Admission Essay

Question

Short-Response Questions (Optional)

All the questions in this section are entirely optional (and we mean it!).

1. If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this

application, please provide that information below. (50 words or less)

By exercising or relieving stress, I have kept my body and mind healthy and have not missed a

single class in six years. I have been told by many people that "continuity is normal and not a

point　of appeal. However, I don't think so. I value steady continuity more than anything else.

Before jumping into the required essays, you have the option to show us a little more of your

personality. You can answer one, two, three or none of the following questions. (1-50 words

each)

2.1 Marvel or DC? Pepsi or Coke? Instagram or TikTok? What's your favorite "this or that"

(you are not restricted to these three examples), and which side do you choose?

(1-50 words)

(a)

Toyota or Honda? I choose Honda. Toyota Motor was founded as the automobile division of

automatic loom enterprise, later became independent. Honda was established by a man, attached an

engine to a bicycle. I believe that cutting out 1 from 100 is completely different from creating 1 from

0.

(b)

Kinokono Yama (miniature mushroom chocolates) or Takenokono Sato (miniature bamboo

chocolates)? Such a "controversial" "serious and meaningful" choice needs to be carefully

considered. After microscopically detailed analysis, philosophical deep thinking, and Zen-like

meditation―with a clear rationality, I decided on Kinoko―because they are kawaii.

2.2 What's your favorite way to eat a potato?

(1-50 words)

My favorite potato dish is Nikujaga. It is a dish of meat, potatoes, carrots, and konjac stewed in a

sweet soy sauce based soup. This is the soul food of the Japanese people, the taste of their mothers.

The first dish that my mother taught me to make was also Nikujaga.

2.3 You're relaxing on a Friday night. Suddenly, your favorite song pops into your head. What

is it?

(1-50 words)

When it comes to the keywords "night" and "relaxation", I prefer classical piano music or calm jazz

music. I have been playing the piano since I was four years old, and now playing the piano and

composing and arranging music is one of the ways I spend my spare time. My favorite classical

music is Chopin, and my favorite jazz music is Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Pomona Supplemental Essays (Required)

Pomona is committed to achieving the benefits of diversity for all students by creating a

community that learns and grows together through the exchange of different lived experiences

and perspectives. Our community is made up of students from diverse cultures, races,

ethnicities, and linguistic backgrounds; political, religious and social views; physical abilities;

home environments and socioeconomic backgrounds; hometowns and regions; and sexes,

gender identities and sexual orientations.

Both of the following prompts address this topic, and we ask you to respond to one of them. We

give no preference, so choose the prompt that resonates the most with you.

Choose one of the following two prompts:

1. We believe that everyone has something to contribute and receive from a diverse

community. Why is belonging to a diverse and inclusive college community important to you?

2. Advancing diversity and inclusion (D&I) can be hard work and a continuous learning

process. Tell us about how you have either recently championed D&I or how you plan to

maintain a deep commitment to D&I in college.

Please upload a response to your selected prompt here. (200 words or fewer)

#1

Advancing diversity and inclusion (D&I) can be hard work and a continuous learning process.

Tell us about how you have either recently championed D&I or how you plan to maintain a

deep commitment to D&I in college. (200 words or fewer)

Four years ago, two of my classmates and I founded an Esperanto club to promote diversity and

inclusion. Esperanto was invented in 1887 as an international second language to maintain harmony

among people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. My faith in its founding principles and

my interest in linguistics led me to establish an Esperanto club at my school.

Currently, we are still a tiny club of fewer than ten members in total. In cooperation with Esperanto

sciety of Japan, Japana-Esperanto Instituto, and Esperanto group of the Kyoto University, we have

been holding joint study sessions and other activities to study and spread the word about diversity.

We have been working steadily, have recently participated in the 106th World Esperanto Congress,

and are now involved in international cultural exchange. For the community, we are also taking on

the challenge of creating a cross-cultural cultural heritage and spreading the idea of diversity through

our children's book translation project.

At Pomona, I look forward to participating in Hunger and Homeless Initiative (HHI) which I hope to

discuss ongoing global issues with like-minded peers and share my volunteer experiences. I am also

keen to participate in the study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa. The network of friends

I have made through these activities will be of great help to me in my deep commitment to diversity

and inclusion in the future.

#2

According to our Board of Trustees, "Institutions such as Pomona College should prepare

their graduates to lead lives of creative leadership and exemplary service." How do you hope

to use the knowledge you will gain in college to impact something greater than yourself, such

as your family, neighborhood, community, city or society? (200 words or fewer)

I hope to use my college education to solve the world’s most pressing challenges using an approach

that integrates multiple fields of science. In particular, I would like to create and deploy

methodologies based on cognitive science, which will speed up the implementation of low-cost

technology solutions in African countries. I am hopeful that at Pomona, I will gain the intellectual

foundation, in-depth knowledge of cognitive science, and a network of talented peers necessary to

achieve my goal.

Having done relief work in two African countries, Sudan and Malawi, I am convinced that we can

design and provide better solutions that meet the local needs by understanding the local culture. At

Pomona, I would like to major Cognitive Science program to achieve my academic objective of

understanding human languages, thoughts, and cultures from multiple scientific angles, including

from an international perspective. I am especially interested in courses like “Cognition and the

Brain” and “Intro to Computational Neuroscience” in neuroscience, and “Brain and Behavior” and

“Seminar in Consciousness and Cognition” in psychology. As an independent research project with a

professor, I would also investigate how emotionally charged advertising campaigns influence human

behaviors.

I have my strengths in programming and research and my track record in developing scientific

solutions to social problems. I am convinced that, with a liberal arts education and cognitive science

training at Pomona, I will be able to positively impact the world’s most minor privileged populations

using unique, interdisciplinary approaches.