For the ambivalent high-schooler about to make one of the most important decisions of your life, let me alleviate some of that adolescent stress with my own humble suggestion: YES. GO WITH SAM TO PROM. Oh, and while you’re at it, consider making the much easier choice about committing Early Decision to Pomona.
It was a dark and stormy night in the winter of my senior year, minus the dark and stormy part and plus the stressful and last-minute elements, when I opted to go with Early Decision 2. Oh how I stared at the computer screen, a click away from DESTINY. Click!
Since then, I have had an incredible experience here and continue to appreciate everything Pomona has to offer. At this point, ED in my eyes no longer stands for Early Decision but rather for Ehmergawd-best-decision-I’ve-ever-made-in-my-life-Duh. So in case any of my (possibly imagined) audience seeks any more reassurance, I have a list of a few incentives for joining the Sagehen flock ASAP:
1) The Obvious
We are in beautiful Southern California! Land of sunsets, year-round flip-flops, and, if you’re like me, the unfortunate but inconsequential year-round sunburn.
Here, beach life is pretty much a… shore thing (did you sea what I did there?) Moving on: in the last two weeks, I’ve visited Laguna Beach, seen a play in LA, and tried the finest dim sum Claremont has to offer. Plus, Pomona always has Zipcars available to drive anywhere, which is really convenient for trips like these.
2) The Living Arrangements
Oh the benefits of not going to a UC, where one would have to squeeze into a claustrophobic, cubicle-sized space with two other roomies. Our first year, most of my friends and I ended up with spacious singles. Mine even has a walk-in closet (WOOT WOOT). Even this year I’m loving where I ended up, and I opted for deferred housing (leftovers, essentially). I was put into a huge, air-conditioned, balcony-accessible suite in Oldenborg, the mysterious and fabulous international dorm, with three really awesome suitemates. THANK YOU, HOUSING GODS.
3) The Professors
Tiny classes mean you actually get to know your professors, and there are many incredible, brilliant minds in the Sagehen staff. I still meet up and eat lunch with my chemistry lab professor, and several of her other past students from last year, on an almost weekly basis. Last meeting we discussed both pi and pie, (although there was more pie-based discussion than math or science). Bonus: After thoroughly enjoying my Micro Econ class two weeks into the year, I went into my professor’s office hours for a chat and mentioned that I would love to work with her if she needed any student assistants with her projects. A week later, I was hired! Now I’m learning about the wonders of being a research assistant for a creative mind, looking at the economics of sport. (Woah, look! A shameless plug for her work!).
4) The People
The brilliant minds of Pomona are not limited to the faculty, of course. At Pomona, you are surrounded by some of the most interesting, assiduous, and overall incredible people you will ever meet. At first it may feel like intimidation factor x1600, but then it becomes “Why, hello INSPIRATION factor x1600”! Trust me, my friends. I was a newcomer on the Pomona Pitzer Swim and Dive Team after leaving my club team, which I had been with for seven years. New people, new pool, new coach, and new bright orange suit, oh my! This year lacks the newness, but retained the same feeling of “Oh my lord, I am going to throw up” upon my first visit to the pool as it did last year. However, this time I felt like I was going to upchuck out of excitement! Which is obviously totally normal and great!
Alas, my fecklessness at brevity prevents me from writing more, and I must go! My team needs me!
Swimcerely,
Kyra (We’ll get to the story behind swimcerely soon enough!)