Pomona College is located in Claremont, California (think Los Angeles suburbs… even though technically, it's outside Anaheim). While Pomona is a small school with only around 1.5k undergrads, it is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium. The consortium is made up of several liberal arts schools, namely Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer, who share a singular campus. Currently, they are still test-optional, and last year, only 44% of enrolled students sent scores. Pomona is one of the wealthiest schools out there, with a $2.8 BILLION endowment. This is incredibly high for such a small student body. They also have one of the lowest acceptance rates among liberal arts schools; last year, their acceptance rate was only 6.7%.
Pomona’s supplement has three essays. Two are very short, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that this supplement is an easy A. Pomona’s hard to get into, and if you are serious about going, you want to slay the supplement. Let’s break it down:
(1) Academic Interest Statement: What do you love about the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions. (150 words)
While they say you can be undecided, don’t be undecided. You should choose a major and write with 100% certainty (even if you are on the fence). Schools don’t want to take a ton of undecided students. It makes class planning hard, and generally, they want passionate students with solid plans that will allow them to graduate on time. So, even if you are secretly undecided, fake it til you make it here. We promise they won’t hold you to what you said in your supplement once you are actually on campus.
The first step here is to choose a major. Once you have one, you want to share a short personal story about how you fell in love with the subject and how you have explored it since. This essay is really short, so you will need to pack it in. For example, if you want to study Art History, you could share a short story about loving museums as a kid and then talk about interning at a local museum, taking AP Art History and/or helping plan a community Mural day. We want to get a taste of your passion and how you have pursued it.
For the second and third questions, they allow you to choose from a short list of prompts, and we recommend some more than others.
(2) Short-Response Essay: choose to respond to one of the following three prompts in 150 words or less:
At Pomona, we celebrate and identify with the number 47. Share with us one of your quirky personal, family, or community traditions and why you hold on to it.
We really like this prompt because it allows you to share something that is probably not covered elsewhere on your app. The trick here is to get quirky. You want to choose something that feels specific and highly personal. Celebrating Christmas won’t work here, but making your own shoes? Ok, now we are listening. Specificity is your friend.
What item are you excited to bring with you to college?
This question has a secret second part that is not actually stated in the question, but you should also answer “why?” We like this question, but it is hard to answer. You need to choose something unique and have a good reason for bringing it. Much like the first question, getting quirky is helpful here. Really, this question is just an excuse to talk about something you care about. For example, if you make your own tea blends, maybe you are bringing an electric kettle. The kettle is just a way to talk about your passion for tea and how the hobby emerged.
Describe a time when you felt empowered or on top of the world?
So this is a big question for 150 words. Honestly, we like the first two more because they are a little more creative. However, this isn’t a bad question if it is what you are being pulled towards. For this essay, it's best to choose a small moment that isn’t too connected to information that they already know. What do we mean by that? Well, if your activities section includes that your volleyball team won the state championship, writing about winning the state championship isn’t that exciting. Instead, we would advise writing about the day you finally perfected your serve. Zero in on something personal… and yes, we sound like a broken record, but don’t be afraid to get quirky.
(3) Longer-Response Essay: choose to respond to one of the following three prompts in 250 words or less:
In the past few years, is there something you have changed your mind about? Why?
We love this question because it lets you show a little vulnerability. Many students think they have to know everything and never be wrong, but showing growth and change is super powerful. That being said, this essay is only 250 words, so don’t try to break off more than you can chew. Smaller and more nuanced topics will be easier to pull off here.
The “why” is also important here. Tell a good story about how your perspective shifted. It should have a beginning, middle, and end.
Reflecting on a community that you are part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?
This is a really broad question. You are part of a ton of communities. Sometimes, for some reason, students think that the only communities that “count” for this type of question are minority communities . Those are great, but there are so many different types of communities. For example, trivia teams, Girl Scout troupes, community service groups, religious organizations, pickleball teams, book clubs, Black student unions, friend groups, etc are all communities. Some may be easier to write about than others, but all of them count here. We once had a student write about his New York City block as his community.
Choose a community that means something to you and tell a story about when you learned a lesson, stepped up for something, or gained perspective while interacting with the community. This should still feel like a story that highlights a lesson or value you care about. The people around you constantly shape your values; we just want to be brought into that story and your world.
What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
So the only way to answer this question incorrectly is by choosing something that would obviously be seen. Like if you are the president of every club at your school, don’t write this about “leadership is a hidden strength.” It just isn’t. You want to surprise a reader who has already seen your entire application. They shouldn’t be able to guess the quality that you write about.
Like most of these questions, our biggest advice is to get a little quirky and tell a story. Don’t just tell us about your quality; tell us a story about either how you found out that you have it or how you use it. We really like this question because we always want our students to showcase their positive personal qualities, and this prompt is a perfect place to show one that you might not have been able to already.
Pomona’s supplement isn’t terribly long, but you have to make some decisions. Take time to choose the questions that are right for you! Also, these are short word counts. That might make it seem easier, but it usually means you will need more time to edit and make your words count. If you don’t know where to start, we've got you!
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