Pomona College has everything you might expect from one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges. But before you assume it's generic, consider that it is within an hour of mountains, deserts, beaches, and the country’s second largest city. Pomona’s Los Angeles-adjacent location is as stellar a launching pad for those in the arts as those interested in tech. Whether you want to explore an internship in the entertainment industry or in medical research, you will have easy access to opportunities. Through Pomona’s PCIP program, students can also secure funding for summer internships anywhere in the U.S. or abroad. About half of Pomona's students study abroad, choosing among 63 programs in 36 countries. 

Pomona is one of the five Claremont Colleges, a consortium that enables its students to cross-register for over 2,700 classes and connect with over 6,000 peers across their campuses. The five colleges are located within a square mile, so it’s easy to walk to a class, club meeting, or dining hall on a neighboring campus. Resource centers like the QRC (Queer Resource Center), OBSA (Office of Black Student Affairs), CLSA (Chicano/Latino Student Affairs), and the McAlister Center for Religious Activities serve all the Claremont Colleges and two graduate institutions, ensuring vibrant mentor programs and resources for the diverse student body. Reflecting Pomona’s commitment to access and equity, their student body encompasses 62.5% domestic students of color and 14.3% international students (from 51 countries).

So even though Pomona’s small classes (averaging 15), strength across the curriculum (with 48 majors), and tight-knit residential life (4 years guaranteed housing) might seem common, Pomona College is definitely unique. Founded in 1887, in a state whose motto is “Eureka!”, Pomona College prides itself on being an incubator for ideas. The combination of a rigorous and interdisciplinary academic curriculum, faculty who challenge and support students in equal measure, and a talented and diverse student community leads to amazing outcomes for Pomona alumni. In fact, Pomona alumni have founded 260+ start-up companies in media and advertising, healthcare, biotech, fintech, and more, raising $20.5 billion in venture capital. And in 2020, Jennifer Doudna ’85 was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her pioneering discovery of the gene-editing tool CRISPR. “I am grateful to Pomona every day, honestly,” Doudna said, “because it was a liberal arts education that exposed me to so many ideas that I would never have come in contact with, probably, without having attended Pomona.”

Fun fact: Orientation Adventure is one of the most popular elements of Pomona’s first-year orientation. Orientation Adventure allows students to meet new people, build skills, and transition to Pomona while exploring the diverse wilderness, cultural, and entertainment options in and around Los Angeles, California.