47 Reasons Why Pomona is a Special Place

One of the opportunities the Office of Admissions offers first-year students is the chance to be a Student Ambassador. After you apply, eight first-year students are chosen to give tours, host prospective students, coordinate events for the tour guide and overnight host programs, and collaborate with the Office of Admissions on other projects.

The tour guiding aspect of being a Student Ambassador is one of my favorite ways to give others a taste of Pomona. So, without further ado, here is a tour guide’s list* of 47 Reasons Why Pomona is a Special Place, in no particular order of importance:

  1. THE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE! THE PEOPLE!!!
  2. Orientation Adventure.

    Throwback to Camp OA and getting acquainted with Mother Nature!
    Throwback to Camp OA and getting acquainted with Mother Nature!
  3. The culture of inclusivity.
  4. Running through the gates on Move-In Day.
  5. Sponsor group quote boards!
  6. Themed/holiday meals at the dining hall. (Frank + Thanksgiving = Franksgiving!)
  7. The feeling that you get when you walk out of an afternoon class and the sunlight reflects off the grass of Marston Quad onto your face.

    Honestly, no photo can do Marston Quad justice. I'd recommend that you come and experience it firsthand!
    Honestly, no photo can do Marston Quad justice. I’d recommend that you come and experience it firsthand!
  8. Birthday celebrations!

    The beautiful faces of Lyon 2 Central during my birthday dinner!
    The beautiful faces of Lyon 2 Central during my birthday dinner!
  9. The communities and resource centers you can find here—the Asian American Resource Center and Asian American Mentoring Program, the Office of Black Student Affairs, the Chicano Latino Student Affairs, the Students of Color Alliance, IDEAS, the Queer Resource Center, QuestBridge, the Career Development Office, the Quantitative Skills Center, the Writing Center, and many others!
  10. The view of snow-covered Mount Baldy against a clear, sunny, brilliantly blue sky.

    Snow-covered Mount Baldy + Crookshank Hall!
    Snow-covered Mount Baldy + Crookshank Hall!
  11. 7 dining halls to choose from (perks of access to the other 5Cs!) = food gems including…
  12. Made-to-order omelets and pancakes at Frank Dining Hall.
  13. Taco Tuesday at Frank. (Shout-out to the guacamole!)
  14. Frary’s crème brûlée!
  15. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at 6:00PM sharp, weekdays at Scripps. (Be there or be square. No, but seriously. Be there.)
  16. All-you-can-eat sushi at Scripps.
  17. Made-to-order stir-fry at CMC.
  18. The wide variety of ice cream flavors at CMC (shoutout to Cookies and Cream!).
  19. Burrito night and pasta night at Pitzer.
  20. The plethora of great desserts at Pitzer.
  21. Make-your-own-pizza night at Harvey Mudd.
  22. The adorable puppies the school brings in to de-stress during Finals Week! <3
  23. The Coop Store’s perpetual stock of Naked juice.
  24. Fighting the squirrels for domination over the campus.

    Don't let this picture fool you. The squirrels here are no joke.
    Don’t let this picture fool you. The squirrels here are no joke.
  25. The harmonious mesh of voices speaking a wide variety of languages during lunch at Oldenborg.
  26. The smell of chlorine as you hug a person you just fountained. (On your birthday, we lovingly and gently lower you into one of Pomona’s many beautiful fountains!)

    My sponsor group + several of my wonderful friends after my late-night birthday fountaining.
    My sponsor group + several of my wonderful friends after my late-night birthday fountaining.
  27. How close we are to The Village.
  28. The moment the automatic doors of Pomona Hall/Sontag Hall open up and you wonder if you are really entering a residence hall.
  29. Cross-campus class enrollment.
  30. Challah bread on Thursday nights and Friday mornings.
  31. The feeling of the wind blowing past you as you bike down from North Campus to South Campus. (It’s sloped—makes for a tough bike up, but an exhilarating bike down!)
  32. Crying over papers/midterms/finals with other people in your hall at 2AM.
  33. Coop Fountain milkshakes.
  34. Drinks from The Motley at Scripps.
  35. ALL the fruit trees!
  36. The Pomona clock tower that reminds me when it’s the 47th minute of every hour.
  37. Baby Cecil the Sagehen.

    My roommate and I with our personalized Baby Cecil the Sagehen hats!
    My roommate and I with our personalized Baby Cecil the Sagehen hats!
  38. The endless stream of super interesting speaker events hosted by organizations like the Pomona Student Union.
  39. The amazing programs supported by the Draper Center for Community Partnerships.
  40. Buying out the Coop Store at the end of the semester to make sure you spend all of your Flex.
  41. The 100% need-met financial aid!!!
  42. The events put on by That Saturday Group.
  43. The long list of PE courses that Pomona offers.
  44. The beautiful, recently opened Studio Art Hall.

    PSA: You don't have to be an art major to take advantage of these beautiful facilities, so explore your horizons and discover new passions!
    PSA: You don’t have to be an art major to take advantage of these beautiful facilities, so explore your horizons and discover new passions!
  45. Walker Wall (and painting it during Orientation). <3

    My sponsor group at the Walker Wall painting during Orientation Week!
    My sponsor group at the Walker Wall painting during Orientation Week. Walker Wall is a wall of free expression, epitomizing what Pomona stands for!
  46. Perpetually great weather—the average daily temperature is around 75 degrees. (Feel free to send a friendly Snapchat to your East Coast friends who are caught in blizzards!)
  47. The fact that after I finished compiling this list, I couldn’t help but realize how blessed I am to attend this institution.

*This list was composed with the help of several wonderful individuals who shall remain unnamed.