College?!?!?!
Where did the time go?
I’ll admit that, since I was a little kid, I had a clear picture of myself attending post-secondary school. It was just natural: Academics were important to my family, and I valued it greatly. But as a child growing up in Ontario, California, the prospect of “college” simply seemed an idea that would take an eternity to take fruit. Silly, though. I’m going to be a college first-year in a matter of days. Friends and family are excited for me. “Where are you going?” they ask. I answer, Pomona College… in Claremont. “Oh.”
So: Why did I choose Pomona, if the name “Pomona” only warrants an “Oh”?
When searching for colleges, I initially sought a private, liberal-arts school of the New England sort. I laid my eyes on the East; California, I thought, had nothing to offer. Somehow, though, I stumbled upon Pomona and thought applying was worth a shot. The school was close by to my house, and I took full advantage of the fact; I visited the campus multiple times, and I engaged myself in all the school had to offer. I had an overnight stay, visited classes, and spoke with students, faculty, and staff. I began to fall in “like” with the school, and I began to fall in “love” with the idea of my going there for four years.
(Simply put: When I visited other schools after having been admitted, I didn’t ever feel this sense of “oh my gosh I want to go here I can totally picture it this is perfect for my life it will be amazing.” I could have a California bias for the beach; the sun; LA; or saying “like,” like, every sentence, but I don’t think this is the case. I honestly liked the school, the location, and the idea, much, much more than, like, any other I’d visited.)
In short, I loved the campus, the people, and the environment, the opportunities that are available, the 5Cs, the small-yet-big feel, and mostly everything in between. I felt the college “fit” me perfectly. I encourage anyone interested in Pomona (or any other school, for that matter) to see what I mean. Surely, Pomona isn’t for everyone. But though I have yet even to begin my schooling there, I have a feeling that students at Pomona chose their school for the same reasons, not because they wanted an “Oh” or a “Wow” or any of that. I like that feeling, and I really can’t imagine myself realizing this college “idea” I had way back then at any other place than Pomona College. Lastly:
I think Katy Perry speaks some truth in “California Gurls”: You could travel the world / But nothing comes close to the Golden Coast.