Forbes: Pomona College No. 2 in nation

Pomona College was named the second best college in the nation. (Photo courtesy of Philip Channing)

CLAREMONT -- The Inland Empire is home to the nation's second best college, according to a new list published Wednesday.

The 126-year-old Pomona College was named the second best college in the nation, behind Stanford, according to Forbes' America's Top Colleges 2013 list.

It's the first time in the list's six-year history that California schools have take the top two spots. (It's also the first time that Ivy League schools haven't taken the top two spots.) The magazine also ranked UC Berkeley, as the top state school in the nation, at No. 22.

"In one sense, certainly, it's a big surprise, because you never expect something like this," Pomona College President David W. Oxtoby said Wednesday, "but we really think we're number one, of course."

The Top Colleges list, compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, weighs what graduates can expect upon graduation more heavily than how competitive a college is to get into, according to the magazine article announcing the ranking.

"We are certainly graduating students that are doing amazing things," Oxtoby said.

The 1,586-student college only admits about 13 percent of its applicants, so officials already have no trouble filling available spots.

"But on the other hand, you want people to be aware of you, so that the right students are aware of us and applying," Oxtoby said.

Source: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_23725452/forbes-pomona-college-no-2-nation?source=rss_viewed

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