Anatomy of a Sponsor Group

Decision day has come and gone, and now that colleges across the nation have chosen their admitted students, it's time for the critical second round of decisions to be made by the students themselves. Last February, when I was added to the class of 2017 Facebook group, none of the admitted students who would become this year's Pomona freshmen had any decisions to make. We we...
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Bracketology, or How to Pick a College

It's that time of the year again. No, I'm not talking about spring break, mating season for half of the world's animals, or the looming start of major league baseball. It's March Madness time. Picking brackets is something of an art and a lottery at the same time. Statistically, those who spent weeks researching the 68 teams in the tournament fare no better than those who le...
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A Crash Course in… Academic Conferences?

For the budding academic, one of the more intimidating aspects of conducting research is having to actually present it when you’re finished! As an undergraduate student, I’m only just getting my feet wet with research (primarily in the field of psychology) so I haven’t had the chance to present research at a large conference, but watching my friends anxiously prepare to present...
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Pets and Dorms

Before you ask if pets are even allowed in Pomona's dorms, here's the answer, from the Residence Hall page on the school's website: "Pets are not permitted in the residence halls unless they are small, consistently caged, legal in California, benign, non-poisonous, and not objectionable to staff or other residents in the living area. Dogs and cats are prohibited." About a mo...
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Dealing with Rejection: A Four-Fold Breakdown

As spring draws near, the time of rejection letters (and hopefully acceptance letters) is upon us. Schools, potential employers and summer opportunity program coordinators are deciding whom they wish to accept and whom they wish to deny. Rejection is an inevitable part of life and, though never pleasant, it may be transformed into a positive force if handled well. The following...
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The Real Group Comes to Claremont!

Pomona College is conveniently situated in the heart of Southern California, less then an hour east of Los Angeles or north of Orange County. Catching a concert in Hollywood, taking a trip to Disneyland or Six Flags, or going to a Clippers game are just some of the things on the long list of things students can indulge in while living in Claremont. Throughout the semester, Pomo...
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Phase Changes

The first official day of spring is less than two weeks away, although if you just looked at the weather forecast of our "winter," you would have thought that spring came several weeks ago. With spring comes: (a) warmer weather, (b) longer days, (c) pollen, (d) pollen allergies, and (e) sponsor selection. Like most other experiences that I've had as a sponsor, watching some of ...
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Five Classes ( + Two More!)

When I was looking at colleges, I procrastinated for hours browsing the incredible variety of classes I would soon be able to take. After I was admitted to Pomona, I went through their entire catalog and made a list of every class I was interested in (I won’t tell you how long it was; suffice it to say it was more than three times the number I could ever take). So when I had so...
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Reading on Rainy Days: How to Know You’re in the Right Major

Because I've lived all my life in Southern California, where life moves quickly in perpetual forward motion, rainy days feel like free passes to me. Waking up on a day where the sky is gray and the air feels slow and thick with rain makes me feel like everything that was so important yesterday can wait to be accomplished when the sun comes out again. On rainy days, all I wa...
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