classes – Voices

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

Posted on April 22, 2021 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...

What Time Is It? DECISION TIME

Posted on April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 “AHHHHH I GOT IN!” We’ve all heard the screams, we’ve all watched the reaction videos, and some of us have even screamed those same words ourselves. The college application process is tough: which schools should I apply to? Who should I ask to write my letter of recommendation? Can I even afford to go to this school? Though for some, the decision proces...

How To Make Friends At Pomona

Posted on April 12, 2021April 12, 2021 by Tina Brooks

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, 2021 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, 2021 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...

Braving Office Hours

Posted on March 8, 2021 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...

Memories of Mentorship

Posted on February 19, 2021February 15, 2021 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...

4+7 Things I Realized About Pomona as a Sophomore

Posted on February 9, 2021February 8, 2021 by Chris Meng

By Chris Meng ’23 It’s hard to believe that I am starting my second semester of my sophomore year. At the end of May, I will be halfway done with college, and I will have somehow reached the age of 21. Over my nearly two-month winter break, I spent a lot of time with family and friends (mostly virtually), having conversations with them and myself that gave me a chance to ref...

First-Year Course Registration, Or The Subtle Art of Not Knowing What You Are Doing

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Nelia Perry

By Nelia Perry ‘24 About a week before fall registration, I decided to make a table outlining all of the classes I intended to take for the next four years. That’s eight semesters, four classes each, for a total of 32 classes. At first, that seems like a lot. It’s plenty of room to explore different subjects and take classes outside of your major. But, in the process of plan...

Not an Ordinary Breakfast

Posted on January 22, 2021January 20, 2021 by Sophia Augustine

by Sophia Augustine ‘23 “Professor Abrams, would you like to grab a meal sometime?” First-semester first years, my friend and classmate Emily and I sent this email to our remarkable Intro to Cognitive Science professor, Lise Abrams. Although class sizes are very small, and a massive part of Pomona’s appeal is the supposedly tight-knit relationships between students and p...