Living in Oldenborg
Oldenborg is more than a place to live. We—the staff and faculty of Oldenborg—think that learning languages is fun, challenging, and potentially enriching to whatever major you may undertake. The spirit of our residential program is to live around others who speak the same language and have an interest in practicing and developing community around that language and culture. The heart of Oldenborg's residential language immersion program is the Language Resident Program; through it, Oldenborg offers both curricular and co-curricular support to the three Pomona language departments: the Department of Asian Languages & Literatures (Chinese and Japanese languages), the Department of German & Russian (German and Russian languages) and the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures (French and Spanish languages). These languages remain our priority in terms of residential language halls & language hall programming. These language halls feature a live-in language resident and connection to a fully articulated academic program.
Important Dates Spring 2025
- Monday, February 10: Oldenborg Room Draw applications live on SM Apply
- Thursday, February 13: Oldenborg Open House, 4:15-5:30pm
- Friday, February 14: Oldenborg Room Draw Info Session. 12:15pm, Oldenborg Dining Hall, south side
- Monday, March 10: Applications due by 11:59pm
- Week of March 24: Oldenborg Friendship Suite Application (OFSA) status confirmed
- Week of March 31: Oldenborg Room Draw times posted
- Thursday, April 3: Oldenborg Room Draw
Room Draw Application
Applications for AY 2025-2026 will only be available on SM Apply from February 10 to March 10. Detailed instructions can be found on SM Apply. See below for eligibility.
We encourage you to read our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the room draw process.
Eligibility
- Open to rising Pomona sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
- Target language proficiency equivalent to two semesters of introductory college-level coursework.
- Endorsement from a relevant language faculty member or an Oldenborg Language Resident. Faculty Recommendation Forms are available to students here.
- Essay demonstrating interest in the section of choice: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Other language(s) may be possible; check FAQ for more information.
Oldenborg Friendship Suites
Oldenborg quads can be filled prior to Room Draw via an Oldenborg Friendship Suite Application (OFSA). Friendship suites require 4 students. Each student should submit a standard language hall application on SM Apply plus the group as a whole should submit one OFSA coversheet. Submit the completed OFSA form to oldenborg@pomona.edu.
OFSAs will be reviewed separately. Students will receive confirmation of their OFSA status before Oldenborg Room Draw numbers come out.
Oldenborg Language Halls (2024)*
Chinese Hall
French Hall
German Hall
Japanese Hall
Russian Hall
Spanish Hall
Additional Languages
*See map for details