Oldenborg Room Draw Frequently Asked Questions

We encourage you to join us at our info session on February 16^th, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. in the Oldenborg Dining Hall, south side. Oldenborg staff and Res Life staff will walk you through the application process and answer any questions you may have.

Oldenborg will also host an open house on Thursday, February 15 from 4:15-5:30pm. Join us for an opportunity to tour the halls and lounges, meet the language residents, and enjoy international food and prizes.

Meet our current LRs, or check out the language tables schedule.

You are also welcome to contact us anytime at oldenborg@pomona.edu

Applications will be available from Monday, February 12^th until Monday, March 4^th, 11:59 p.m.

Applications will be available in SM Apply starting Monday, February 12^th.

An overview of the application process can be found on our website. For detailed instructions please refer to SM Apply and join us at our info session on Friday, February 16 at 12:15pm in the Oldenborg dining hall.

You may contact us anytime at oldenborg@pomona.edu

No! We highly encourage all Pomona rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to apply to live in Oldenborg.

This will depend on how many applications we receive for each language. We strive to allocate rooms somewhat proportionally to the number of applications received.

This will depend on how many applications we receive for each language. Please refer to this map to see how Language Halls have been assigned in the past. This is subject to change.

Oldenborg Room Draw will take place on April 4^th.

All accommodation requests go through Accessibility Services. Please refer to the Housing Accommodation section and the Housing Accommodation Procedures for more information. You can also contact disability@pomona.edu.

After review of applications is over, you will be notified if you are receiving an Oldenborg room draw number and will be invited to participate in Oldenborg Room Draw. By participating in Oldenborg Room Draw and selecting a room, you are committing to living in Oldenborg and will not be getting a general room draw number. Oldenborg is binding.

Only students who are planning to enroll in the fall will be considered for the Oldenborg room draw. If any rooms become available for the spring, students who are abroad in the fall are welcome to contact us around October.

Yes! Students who are currently on leave may still apply to live at Oldenborg next year as long as they have already processed their request to re-enroll at the college for Fall 2024. Please email your class Dean to confirm your return from leave.

Yes! Though these languages are not taught at Pomona, they are taught within the Claremont Colleges. We encourage you to apply with a suitemate or a group of friends who speak the same language. This will make it easier for us to create a language hall for that particular language if there are rooms available. Please keep in mind though that we prioritize Pomona languages and then 5C languages. Another good option for students who speak a 5C language is to apply to a friendship suite (OFSA).

Applicants from languages in which there is no Oldenborg Language Resident should be strong applicants by virtue of either: 1). possessing a higher level of proficiency OR 2). demonstrating strong ties with a 5C language program. Students who are accepted into Oldenborg will also host one culturally relevant activity per semester and will coordinate this with the help of Oldenborg's Assistant Director.

We encourage you to apply with a suitemate or a group of friends who speak the same language. This will make it easier for us to create a language hall for that particular language if there are rooms available, and ensure that you are able to engage in the spirit of our residential program which is to live around others who speak the same language and have an interest in practicing and developing community around that language and culture. If you’re applying to a language that doesn’t have an Oldenborg Language Resident, mention in your essay how you expect/intend to engage in the language. Students who are accepted into Oldenborg will also host one culturally relevant activity per semester and will coordinate this with the help of Oldenborg's Assistant Director.

If you are applying for Arabic/Italian/Korean/Portuguese, please reach out to the appropriate language department or faculty. If you are applying for a different language, please reach out to a 5C faculty member who speaks that language. The faculty recommendation form should be submitted directly to us at oldenborg@pomona.edu

Yes, you are eligible to apply. To determine proficiency, you should submit the list of coursework completed at other institutions. If those courses were completed in high school, please also include all AP courses and any other relevant classes.

You should also meet with a Pomona language faculty or an Oldenborg Language Resident in the target language so they can complete a faculty recommendation form that determines your proficiency level. Attending language tables is a great way of meeting a Language Resident. If you don’t know any language faculty, reach out to the section coordinator of the language you are applying for and set up a short meeting. In the case of Arabic/Italian/Korean/Portuguese, please reach out to the faculty at the appropriate college (Scripps and CMC)

Section Coordinators

Spanish – Paul Cahill

French – Virginie Duzer

Japanese – Peter Flueckiger

Chinese – Feng Xiao

Russian – Larissa Rudova

German – Hans Rindisbacher

We are happy that you are interested in living in Oldenborg and we absolutely welcome native speakers. However, being a native speaker is not in itself a reason to live at Oldenborg. How will you benefit from living at Oldenborg? What do you expect to get out this experience? How will you contribute to the Oldenborg community? When we evaluate applications, we consider language table attendance, list of related coursework, personal essay, and the faculty recommendation.