Class Registration: The Most Hectic and Overwhelming Time of the Year

professor in Buddhist robes at desk, talking with student
By Danny DeBare ‘22 The craziest time on campus isn’t during finals. It isn’t orientation or move-in day, either. No, the most hectic, overwhelming time at Pomona is class registration. A few weeks prior to registration, the course catalog goes public. Everyone spends a whole afternoon fantasizing about their perfect schedule. However, most first-years and sophomores then...
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Why I Like a Semester System

students in conga line outside
By Danny DeBare ‘22 When looking for a college that fits well, many prospective students choose to focus on specific fields of study. After all, we are talking about college, a place you go to study a subject matter. When deciphering what size and style of university (liberal arts, research university, vocational school, community college, etc.) fits best with a desired area...
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How to Start a Club (It’s Really As Easy As the Tour Guides Make It Sound)

club meeting
By Danny DeBare ‘22 When touring Pomona as a prospective student, I distinctly remember the part about clubs. From “250 clubs to join throughout the 5Cs”, to “half a million dollars the Pomona student body doles out,” clubs ground many students’ experience at Pomona. And truly, if you want to create a new experience or bring together a group of students for the first time, f...
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The 47 Bond

Cecil on Carnegie steps
By Danny DeBare ‘22 In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Pomona College is OBSESSED with the number 47. Why? Beats me. If you go to the Wikipedia page and listen to donor speeches, you might find “a reason,” but don’t believe it’s worthy of every advertisement campaign and piece of apparel this college promotes. But, whether I like it or not, this prime number reminds me ...
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Questions I Wish People Asked Me on Tours

Danny giving a tour
By Danny DeBare ‘22 Giving a tour can be really fun. When you have a group that isn’t too big–but just big enough to have a wide variety of interests and perspectives– that’s when the best energy and information flow. On the flip side, sometimes my tours resembles an audio guide, a voice in your ears that sort of just talks at you when meandering through a vaguely historical...
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Failure at Pomona

Danny with challah dough
By Danny DeBare ‘22 Failure is both the most and least talked about phenomenon at Pomona. Students at Pomona throw it into casual conversations: “Oh my gosh, I totally just failed that midterm!” Yet this over-exaggerated comment–dare I say joke­–almost rarely equates to a D or F grade. On the other hand, when not getting cast in theater productions, or not receiving specifi...
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Shattering My Routine Through a Gap Year

with friends in Ecuador
By Danny DeBare ‘22 It feels weird and, to be perfectly honest, sort of pretentious. When introducing myself on campus, I constantly find myself adding “But I took a gap year!” to almost every conversation. I am a first year. But, at the same time, I’m not; I lived in Ecuador for seven months before landing at Pomona, stretching my comfort zone in a year outside the traditio...
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