Pomona College

Pomona College is often named as one of the top five liberal arts schools in the country. The 140-acre campus is short car rides from the mountains, the beach, and the desert. Pomona College has just over 1,700 undergraduates, but the school is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium. Students have a chance to take classes at these other schools, and they often participate in social activities affiliated with them too.

Pomona College has grown to include 45 majors. The most popular programs of study include economics, mathematics, English language and literature, environmental science, and political science and government. Through the Claremont Colleges, individuals can choose from over 2,200 courses every year. (More than 80 percent of Pomona College students take at least one course from another school.) Although there is some flexibility to select their classes, students are required to take one class in each of the following subjects: Creative Expression; Social Institutions and Human Behavior; History, Values, Ethics and Cultural Studies; Physical and Biological Sciences; and Mathematical Reasoning. Class sizes remain small, with a student to faculty ratio of eight to one. About 70 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students.

There are many extracurricular activities to take part in on the Pomona campus. There are more than 200 student organizations and dozens more through the other schools. There are several newspapers, a central government, and an environmental group that is very popular. Additionally, students can participate in On the Loose (OTL), an outdoors club where students can go on camping adventures. Approximately half also choose to take part in the study abroad program. Pomona offers more than 49 programs in over 32 countries around the world. Pomona College also has a small athletic program in partnership with Pitzer College. About 20 percent of Pomona College students participate in a varsity sport and they compete with 10 men’s and 11 women’s teams in the NCAA’s Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Applicants interested in a liberal arts education will find that Pomona College has much to offer. Because students are permitted to take courses at any of the five Claremont Colleges, educational pursuits are plentiful. Pomona has also consistently been named one of the happiest colleges in the US. Individuals looking for a small, close community will fall in love with the spirit of the Claremont Colleges. They’ll also appreciate the proximity to LA and the closeness to the beach and mountains. Intimate class settings and a wide array of extracurricular activities only add to what Pomona College can bring to the undergraduate experience.