-colleges-behind-the-trump-administration/


eww
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:34     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Anonymous wrote:Let’s get something straight: if you’ve heard of Pomona you’ve heard of CMC. The fact is, most people haven’t heard of either. To suggest that you pick one over the other because of name recognition is ridiculous.

If you’re in business or finance, Claremont McKenna is a name that travels where Pomona can’t.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 20:25     Subject: Pomona Vs Claremont Mckenna
Let’s get something straight: if you’ve heard of Pomona you’ve heard of CMC. The fact is, most people haven’t heard of either. To suggest that you pick one over the other because of name recognition is ridiculous.