Hi, current senior here debating between these 2 colleges (applying since they both have deadlines soon). I've heard that Pomona is more academic and potentially more "prestigious", but CMC is more pre-professional and better for IB. Is this a valid assessment? And would you recommend CMC over Pomona then?
Also, do either of these have presence in NYC?
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Does it have to be a Cali school? Both are wonderful colleges but if you're thinking of placing in NYC I would recommend considering a Northeast LAC like Williams / Middlebury / Amherst / Bowdoin, etc. There's lots of alumni on Wall Street from these schools and alumni networking is huge.
I'm already applying to those! Also considering Vassar/Colby, would those be good choices as well?
Awesome! Honestly I think Colby would give you a better shot. At least at my firm there’s more Colby grads than Vassar ones.
Bowdoin and Williams definitely punch above their weight in terms of placement per headcount. However, you can't beat the SoCal weather and location. I would agree that Pomona is slightly more "prestigious" based on their selectivity but I'd say the difference is negligible. Pick based on your gut, student body, location, and financial aid. Both are amazing schools, congrats!
If you got into these schools, you're generally academically strong enough to have a shot at the Ivies. Unless you're CA inclined, why not wait for a better opportunity?
I'm currently applying, so there are other schools on my list as well. Would you recommend Vassar or Colby?
Oh, you're currently applying for next year? I'd take a shot at all 8 Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Chicago, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, etc
Apply to both?
Neither are really good for breaking into IB since they have no alumni presence
There's not much structured OCR except for GS in NY but saying CMC has no alumni presence is laughable, especially when you consider the class size of the school. Only 30-40ish kids from CMC and perhaps 10ish Pomona kids even attempt to recruit really so there's also not much competition either. And most people definitely rate both higher than most of the NESCACs (roughly similar to Williams/Amherst and slightly above Midd) in terms of prestige.
CMC also has a program called Robert Day Scholars which gives scholarship money and often provides an inside track into IB recruiting.
Would you recommend CMC over Pomona if I had to pick one then?
Bump
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