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Chat Transcript Date: September 11, 2006 Topic: Pomona CollegeChat ParticipantsArt Rodriguez, Senior Associate Dean of AdmissionsPatricia Coyle, Director of Financial Aid Eric Tang, Student Transcript: September 11, 2006. 5:00pm to 6:00pmBen Good evening everyone. Thank you for joining the QuestBridge College Chat. My name is Ben and I will be your moderator. Tonight, we have representative from Pomona College. I’ll let each of them introduce themselves. Pomona_Art Hi. I'm glad to be here and I'm happy to see that so many students are interested in learining about Pomona. Pomona_Eric Hello everyone! My name is Eric Tang and I am a senior at Pomona College. I am originally from St. Louis, MO and am a neuroscience major, psychology minor, and pre-med student. I hope that I will be able to answer your questions. moon Hello! Where is Pomona? Pomona_Art Pomona is located in Claremont, CA, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. We are in a suburban setting; a small town of about 40,000 residents. Rose What are popular majors at Pomona? Pomona_Art The most popular majors at Pomona are: Biolgy, English, Economics, Psychology/Neurscience, History, International Relations, and Politics. Kiwi What makes Pomona unique from the other Claremont McKenna Colleges? Pomona_Art Pomona is unique from the other Claremont Colleges because we offer the most comprehensive academic program. We offer 43 majors in the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. We also have a larger percentage of students, at 1500, and we enroll students from across the nation and from foreign countries. Pomona_Eric Pomona is the largest and founding member of the Claremont Colleges. It is unique from the other Claremont Colleges in that it has departments in a variety of different subjects and does not specialize in any one area. jonathanjewlim What are the Claremont Colleges and how are they related to Pomona? Pomona_Art The Claremont Colleges is a unique set-up in higher education where 5 independent, and autonomous schools sit contiguous to each other. Basically, the schools are within walking distance of one another and you can takes classes at each school and be involved in their activities, too. leetu Do you have any engineering programs? Pomona_Art We do not offer an engineering major, but we do have a 3-2 engineering program that we sponsor with CalTech or Washington University in St. Louis. Pomona_Eric We have a 3-2 engineering program at either Caltech or Washington University in St. Louis. You would spend three years at Pomona, then two years at the other university. Although Pomona does not offer any engineering courses, you may also cross-enroll at any at Harvey Mudd (one of the other Claremont Colleges) Henna Are loans a heavy portion of the financial aid package? Pomona_Patricia Henna, I am the director of financial aid at Pomona and I can tell you that loans are not a heavy percentage of the financial aid awards. Most students graduate with debt of less than $13,500 from loans in their financial aid packages. Vivian Does Pomona accept ACT scores in place of the SATs? Pomona_Art We do take the ACT scores in lieu of the SATs Vlada Does Pomona admit international students? Pomona_Patricia Vlada, Pomona does admit international students with financial aid, HOWEVER, such students must apply in a special admission category of "Admission with financial aid." This is a very competitive group and only a few are admitted each year.
QBfan What is the rate at which Pomona undergraduates get accepted into graduate schools? Pomona_Art We typically have an admit rate at 85%-95% depending on the year. For small liberal arts colleges, Pomona ranks typically 3rd or 4th for the number of alums who recieve PhDs. patty I am very involved in the visual arts and want to continue in it throughout college. Does Pomona have many opportunities for me to carry out this interest? Pomona_Eric We have many courses offered in the visual arts - photography, sculpture, digital art, drawing, and painting to name some. There are also courses offered at Scripps and Pitzer as well. kman How do IB credits work at Pomona? Pomona_Art Pomona provides credit for students who receive a 6 or 7 on an IB exam. QBfan Does Pomona allow students to convert loans to work-study like some other colleges do? Pomona_Patricia QBfan, Pomona does allow students to convert loans to work-study. jonathanjewlim Does Pomona have any required courses? Pomona_Art Pomona does require one course--all first-year students are required to take a freshman seminar. Other than that, you will be required to complete your gen. ed. courses and major requirements. cappi1223 Does pomona have a core curriculum? And if so, how is it structured? Pomona_Eric Pomona just recently revised its core curriculum. There are five areas in which students must take courses in. 1. Creative Expression (Art, English, Art History, Music, Dance, Literature Course); 2. Human Behavior and Social Institutions (Social Sciences); 3. History, Values, Ethics, and Cultural Studies; 4. Mathematical Reasoning; 5. Physical or Biological Sciences. These courses may be fulfilled at any of the Claremont Colleges. QBfan What is the faculty to student ratio at Pomona? Will I get a chance to really get to know my professors? Pomona_Art The student to faculty ration is less than 9:1. You'll get to know your professors very well and hang-out with them outside of class (if you so desire). jonathanjewlim How diverse is the student body? Are there many students from outside of California or overseas? Pomona_Art In terms of ethnic diversity, Pomona has a 35% student of color population. Only about 33% of our students are from CA, and the remaining students come from out-of-state with a 3% international contingency. mollyB Do you accept credits earned at community college? I am concurrently enrolled and have taken many classes since freshman year. Pomona_Art We will accept college credit only if it is not used for a high school requirement or graduation. Grace I'm interested in Urban Studies. Do you have a way to create your own major? Pomona_Art You can create your own major on campus working with faculty members to develop yoru course of study. jonathanjewlim What kind of opportunities do students have to interact with the faculty and/or do research? Pomona_Eric With small classes, there are plenty of times to interact with faculty - whether it be in class or during office hours (or even outside office hours). There are plenty of research opportunities available to students, even during the summer after their first-year here. We have a grant for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), which pays students to work with professors. You may also work during the year for credit, and many of the departments have funds to pay students for research in addition to SURP program. I did a SURP this summer in fact. Because there are no graduate students competing for spots, there are plenty of spaces for undergraduates to do research at Pomona. kman Do TAs teach classes? Pomona_Art There are no TAs at Pomona. You may find student assistants in lab classes, but they are they with the professor, who also teaches the lab section. Katya What is the atmosphere on campus? Do most of the students live on campus or off? Pomona_Eric Most of the social life revolves around campus or at the Claremont Colleges. About 97% students live on campus. moon Please help me get a feel for the campus: architecture, surrounding landscape etc. Pomona_Art The architecture on our campus is Spanish, Mediterranean style. You'll find a lot of white/grey colored buildings with red Spanish tiles. You can take a virtual tour on our website: http://www.pomona.edu/tours/. There are also a lot of open, green spaces for students to hangout on campus. kman How's the food? Pomona_Eric The food is pretty good considering that it is dining hall food and it is buffet-style. Also, since we are apart of the Claremont Consortium, you can use your meal plan at any of the Claremont Colleges when you get sick of Pomona's food. Lots of people like going to Scripps for Sushi Night on Fridays, and there are similar food nights at each of the other college dining halls. QBfan Is filling out the QuestBridge application better than filling out the Common Application? Pomona_Art The QB application does provide us with additional inofrmation that is not available to us if you only fill out the Common Application--it really lets us get to know you better. mollyB Do most of the students remain on campus during the weekend? Pomona_Eric Yes, the majority of students remain on campus during the weekend, mostly because there are plenty of social events going on campus. However, students do go off campus to nearby areas, such as the beach, Magic Mountain, Pasadena, etc., especially if they or their friends have a car. cappi1223 Do most students live on campus for all four years? And how are the dorms like? Pomona_Art Most of our students live on campus for their four years. For example, only about 22 students (of the 1550 we enroll) lived off campus last year. Housing is gauranteed and size the PR rates us high on our "palace like dorms," our students are generally pleased. QBfan Does Pomona offer a sports medicine program? Pomona_Art We do not offer sports medicine specifically, but student in the past who have been interested in that filed have interned with the Athletic department or participated in an internship at a hospital in the local area. Kiwi Can I be an English or Philosophy major and still be a pre-med student at Pomona? Pomona_Eric Yes, there are many students who are pre-med and major in non-science fields. However, you must still take the required pre-med courses in order to gain admission to medical schools. Pomona_Art Pomona is typically ranked in the top ten by US News and we have a high acceptance rate to graduate schools and professional programs. For those very familiar with academia, they know Pomona. Marissa How competitive is the atmosphere? Pomona_Art The atmosphere is not competitive. Most students are mostly competitive with themselves. They want to do their best, learn the material, and have fun doing it. Rose Does the financial aid we receive go towards study abroad programs? Pomona_Patricia Yes, aid can be used for all Pomona study abroad programs. Grace I'm a vegetarian. What sort of meal options do you have for people with special diets? Pomona_Eric Pomona (and the other Claremont Colleges) always have options for vegetarian and vegan students. Frary has a vegan bar (although small) and there are plenty of things to eat for vegetarians - at Pomona, the dining halls mark whether the entrees have meat, dairy, etc. in them to accomodate those with special diets. There is also an extensive salad bar available at every meal. Pomona_Art There are many vegetarians at Pomona and they are very happy with the meal selections. You can also eat meals at any of the other Claremont Colleges, so if you aren't satisfied with our options you can probably find some other options righth near by. tanabana Does Pomona offer any BA/MD combined degrees? Pomona_Eric No, we do not, although we have an exceptionally high acceptance to medical schools (approximately double the national average) Rose What is the surrounding community like? Pomona_Art We are located in a residential environment. It's a fairly quiet neighborhood with many families who live in the local community are somehow connected to the Colleges. Pomona_Eric The surrounding community is Claremont, and can be described as "the land of trees, PhDs, and retirees." It is the ideal college town, although there are nice restaurants and a couple of stores in "The Village" that are nice to go into every once in a while. Soon, they will have completed a complex in The Village with more stores, including a theatre showing non-mainstream movies. jag Concerning the substance free dorms, do contracts need to be signed in order to live in those communities? Pomona_Eric Yes, if you would like to live in on a subfree dorm, you must sign a contract on your housing form. NICR How is Pomona different from liberal arts schools in the east coast? Pomona_Art To tell you the truth, Pomona is not that different in regards to the academic program. Pomona was founded to resemble a "college of the New England type," however, where you'll find the differences are, of course, related to the weather, the student body, and campus climate. Pomona students are fun, non-competitive, and enjoy learning for the sake of learning. andreasim I'm a little concerned about my my financial situation. In addition to tuition and room/board, what other costs might my financial aid package cover? Pomona_Patricia Financial aid awards include budgets for tuition, fees, room, board, books, personal and travel expenses. When awarding financial aid, we first build a budget based on each student's individual expenes and then subtract the family's share of the expenes as determined by the financial aid application. The difference between the student's budget and the family share is the financial aid award. Some students will receive aid to cover their full budget because their families are not able to pay anything toward the college budget. doris Does Pomona offer counselors or guidances and accomodations for disabled students? Pomona_Art We do. We offer accomodations on an individual basis, and when a student arrives on campus, they can meet with the dean who is responsible for providing accomodations. Rose Does Pomona offer any business majors? Pomona_Art We do not offer a business major, but we have a major in economics. We also have a pre-business advisor who will serve as an advisor to you about applying to business schools, etc. NICR Are you in division III athletics? Pomona_Art We are a Division III school offering 10 men's and 10 women's varsity sports teams. andreasim What are the most popular student groups or activities at Pomona? Pomona_Eric There are a bunch of different student groups and activities at Pomona, but some of the most popular groups might be "On the Loose," an outdoors adventure group, and Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC), the Pomona Student Body. There are also social events on campus, which might include dance parties or big-name band that the Claremont Colleges bring in. Also, we have a movie theatre on campus that shows fairly-recent movies for just $2, and that goes on every Thurs-Friday, which is popular (since students pick the films). mollyB Do you know the percentage of Pomona grads that are accepted to Med Schools? Pomona_Eric About 90% of Pomona students who apply to medical school get in, which is about twice the national average. cappi1223 Are there many active student body organizations on campus? For example, community service clubs? Pomona_Eric There are plenty of active student body organizations. There isn't really one big community service club that everyone participants in, but there are plenty of smaller ones depending on what you are interested in. For example, there are tutoring opportunities for multiple age groups, different groups who go into less-advantaged high schools, and other random activites that the volunteer office has, like beach clean-up day. ChanceV This parent is concerned because I have heard of Pomona and what I've read on Pomona's own site is that there is ongoing racism and sexism and one of the consortium's own teachers slashed her own car tires. Has this changed in the past year? What measures have been taken? Pomona_Art This is an incident that took place two years ago and the faculty member is someone who was then teaching at Claremont McKenna College. She no longer teaches there but as a result of her actions, many positive conversations regarding discrimination, racism, and sexism were sparked on campus. As a result of this incident, the College took a very close look at the programs in place for students, insuring that support is provided to them, and the President created a task force on diversity that brings important issues and concerns to the Presidential level. These are just a couple of the examples of what has been done since the incident, but if you'd like to speak further on the issue, you can email me at art.rodriguez@pomona.edu Rose Does Pomona use the federal or institutional methodology to calculate financial aid? Pomona_Patricia Pomona uses the federal methodology to award federal financial aid and the institutional methodology to award institutional financial aid. In all cases, Pomona looks closely at each family's special circumstances. moon Do you take interviews for the admissions process? Pomona_Art Pomona does recommend interviews as part of the admissions process. These interviews can take place on campus or you can request to interview with an alumni representative in your hometown. To request either interview, call our office at (909) 621-8134. FYI, the interview just serves as another was for us to get to know you in a more intimate way in the admissions process. Grace Can freshman have cars? If not, what are options for transportation, to get to LA, the beach, etc.? Pomona_Eric Yes, freshmen can have cars. There is a metrolink station one block south of campus that leads straight into Union Station. From there, you can take different lines or bus routes to other places in LA. Also, the school has the sagehen shuttle and sagecoach. The sagehen shuttle is a van that you can pay a small fee to take a couple of your friends to wherever you want around the area. The sagecoach (which holds about 25 people) is something fairly new and the school plans out trips about every other weekend to go to certain places, like the beach, Pasadena, Disney World, the Disney Concert Hall, The Getty, etc. and the school provides the transportation for free and tickets are either free or subsidized. JOSE I know that Pomona College is part of the Claremont Colleges, but do I have to apply each of them individually or is there a single application for all? Pomona_Art You do have apply individually to each of us, but we do all accept the Common Application, tanabana How closely are the Claremont group of colleges connected - do students from Pomona take classes at Mckenna or Scripps and vice versa? Pomona_Art Yes, students take courses across the 5 colleges. It's up to you how many you choose to take, but the option is there. Abbie What's the weather like? Is it humid often? How hot does it get? Pomona_Eric The weather is great here and is arguably the best in the country! Is it never humid and there is always a dry heat. During the first 2-3 weeks of school, it can get hot (90's, lower 100's, but remember without the humidity) but it always cools down at night. The other times of the year it's very nice - in December there are people who are still sunbathing. mollyB Eric, if you were beginning college again, is there anything that you would do differently? Pomona_Eric I would probably try to get to know more people outside my sponsor group/dorm a little more since I spent so much time just hanging out with people on my floor! tanabana As a Canadian, can I apply for early decision? Pomona_Art Yes, you can apply for early decision only if you are not applying for financial aid. Abbie Do you accept the QB application by itself, or do we have to apply separately as well? Pomona_Art If you are selected as a finalist through QB (and not matched), you can also use your application to apply under our Early Decision II or Regular Decision program. tomshea Does the school offer accelerated any masters programs. (for teaching, etc) Pomona_Art Unfortunately, we do not offer an accelerated program. tanabana Is there a buddy system for freshmen to help them get used to the campus? Pomona_Eric Yes, we have something called the sponsor program, which is one of the biggest strengths that we have here. After looking at all the freshmen housing forms, three upperclassmen group people into 10-20 students who make up your sponsor group. You and your sponsor group live together in a hall with two sophomores who are your sponsors, and they are there to act as mentors, big brother/sister types, and have been trained extensively before the school year starts. If you have problems with roommates or have trouble with classes, you can talk to them. Pomona essentially gives you a group of friends when you get here so you don't have to worry about who you're going to eat meals with or hang out with during the first few weeks of school. Rose When do you recommend visiting Pomona? Pomona_Art The best time to visit Pomona is when we are in session because you then can stay overnight in the residence hall with a current student and attend classes. Use this link to see our admissions calendar: http://www.pomona.edu/adwr/admissions/Visiting/Visiting.shtml Rose For the noncustodial parent waiver forms, who should we talk to to get it completed? Pomona_Art You can contact the financial aid office at (909) 621-8205 or email financial.aid@pomona.edu. Ben I believe that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining us, and a special thanks to all the representatives from Pomona College. Pomona_Art Thanks for all your questions. Pomona_Eric Good luck with the admissions process everyone | |