First-year Experience – Page 5

Embracing My Inner Grandma

Posted on June 10, 2021September 21, 2022 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 I feel like I’ve been sprinting these past five years, thinking that if I stop, I’ll trip and fall. Growing up, my parents emphasized two things: “Education comes first” and “Take advantage of every opportunity.” When I started my first year of high school I clung onto these phrases and made sure to fill my schedule with difficult classes and many extracur...

Semester Wrap Up: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted on May 13, 2021September 21, 2022 by Nelia Perry

By Nelia Perry ‘24 With the semester coming to an end and finals fast approaching, I thought I could shine some light on what the end of a (virtual) semester looks like at Pomona. There are good things, bad things, and maybe a few ugly things thrown in as well. While “the good” comes first in the saying, I like to save the best for last, so let’s start with “the ugly.” Fi...

How To Make Friends At Pomona

Posted on April 12, 2021September 21, 2022 by Bryce Kelly

Bryce running with his classmates through the gates, beginning of his first year

Bryce Kelly ‘23 This is decision season! People from all over the world are making the final choice to come to Pomona. After so much confusion and anxiety, congratulations on completing a chapter of your life and beginning a new one. Since you no longer have to worry about which college you’ll get into/attend, your brain might find something else to feel dread about in its p...

Admit Advice

Posted on April 5, 2021September 21, 2022 by Oluyemisi Bolonduro

dark photo of students with POM 47 in green

By Oluyemisi Bolonduro ’23 Salutations! This is a follow up to my blog Application Advice. I’m going to assume that you’re reading this as a Pomona admit (if I’m wrong you can cackle at your screen and enjoy the rest of your day with a smile). Continuing with this assumed audience, I offer congratulations on your acceptance! If you don’t know, we Sagehens have a huge thin...

Mentorship at Pomona

Posted on April 1, 2021September 21, 2022 by Nelia Perry

By Nelia Perry '24 Transitioning to college, navigating college, and transitioning out of college can be stressful, overwhelming, and confusing to manage. But you do not have to face these stages alone at Pomona! Whenever people talk about layers, they use an onion as a metaphor, so I guess I will do the same here: Pomona mentorship is like an onion; it has many layers. Thes...

Just Do It: Applying for Internships

Posted on March 29, 2021September 21, 2022 by Sonam Rikha

laptop shows a guide to writing cover letters

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 Clarification: This post is not sponsored by Nike or Shia Labeouf, though if you are a Nike representative looking to collaborate please contact me at… “Just do it!” an overly dramatic and visibly angry Shia Labeouf screamed through my screen. While this phrase was definitely not coined by the outdated celebrity, his uncomfortable “motivational” video h...

Letters of L♡ve

Posted on March 15, 2021September 21, 2022 by Oluyemisi Bolonduro

By Oluyemisi Bolonduro ‘23 During Claremont Christian Fellowship’s (CCF) post-Friday Fellowship, two acronyms were dropped. The first was DMC, “deep meaningful conversation.” The second was H2HC (not a molecule), “heart to heart chat.” I had both of these that night. My original plan was to say hello for a short amount of time and vanish for the night (vanishing is me cur...

Braving Office Hours

Posted on March 8, 2021September 21, 2022 by Nelia Perry

small white dog in costume with sign encouraging voting

By Nelia Perry ‘24 So, you’ve decided to attend a small college––meaning you must be interested in close student-to-faculty relationships. But, if you’re anything like me, you’re wondering how to actually create a close relationship with a professor. First of all, let me say not all of the work is on your part. AND, the work that is on you, isn’t actually all that muc...

Tackling Imposter Syndrome at Pomona College

Posted on February 25, 2021September 21, 2022 by Hayeon Lee

screenshot of unmute and start video buttons on zoom

By Hayeon Lee ‘23 Have you ever felt like you don’t belong in an environment where everyone else seems more capable? More at home? When you begin to feel the icky feelings of Imposter Syndrome, know that you are not alone. During the summer of 2020, I had the pleasure of interning for the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships as a Communications Int...

Memories of Mentorship

Posted on February 19, 2021September 21, 2022 by Oluyemisi Bolonduro

By Oluyemisi Bolonduro ‘23 People are oftentimes surprised when I say I don’t like working in teams, it’s strange coming from someone who frequently does group activities. This is because I grew up in competitive environments. My high school ranked the students with the top 25 GPAs, and many students in my class invested time into tracking who applied and got accepted into w...