Danny DeBare – Voices

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

Posted on April 22, 2021September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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...

Why I Like a Semester System

Posted on August 18, 2020September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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...

Religion on Campus

Posted on December 18, 2019September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

By Danny DeBare ‘22 On my gap year in Ecuador, I spent Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in a church–I figured I could only get more “religious” from there during my first year here at Pomona. Religion was a very big part of my childhood. Going to Hebrew school twice a week for seven years, having a Bar Mitzvah, and participating in a Jewish youth group throughout high sch...

The 47 Bond

Posted on September 15, 2019September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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 ...

Questions I Wish People Asked Me on Tours

Posted on August 14, 2019September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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...

Failure at Pomona

Posted on June 12, 2019September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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...

Shattering My Routine Through a Gap Year

Posted on February 28, 2019September 21, 2022 by Danny DeBare

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...