DCUM Forum

Anonymous

03/23/2025 19:59 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

I'm so proud of whoever has the decision between two amazing institutions. That is amazing!

Anonymous

03/23/2025 19:04 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

"Harvard Westlake in the LA area, is one of the biggest Ivy feeders of all and sends large numbers of kids into NE SLACs."

Not really. Last year they sent 15 to Harvard and 0 to Swat, 1 to Williams, etc. 3 to Swat in 5 years, 8 to Williams. 51 to Harvard alone.....

7 to Pomona in 5 years, though it is just down the freeway. Most of these WASP numbers are athletes. Top students simply don't go to these schools -- for whatever reason -- from HW.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:59 Subject: Re:Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The C5 have a bit of a monopoly on smart CA kids who want a LAC while staying on the west coast. Pomona was high on my kids list but she ultimately chose to go east. They all have their vibes but are more academically similar than different. The C5 model is a special resource to those who attend.

"The C5 have a bit of a monopoly on smart CA kids who want a LAC while staying on the west coast"- I mean, where else would they go? Reed?

In any case, it is my experience (I live in CA) that [b]most high-achieving students in CA do not want LACs, on the West Coast or not. At our well-known CA private, very few go to WASP, other than athletes. The target is almost exclusively T15 universities.

. It is very true that high achieving students and parents in wealthy suburban locations are name conscious prestige seekers so would look down their nose at WASP. [/b]Most of the students that choose to attend these schools fortunately aren’t concerned with name recognition and it doesn’t make them lesser than those who attend Ivy's and Stanford. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing to be at a college where everyone is super smart and accomplished but laid back and out of the pressure cooker shark tanks that most private HS’s have become. It pays dividends to do well at WASP-employers and top grad schools more than know and appreciate these students!

I think that is a very interesting comment that I would only partially agree with.

About 15% of the students at any of the NESCAC LACs along with Swat, Haverford, Vassar, etc. come from CA so they do get many CA students even if you do not see the level of passion that appears on DCUM at times.

In the South bay area there is a huge population of Asian and East Asian families who actually know almost nothing about the US college system yet believe that they know much. They hugely desire the top UCs (UCB, UCLA) and focus on the T10/20 schools in STEM fields. They are prestige focused and I would agree that they predominantly shun LACs because LACs aren't known in their social circles.

If you step beyond that bubble it quickly changes, especially among "those who actually know". The Harker School is a fantastic school, very tech focused and highly desired and populated by the Asian tech community and it sends some to LACs but LACs are not a focus; Harker is really focused on the STEM and the T10. Further up the peninsula things change. Menlo school, Castelleja, and Crystal Springs Uplands (all favorites of Stanford faculty) send huge numbers to SLACS, particularly NE SLACs. Head-Royce in the east bay (popular with Berkeley staff) sends large numbers to NE SLACs. Branson and University High school (a lot of SF Finance and law families) send large numbers to the NE SLACs. All of them also send kids to the C5.

Harvard Westlake in the LA area, is one of the biggest Ivy feeders of all and sends large numbers of kids into NE SLACs.

It comes down to the communities knowledge and focus for the most part but SLACs are very popular for kids from the very top privates whose parents understand the US system. One other thing is very clear at most of these schools and that is that Public Flagships are not top choices for anyone. They are generally very under represented (except for kids from Harker into UCB and UCLA) as destinations for kids from these top schools.

Serious question. Did you really expect people to read this wall of text? I certainly didn’t.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:58 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:DC is down to these two options.
Prospective Math major, loves hiking and exploring places. Dc really wants an environment where there’s a good math community and opportunities (read: interesting math specialties or courses or research opportunities). DC loves small school environment and smaller classes. He loved the tutorial system/WEPO when he toured Williams but found the students kind of cold. We’ve yet to visit Pomona, but he really likes what he’s seen so far.

Anyone with experience with both and how you’d go about choosing?

This reflects our impression as well, on both points.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:54 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

At this level it is personal preference and "rankings" are splitting hairs. It is all about fit. We are not comparing one of these schools to multi-directional flyover state university.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:47 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

What would make it great enough? I feel like you added very little by not being specific. It’s great that you find these schools important, but what offerings does Williams have that blows it over the water? What is Pomona lacking? These are the things worth discussing.

One of these schools isn’t better than the other, it is a matter of fit.

People argue about which SLAC is better but that is a false conversation. The top 20 SLACs are all better for undergraduate education than any other alternative. It is the model which is superior and the search should be for fit.

Wrong. Williams is in a tier by itself as the best LAC and continues to be the best lac decade over decade.

You probably believe, likewise, that Princeton is the #1 university in the country.

Because it is

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:46 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

What would make it great enough? I feel like you added very little by not being specific. It’s great that you find these schools important, but what offerings does Williams have that blows it over the water? What is Pomona lacking? These are the things worth discussing.

One of these schools isn’t better than the other, it is a matter of fit.

People argue about which SLAC is better but that is a false conversation. The top 20 SLACs are all better for undergraduate education than any other alternative. It is the model which is superior and the search should be for fit.

Wrong. Williams is in a tier by itself as the best LAC and continues to be the best lac decade over decade.

You probably believe, likewise, that Princeton is the #1 university in the country.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:43 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

What would make it great enough? I feel like you added very little by not being specific. It’s great that you find these schools important, but what offerings does Williams have that blows it over the water? What is Pomona lacking? These are the things worth discussing.

One of these schools isn’t better than the other, it is a matter of fit.

People argue about which SLAC is better but that is a false conversation. The top 20 SLACs are all better for undergraduate education than any other alternative. It is the model which is superior and the search should be for fit.

Wrong. Williams is in a tier by itself as the best LAC and continues to be the best lac decade over decade.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:41 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

What would make it great enough? I feel like you added very little by not being specific. It’s great that you find these schools important, but what offerings does Williams have that blows it over the water? What is Pomona lacking? These are the things worth discussing.

One of these schools isn’t better than the other, it is a matter of fit.

People argue about which SLAC is better but that is a false conversation. The top 20 SLACs are all better for undergraduate education than any other alternative. It is the model which is superior and the search should be for fit.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:35 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

What would make it great enough? I feel like you added very little by not being specific. It’s great that you find these schools important, but what offerings does Williams have that blows it over the water? What is Pomona lacking? These are the things worth discussing.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:34 Subject: Pomona Vs Williams

I find that knowledge of schools like these is a great test of basic cultural literacy. I work with some people who think they know everything but have never heard of these schools and/or do not understand their value proposition. Going to these schools is a good way to exclude people like that from your life, which is a good thing.

I think it is largely a geography question. Pomona is a great place but not great enough for me to send my kid across the country when there is an offer at Williams. I love Williams and its culture but I could see why others might not.

Anonymous

03/23/2025 18:03 Subject: Re:Pomona Vs Williams

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The C5 have a bit of a monopoly on smart CA kids who want a LAC while staying on the west coast. Pomona was high on my kids list but she ultimately chose to go east. They all have their vibes but are more academically similar than different. The C5 model is a special resource to those who attend.

"The C5 have a bit of a monopoly on smart CA kids who want a LAC while staying on the west coast"- I mean, where else would they go? Reed?

In any case, it is my experience (I live in CA) that [b]most high-achieving students in CA do not want LACs, on the West Coast or not. At our well-known CA private, very few go to WASP, other than athletes. The target is almost exclusively T15 universities.

. It is very true that high achieving students and parents in wealthy suburban locations are name conscious prestige seekers so would look down their nose at WASP. [/b]Most of the students that choose to attend these schools fortunately aren’t concerned with name recognition and it doesn’t make them lesser than those who attend Ivy's and Stanford. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing to be at a college where everyone is super smart and accomplished but laid back and out of the pressure cooker shark tanks that most private HS’s have become. It pays dividends to do well at WASP-employers and top grad schools more than know and appreciate these students!

I think that is a very interesting comment that I would only partially agree with.

About 15% of the students at any of the NESCAC LACs along with Swat, Haverford, Vassar, etc. come from CA so they do get many CA students even if you do not see the level of passion that appears on DCUM at times.

In the South bay area there is a huge population of Asian and East Asian families who actually know almost nothing about the US college system yet believe that they know much. They hugely desire the top UCs (UCB, UCLA) and focus on the T10/20 schools in STEM fields. They are prestige focused and I would agree that they predominantly shun LACs because LACs aren't known in their social circles.

If you step beyond that bubble it quickly changes, especially among "those who actually know". The Harker School is a fantastic school, very tech focused and highly desired and populated by the Asian tech community and it sends some to LACs but LACs are not a focus; Harker is really focused on the STEM and the T10. Further up the peninsula things change. Menlo school, Castelleja, and Crystal Springs Uplands (all favorites of Stanford faculty) send huge numbers to SLACS, particularly NE SLACs. Head-Royce in the east bay (popular with Berkeley staff) sends large numbers to NE SLACs. Branson and University High school (a lot of SF Finance and law families) send large numbers to the NE SLACs. All of them also send kids to the C5.

Harvard Westlake in the LA area, is one of the biggest Ivy feeders of all and sends large numbers of kids into NE SLACs.

It comes down to the communities knowledge and focus for the most part but SLACs are very popular for kids from the very top privates who's parents understand the US system. One other thing is very clear at most of these schools and that is that Public Flagships are not top choices for anyone. They are generally very under represented (except for kids from Harker into UCB and UCLA) as destinations for kids from these top schools.