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How to Answer the 2025-26 Pomona College Supplemental Essay Prompts
By
Savannah Dawson
Prior to coming to Scholarships360 for her first internship in 2022, Savannah utilized her campus publications by joining various fashion publications that are offered at Ohio University. One of those publications is Thread Magazine, where Savannah has had the opportunity to work on articles related to world-wide related fashion news and events, as well as articles closer to home, such as a fashion piece on Athens hometown-hero Joe Burrow. This year, Savannah also had the opportunity to be a content writing intern for Aiken House, as well as a section editor for Southeast Ohio Magazine. In 2023, Savannah served as the Chapter President of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. These collective experiences, as well as her experience currently working for Ohio University’s Undergraduate Admissions, has led her to Scholarships360 and aided in her passion for helping students better understand the college admissions process and financial aid. In her free time, Savannah enjoys horseback riding, watching Formula One races, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. Savannah will graduate from Ohio University in May 2024 with a degree in Journalism News and Information and a certificate in Italian Studies.
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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Scholarship Services at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Pomona College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in Claremont, California. If you are applying, a few Pomona supplemental essays are required. These include an academic interest statement and several options for a short response essay. Responding to these prompts in a stellar way offers the admissions professionals a better view of who you are. Let’s dive in!
Academic interest statement
The academic interest statement is a quick, 150 word maximum statement that shows why you chose to apply to Pomona. Quick doesn’t always mean easy, so give yourself plenty of time to write and review, and then repeat!
Academic interest statement prompt
“What draws you to the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If Undecided, share more about one of your academic passions or interests.”
A topic for this prompt shouldn’t be too difficult to think of. If you are having trouble thinking of what to say, here are a few things to think about:
- What classes did you love in high school?
- What is the reason that you picked your major?
- What about your specific program at Pomona inspires you?
- What are your career aspirations?
These are all great questions to ask yourself before you start writing, to get you inspired. As with any college application essay, just be honest and be yourself–authenticity always comes through. Make sure to use concrete examples of accomplishments or projects in the field(s) of interest.
Short-response essays
The Pomona College short response supplemental essays are each only a maximum of 250 words. The good thing about this section is that there are three prompt options to choose from. That means you only have to select one to write about.
Short-response prompt #1
“Reflecting on a community that you are a part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?”
Your first step with this prompt should be to consider what communities you are a part of. The idea of a ‘community’ is up for interpretation, and can represent a formal community like a sports team or debate club, or something more informal like a neighborhood, an identity, or even a group of fans of a particular movie or TV show.
Reflect on which of these communities you’re most engaged in, and which might speak best to the ways you’d contribute to a college campus.
With only 250 words to write, you’ll want to explain your community as succinctly as possible. Spend the rest of your essays giving concrete examples of your experiences in that community. Then reflect on what values or perspectives those experiences showcase. Finally, describe how you would translate those to Pomona’s campus. Research the amenities Pomona offers, whether that’s facilities, faculty, research initiatives, or sports teams. This helps show that you’ve done your research, you’re interested in Pomona, and you’re invested in your future.
Short-response prompt #2
“Describe an experience you had outside the classroom that changed the way you think or how you engage with your peers. What was that experience and what did you learn from it?”
Try to find an experience where you demonstrated growth and which is easily translatable to a college campus. Describe your experience succinctly, then reflect on what you learned.
This question seeks to probe at what makes you an engaged community member and an active learner. Show how eager you are to learn from those around you. These can arise out of disagreements, encounters with people from different backgrounds, acts of kindness, and more.
Even though they don’t ask for reflections on the future, you should be sure to include those in your answer. Describe how what you learned will be useful as a Pomona student, and in the years beyond as you enter the workforce.
Short-response prompt #3
“Choose any person or group of people in your life and share how they would describe you.”
The best way to answer this question is by doing some research. Ask your family, close friends, teachers, community leaders to describe you! If this seems embarrassing, don’t be afraid to tell them it’s for the prompt. Write down notes on what they say and pick out recurring themes.
Write down your findings and be sure to link your description to campus life. Describe why these traits would help you make meaningful contributions on Pomona’s campus and in the world beyond. Be as specific as possible! If Pomona offers a class, program, or initiative that you’d like to be a part of and ties back to your description, mention it. This shows that you’re highly interested in Pomona and that you’d be a productive member of the community.
Final thoughts for students
Although having this many options to write about may seem daunting at first, it makes things a bit easier on you because you have so many options to choose from. This way, there is bound to be a prompt among the Pomona supplemental essays that fits every person. As long as you stay honest and concise in each of your essays, your personality will shine through. There is no doubt that this will impress the reader!
Additional resources
At Scholarships360, we get that applying to college is a stressful time– which is why we have your back! Once you’ve finished up your Pomona College supplemental essays, you can start looking into scholarship opportunities in our scholarship database, and additional college admissions tips. You can also check out our guides on how many colleges to apply for, how to choose a college, and how to plan college visits.
Realizing Pomona might not be for you? That’s okay too! We have tons of other articles on other schools supplemental essays as well, such as Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College, and much more. Good luck on the rest of your college admissions process!