As a senior deciding between these two schools, I was wondering if there's a substantive difference between them in terms of banking. Both seem to get most of the BB firms recruiting on campus, but is it easier to break through with one school or the other?
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Personally would go to Pomona (non career reasons, just beautiful school and awesome area). But finance/banking I would go for Amherst 10 times out of 10- neither has an enormous presence in banking, but Amherst 1. has the location (proximity to NYC and a fair number of alumni willing to help you out), and it is a target for a number of NYC banks. Pomona sends pretty few students to NY for banking, and the offices on the west coast fill most of their classes with Stanford/Berkeley/UCLA--I'm sure Pomona takes a few slots but certainly not many. Both great schools, can't go wrong.
Amherst
Amherst has much better recruiting. It's closer to NY - firms mostly come to Pomona / Claremont for LA office hiring. Pomona recruiting is basically CMC recruiting; the opportunities are quite similar, to give you a better picture of Pomona's opportunities. MBB might have a slight Pomona bias vs CMC.
At Amherst, you're competing with more candidates for NY spots, but there are so many more openings. LA offices at BBs take 3 - 4 interns per year. A few Claremont College students make it to NY, but it's not too common.
That said, I'd honestly pick based on fit. You will get a banking job from either one if you are thinking about it from freshman year.
Congrats! Definitely Amherst if you want to be on East Coast. Amherst has a strong presence at most BBs and alumni are very supportive.
If you want a job, Amherst. If you want a better overall college experience, Pomona. Both are good schools but no doubt Amherst has a better reputation.
I personally choose Pomona but I have a west coast bias.
I'm a sophomore at one of the 5Cs, and I have a friend who is working IB for GS in SF who went to Pomona. Easier to get into banking from Amherst... maybe though I don't doubt that you will have much more competition. A quick search on LinkedIn will reveal a fair amount of Pomona alum working in finance in NYC. If you ultimately want to work on the West Coast, then I would encourage you to attend Pomona College. Also, honestly you should base such a decision on where you think you will have the best experience. If you do well at Pomona (i.e. high GPA), then lots of doors are open to you. Without the high GPA, Amherst is probably a better bet. Cheers!
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