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.
As a Claremont Colleges grad, here’s my take.
Pomona is certainly considered slightly more “prestigious” than CMC. It’s consistently a top 3 liberal arts college, often ranked #1 or #2 along with Williams. It often appeals to the more pure intellectually minded. The students and faculty are absolutely top notch, with perhaps a majority of students having turned down Ivy offers in favor of Pomona.
CMC, meanwhile, has a more robust focus on “business oriented” tracts. Think economics/ finance/political studies, with a relatively strong pipeline to careers like consulting and IB. The students tend to be slightly more fratty, but also more often engaged in networking, career days, etc. I should also add that CMC students are no slouches. Rather, they’re typically just slightly less — for lack of a better word —nerdy than Pomona students.
The reality is that at either of these schools you have an excellent shot at breaking into IB. The alumni network, while likely less substantive in NYC when compared to NESCAC type colleges, is still substantial. Aiding this is that alumni tend to have a chip in their shoulder about the lack of recognition for the Claremonts (especially on the East Coast) and the fact that CMC/Scripps/PZ/HMC grads are usually more than willing to help out a Pomona grad, and vice versa. This massively expands the available networking opps. A side note would be that I know people from other 5C colleges who have gotten into the Robert Day Scholar program, though I’m not sure it’s common.
Lastly, (and this moves from somewhat-objective statements to very much my own experience) the actual college experience of the 5Cs is quite distinct. Being able to take classes across all campuses, share resources, events, recruiting days, clubs, teams, etc. helps the colleges punch above their weight. And, it drastically improved the overall college experience from both an academic and social standpoint. Since you can never be 100% sure you’ll still want to enter IB four years from now, I would not consider CMC/Pomona in isolation vs. Ivies, Amherst, Williams, [insert college here], but rather as a collective.
Anyway, hope this helps. Feel free to PM