| |
|
 |
 Some of Caitlyn Dwyer’s most memorable intellectual
exchanges at Pomona have taken place outside the classroom,
while walking back to the dorm, over dinner or during the
late-night repast known as “Snack.”
“People at Pomona are really passionate and really
curious,’’ says Dwyer. “They’re always willing to engage you
in a conversation. People tell me they want to read my
thesis and I’ve told other people I want to read their
theses. That’s kind of weird, I guess. But that’s how Pomona
people are.”
Classroom conversations are just a starting point. “If we’re
having a debate in a class people don’t suddenly become
disengaged at the time that the class stops,’’ she says.
“They keep talking about it. They keep wanting to know
more.”
And Dwyer finds that willingness to converse extends to
college administrators as well. She served on an
environmental committee that convinced the College to start
using recycled paper for all academic departments. “They
were very receptive,” says Dwyer. “You really have access to
the administration here. They won’t always agree, but at
least there’s a conversation.”
An English major, Dwyer has always loved writing. But at
Pomona, she found a community that shared her passion and an
academic department that could help her focus her interests.
She is taking an advanced creative writing class with only
10
students and taught by Professor David Foster Wallace, an
award-winning writer whose novel Infinite Jest recently was
named by Time magazine as one of the 100 best
English-language novels. “It’s probably the best class I’ve
ever taken,” she says.
Along with helping her to focus on her goal of becoming a
writer, Dwyer credits Pomona for simultaneously helping her
to widen her interests. One of her favorite classes turned
out to be a course of archeoastronomy she took as a
freshman. At
Pomona, “you can be a neuroscience major and also really
like religious studies,’’ she says. “People can balance a
lot of different things, and it’s all about getting that
foundation of knowledge.”
She treasures Pomona’s combination of academic excellence
and West Coast informality. “Sure, people are stressed out at
finals,’’ says Dwyer. “But overall there is a fantastic
balance between studying hard and realizing this is a time
to enjoy these people that you’re with. Your wellbeing is
important. Social learning and intellectual learning, they
all kind of come together." |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore Pomona's Web |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find It |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
