Ask an Occidental First Year!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Occidental College
21

Ok cool! How is freshman housing? I’ve heard that the freshman dorms are pretty bad at Oxy, is that still the case? Also how is the internet speed?

Edit: Also, how is the food? Sorry for bombarding you with questions, but finding info on this school is damn near impossible.

22

Internet speed is great! Freshman housing is alright – I was stuck in a forced triple but made some great friends and had fun. Housing gets exponentially better as you progress through college :wink: Internet is very fast - it peaked at around 250 MBS this year. Oxy was one of the first colleges to go completely wireless, and the entire campus is bathed in high-speed wifi. Food is excellent - we were rated #8 of all colleges for food last year.

And I know what you mean about info – for whatever reason, Oxy students aren’t very active on CC. Most are probably busy studying and enjoying college life anyway.

Please DM if you have any comparisons or need help deciding between another uni or LAC :slight_smile:

23

How are the freshmen beds at Oxy ? Does it also make sense to buy a memory foam pad besides the mattress pad in the link below ?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DTFY9Z4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3AQP8TDYVYCGL&psc=1

Is storage an issue ? Will bed risers shown in link below be helpful ?

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Adjustable-Risers-Furniture-Heights/dp/B00MH74S16/ref=sr_1_2?s=bedbath&ie=UTF8&qid=1501481119&sr=1-2&keywords=bed+riser

Thanks

24

Hey!
thank you so much for doing this, I hope this thread is still active. I wanted to know how ‘hands-on’ is the Media, Arts and Culture program? Thanks!

25

Hi, my daughter just got back from an overnite HS senior visit at Oxy and had a terrible time. She now wants to withdraw her app. I’m just wondering if things might have been different if she was paired with a student with whom she had more in common? We are liberal and accepting people, but her guide lived in the LGBTQ house and my daughter had trouble participating in conversations and didn’t feel she had much in common with the 3 Lesbians she met. She left feeling that She wouldn’t fit in at Oxy. Do you think she should give Oxy another try? And if so, why? Do other kids have upsetting overnite visits like this? What % of kids who go to Oxy are gay?

26

Okay I’ve heard that Oxy is pretty much a dry campus. Like is there any party presence or is that just not a part of Oxy’s social life?

27

I graduated in 1995 and it definitely was not a dry campus. However, if you are looking for wild Animal House style parties than Occidental is probably not the school for you.