Q&A with a Geology Major

Dede in puffer jacket, kissing a stuffed bison, with snowy mountains in background
By Siena Swift ’23 This week I interviewed Bert & Rocky’s-loving Dede Chapline ‘23, who is one half of the iconic snake mom, OKC superstars duo with last week’s interviewee Lilly Haave (see “Q&A with a Transfer Student” for further explanation). This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.  Q: Can you please introduce yourself? A: My name i...
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Q&A With a Transfer Student

group of students sitting in chairs outside eating pizza
By Siena Swift ‘23 Transferring to a different college is a big decision. This week, I interviewed my friend and housemate, Lilly Haave, about her experience transferring from Barnard College to Pomona College. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Q: Could you please introduce yourself?  A: My name is Lilly. I transferred from Barnard after my...
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Wildly Unprepared in Vancouver

Siena in Stanley Park
By Siena Swift ‘22 The first independent trip I went on was spring break of my first year in college. It was the first time I had organized an entire trip, bought plane tickets and rented an AirBnB. I traveled from Ontario Airport (about a 15-minute drive from campus) to Seattle, where my friend picked me up. I stayed with her at her grandparents’ house in Gig Harbor, an hou...
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5 Things I Miss About College

"Urban Light" at LACMA
By Siena Swift ‘22 Since I filed for a leave of absence from Pomona College for the fall semester, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much I will miss my college community and Claremont itself during this time. I think most of us miss “normal” (i.e. pre-COVID) life: going out to restaurants, concerts, hugging people outside of your family, being able to be in a room without ...
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Two Years, Five Highlights

light show at concert
By Siena Swift ‘22 Since Pomona College announced we would be online only for the fall semester, I’ve been reflecting a lot about my time at college. I have a big decision ahead of me: should I take online classes or take a leave of absence from college and hope that I’ll be back on campus soon? Thinking about some of my favorite memories from my first two years at Pomona, a...
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Favorite Foods: Claremont Village Edition

a pizza
By Siena Swift ’22 When The Claremont Colleges announced in March that classes would be going online and I was packing up to move home, there were many things I was worried about. But one thing that didn’t cross my mind was how much I would miss eating food that I didn’t cook myself. In fact, I was excited to get to cook and bake again at home. But after three months of being ...
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It’s Really Not About the Major

TSL staff second year
By Siena Swift ’22 These days, most high school students are pressured to decide on a major, if not an academic field, before applying to college. Many colleges or universities require you to apply into a major or school within the university, and transferring into a different major can often be difficult. I personally didn’t think about these issues when applying to college...
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The Best Last-Minute Decision of My Life

Siena with friends on Claremont hike
By Siena Swift ‘22 My journey to Pomona College seems to be a little different from those around me. A lot of my friends applied early decision or knew that Pomona was one of their top choices. In my case, I applied to Pomona on a whim of sorts. My dad suggested that I check out the Claremont Colleges because he knew of them from attending UCLA. However, I had my heart set o...
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