Pomona College

Greetings From the Campus of Pomona College in Claremont, CA!

Pomona was the first of the Claremont schools to be established in 1887. It was originally conceived to be “the Ivy of the west” on its own, but later joined the consortium. With the largest student body of 1500, it has the most classes and resources. It provides a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences. Admissions likes well-rounded liberal arts students who can handle both the math/sciences and humanities. The school is highly selective with an admit rate of 16%.

The students reminded me of Stanford students: highly successful, unique students, hand-picked by Admissions to provide a diverse class with a broad range of passionate interests. The personality of a Pomona student is “hard-working and easy-going.” One student noted that after all the competition to get into a school like Pomona, they are encouraged to take some time to relax and explore. Top majors are Economics, English and Biology. 80% go on to grad school within 5 years; many are pre-med. Housing is guaranteed all years and Pomona has an unusual number of single dorm rooms.

It is a great school for someone who has a unique accomplishment, is very outgoing, and is a top student in both the humanities and sciences. Students are happy here with a 99% freshman retention rate.

View my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/PomonaCollege02# and visit www.CollegeApplicationAdvisors.com

Claremont McKenna College

Greetings From the Campus of Claremont McKenna College!

The mission of CMC is to “prep leaders in society, business, government, and all professions.” It is best known for Economics (many business courses), Government, and International Relations majors. They also have a joint science program with Scripps and Pitzer.

The key trait of a CMC student is Leadership. The students “know what they want, know where they’re going and how to get there. They lead while learning and learn about leading.” CMC students are: self-confident, outgoing, energetic, ambitious, optimistic, have a ‘can-do’ spirit and are highly involved. Many students are into intramural athletics. It is a work-hard/play hard school with a stress on teamwork. 70% of students go to grad school within 5 yrs (Law, MBA).

It’s a great school for an involved, social, and highly confident student. This campus seemed to be more “bustling” than the other Claremont Colleges. The tour guide described a very social dorm lifestyle. The acceptance rate is 19% and timid students probably won’t get past admissions. The class mix is currently 56% male, so women have an admissions advantage.

There are unique aspects of the school worth noting. First, is their Anthenaeum Speaker Series where they bring in prominent guests 4 nights/week. The night before I was there, they hosted the former President of Syria. Students even have a chance to dine at the same table with the speaker. Secondly, there is full bi-weekly housekeeping for dorm rooms. How great is that? Finally, there is “afternoon tea” with daily refreshments in the lounge with a classical pianist. The day I visited they had chocolate covered strawberries and rice krispies treats. They obviously take great care of their students.

Visit my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/ClaremoneMcKennaCollege# and my web site at www.CollegeApplicationAdvisors.com