Who wouldn’t want to move to California? The sun, the surf, an amazing liberal arts education? Well, that last one is a little specific. But if you are applying to Pomona College, that is exactly what you can expect.
Pomona is an elite liberal arts college in Claremont, CA. There is a lot to love about this small school. While it is a small school, it is part of a 5-college consortium, The Claremont Colleges. This means it has the best of both worlds: a small college community feel with a lot more resources than the average 1,700-student school.
Pomona is permanently test-optional, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it is easy to get into. It is a very competitive school to get into. Last year, their acceptance rate was only 6.7%. Their ED acceptance rate was a little higher at just under 14%, but make no mistake, Pomona is incredibly selective.
To get in, you need to be a great applicant. We work with hopeful applicants all the time to ensure they are the kind of student Pomona is looking for. We can help you build a dynamic resume, strategically plan your college list, and write the kind of essays that will impress Pomona. Contact us today to get your application on track!
If you are applying to elite schools like Pomona, we highly recommend working with a professional. Still, we wanted to share some of our tips for writing the Pomona supplement, as well.
The first question Pomona asks is a very short essay about academics. They ask you to choose at least one academic area of interest and then answer:
What draws you to the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If Undecided, share more about one of your academic passions or interests. (150 words or fewer)
Before you even write this question, your resume and transcript should make it pretty obvious what you want to major in. When we start working with students early, one of the first things we do is push them to pursue their academic interests outside of class. We help our students find the right internships, summer programs, clubs, research opportunities, and more to make their resumes shine.
Usually, your subject choices should align with your resume and be related. For example, we had a student who was very involved in sustainability initiatives and climate action; she selected the Environmental Analysis major with a second choice of Geology (with the Environmental Earth Science concentration) and a third in Public Policy. All of these majors would allow her to pursue her academic interests and her goal of working in sustainability policy.
If you have a really specific interest, your choice in majors might not seem related. We had a student whose major selection was #1 Art History and #2 Chemistry. This might seem random, but he wanted to be an art restorer. For him, these majors were connected; he just needed to tell that story in this essay.
Once you have selected the appropriate majors, you need to connect your interests/experiences to specific opportunities in that major. For example, our Environmental Analysis student wrote about how she became interested in climate science while interning at an NGO that worked with sea turtles. She connected that interest to Prof. Heather Williams’s work with the Woods Hole Program at Pomona.
This essay is short; you will have to make your points quickly. Give yourself time to edit.
Pomona then lets applicants choose between three prompts. You will need to choose one and respond to it in 250 words or less.
1. Reflecting on a community that you are a part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?
This is a really common question on college supplements. It is kind of a classic for a reason. For this essay, you need to tell a story about learning a lesson or exhibiting a value from a community you are a part of. Often when we are brainstorming ideas with our students for essays about community, they think they need to write about an ethnic or religious community to answer this question. You don’t. Community just means any group of people connected by a common interest or goal. This can certainly be an ethnic or religious group, but it really doesn’t need to be.
We have had students write about how their robotics team taught them to be a better collaborator; how throwing events for their school’s QSA made them realize the importance of inclusion; and how organizing a monthly craft night for them was about creativity and connection. Many different stories can answer this question. Take some time to choose the one that you believe represents you best.
2. Describe an experience you had outside the classroom that changed the way you think or how you engage with your peers. What was that experience and what did you learn from it?
This essay is at its heart about navigating a situation that changed something about your perspective. A lot of stories could fit here, but most of our students write about “disagreements” and how they navigated them. Disagreement is a broad category. We have had students write about learning to appreciate a friend’s taste in music, resolving a conflict between club board members, realizing they were too harsh to a peer’s opinion and apologizing, etc.
The important thing about this essay is not to forget to include what you learned from it. This is a great opportunity to show how you behave when you mess up, are wrong, or change your mind. How do you learn from your mistakes? Some vulnerability can be powerful in this essay.
3. Choose any person or group of people in your life and share how they would describe you.
This question is deceptively hard. If you take on this prompt, you need to be a little creative and make sure to include the implied question of “why?”
A story about how your best friend would call you dependable because you are always her ride to places works here. However, if you were our client, we would push you to get more creative. Could you write this from her perspective? Could this be more interesting in the form of a set of Letterboxd reviews? Could you ask the person and then reflect on their answer? Your family and friends probably love you unconditionally; who is the most interesting person to make this essay about?
Pomona is a California liberal arts favorite. While this draws so many of our students to it, it also makes it very competitive to get into. You need to make sure you are the total package. Luckily, we can help. No matter where you are in your college application journey, we have you covered.
Reach out today for help.