Professors – Page 5

Tips for Incoming New Students (or, Mistakes I’ve Made Over the Past Three Years)

Posted on September 25, 2018September 21, 2022 by cyhg2015

By Cheryl Yau '19 As one of the Head Mentors for the International Student Mentor Program (ISMP), I have had the opportunity to interact with many new students. Questions I’m often asked include: what would you have done differently? What do you wish you had known as a new student? Unsurprisingly, there are many things I wish someone had told me, and, with that, here is Cher...

An Ode to the Mentor Session

Posted on April 5, 2018September 21, 2022 by Eric Gofen

By Eric Gofen '19 Like wild animals around the watering hole, students gather in classrooms the night of the mentor session. Instead of a silent room of independent workers, the space is ripe with voices from every direction. Students sit together at tables discussing proof ideas and checking calculations. The energy is palpable. Their instinctual purpose may be fi...

Competence, Confidence and Creativity

Posted on March 19, 2018September 21, 2022 by Sophia Sun

By Sophia Sun '18 As a senior who has strived to fully engage intellectually and socially in the opportunities that Pomona College offers, I’ve realized that the heart of the liberal arts education is not anti pre-professionalism; rather the heart of the liberal arts education involves being self-reflective, throughout the process of learning, about how you can extract trans...

This Mystical Number 47

Posted on December 12, 2017September 21, 2022 by Toran Langford

By Toran Langford ’21 It’s a cool morning, and my room is dark. The first thing I see is “8:47 AM” on my clock. Then I look at my phone; it’s at 47% battery. “Ok, be cool … there’s nothing going on!” I want to explore how magical this number really is. Ever since I’ve come to this campus, it’s like that number literally pops up everywhere, and my friends say the same...

Got Math?

Posted on November 13, 2017September 21, 2022 by Eric Gofen

By Eric Gofen '19 On Thursday nights Pomona students flock to the math lounge. Troves of Sagehens pause their studying and extracurricular activities to partake in a small feast. They might come for Trader Joe’s chips, but they stay for the mathematical banter. Math Snack is just one activity the department puts on each week. Others include Math Lunches, Colloquium ta...

Junior Year Semester One Reflections: Debussy, and a Memo for My Future Self

Posted on December 21, 2016September 21, 2022 by April Xiaoyi Xu

The gentle softness. A dialogue where the two of them find phrases slipping naturally out of their inner souls, flowing, overlapping with each other at times and pausing for a restful break at others… That sheer sense of indescribable serendipity and relaxation that render you speechless: a quiet observer to this brave new world where you anticipate the unknown rises and falls....

Halfway Through College! Sophomore Year Reflections and Summer Plans

Posted on May 17, 2016September 21, 2022 by April Xiaoyi Xu

It’s that time of the year again: Finals, followed by Commencement (goodbye, seniors, I will miss you…) and SUMMER! I have one more final project to work on, so this is a good time to jolt down some quick reflections on the semester and a few words about my summer plans. This week is atypical of my finals’ weeks at Pomona so far since I don’t have any traditional in-class fi...

A Wild Professor Chase: On Office Hours

Posted on January 28, 2016September 21, 2022 by April Xiaoyi Xu

If you were to dive into my iCal or folders, you would be sure to find tons of documents labeled “OH”. It’s not an exclamation, as much as I am always excited about it. Instead, “OH” is my abbreviation for Office Hours, a particularly defining element of my college experience. Somehow, I’ve always had a romanticised picture in my mind of what Office Hours would be like: a co...

M.A.id in Waiting: Applying to Graduate School

Posted on January 28, 2016September 21, 2022 by Eron Smith

“Goodbye! We love you! Safe travels! See you at graduation!” This is how my grandparents saw me off after our winter visit together. There’s really not much use denying it any more: I will (hopefully) be graduating from college in 2016. It’s a pretty chilling feeling to watch the ball drop on a new year that matches your “Class of.” As I’ve written somewhat melodramatically ...

A Semester of Classes I Loved

Posted on December 24, 2015September 21, 2022 by Madeleine Colvin

Classes ended on December 9, and I can now say with certainty that this was the best semester I've ever had in terms of classes. As a senior who has already completed all of my general education and International Relations major requirements, I had a ton of freedom in choosing my classes this semester. I ended up with four amazing classes, which I will summarize here for you: ...