<p>Hey Prospective Broncos!</p>
<p>My name is Veronica, and I'm here to answer any questions that you might have about Santa Clara University. If you need questions answered on campus life, applications, financial aid, activities, or just general questions, ask away!</p>
<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.</p>
<p>TheI writing supplement for the common application contains this question:</p>
<p>“If you visited campus, describe what aspect of your visit experience most influenced your impression of SCU. (Maximum 150 )”</p>
<p>Since we have not visited, should that question be left blank?</p>
<p>Hi Ryan 33,
Since you haven’t visited Santa Clara’s campus you can either leave that section blank, or you can explain that you haven’t had the chance to come out and visit. The counselors understand that it isn’t possible for everyone to come visit before they apply so there won’t be any penalty for you doing either of those options.</p>
<p>Hi,
I am interested in potentially double majoring in mechanical engineering and computer science. I was just wondering if one of these programs was easier to get into at SCU. I am very passionate about both, and loved seeing Santa Clara. Word on the street is that engineering is very difficult to get into. Would you recommend one program over the other purely as far as applications go?</p>
<p>Hi thatcuriouskid,
If you’re interested in both mechanical engineering and computer science, I would recommend looking the Computer Science and Engineering program we offer here. It’s a part of the School of Engineering. Here’s a link to the brochure that will tell you a little bit more about it: <a href=“http://www.scu.edu/engineering/cse/upload/7915B_CompEng_V5_F.pdf”>http://www.scu.edu/engineering/cse/upload/7915B_CompEng_V5_F.pdf</a></p>
<p>How big are the freshmen classes at SCU? </p>
<p>Hi @vschuSCU‌
I actually made my own thread about this, but I don’t think anyone has really seen it. I have a question about financial aid.
I’m going to be too late for the early action so I will need to apply regular but will that limit me on merit based scholarships? Is there any disadvantage for applying regular besides the fact that I will be knowing my decision later?
Thank you in advance 
</p>
<p>I recently visited SCU’s financial aid, and they said you could apply RD… idk, maybe vschuSCU knows more :-? </p>
<p>Hi @jelly765,
The average class size at SCU is 23 students. Personally, I have found that introductory classes for courses such as biology, chemistry, political science, and others have about 40 students in them. According to SCU’s website, less than 4% of classes in the College of Arts and Sciences have more than 40 students. As a freshman I was pleasantly surprised to be in a class of 16 during my first term, and older students have told me that I get past the intro classes I’ll be in more classes of that size. </p>
<p>Hi @cherryrae,
As you apply to SCU through Regular Decision(RD), I recommend doing so as soon as possible. I also applied RD and had no issues receiving merit based aid. However, I applied very late during the application period and by the time I submitted my application the Financial Aid Office had run out of spaces for Work Study. If you don’t plan to work at SCU this isn’t a problem, but on campus employers prefer to hire a student who is on Work Study.</p>
<p>Hi, I have a question regarding admissions.
My GPA is quite low as of right now (3.0), due to my freshman and sophomore years when I was dealing with some serious family issues. It has increasingly gotten better, and I have decent ACT scores (27). I am a black female who is catholic. How much will my bad GPA affect my chances of getting accepted?</p>
<p>Hi @hlabs11,</p>
<p>While GPA is not the only attribute that goes into the consideration of your application, it does factor into the overall evaluation. If you applied Early Action or Early Decision, the counselors will look at the cumulative GPA of your first three years of high school. If you are applying Regular Decision, they also require your first semester senior year grades.</p>
<p>Our counselors look at many factors when evaluating your application, here’s a list of everything they put into consideration:
-Overall quality of your high school courses, especially in grades 11 and 12
-Cumulative GPA from your first three years of high school for Early Action (non-binding) and Early Decision (binding); they also require first-semester senior year grades for Regular Decision applicants
-Results of standardized tests—SAT I or ACT. The Counselors use your best results (including sub-scores). Please submit all test results.
-Overall quality of your application essay, and supplement responses.
-A secondary school report from a counselor
-One teacher evaluation (students may submit up to three letters that speak to the skills and character they would bring to SCU.
-Involvement with your school and/or community, including work experience
-The Arts supplement, International supplement, and auditions for theater, music, and dance opportunities are optional but allow for documentation of special talents and perspectives.</p>
<p>Here is a list of the middle 50% scores of admitted students from 2011:
Academic GPA: 3.51–3.89 (4.0 un-weighted scale)
SAT critical reading: 580–680
SAT math 610–700
ACT composite: 26– 31</p>
<p>While I can’t say exactly how much your GPA will affect your chances of getting accepted into SCU, I would recommend focusing on the other parts of the application that our counselors consider. You could explain to them in one of your essays why your GPA is what it is, and then show how you have excelled in other ways regardless. The counselors are looking for students that are going to have great success at SCU, show them that you could be one of those students in order to bump up your chances.</p>
<p>Best of luck during your application process.</p>
<p>Hi Veronica,</p>
<p>I wanted to know what SCU’s policy on rescinding apps is. Im typically a good student with a moderately rigorous schedule however I have slipped a little to the point where I may earn my first D in AP Calc A (theres still a chance where I can get a C). I’ve never earned lower than a B in any AP class before, I’ve taken 5 between 10th and 11th grade, so this is unlike me. I have been informed I can retake the class at a CC before I graduate, which is what I plan to do and what I plan on telling SCU if I get in(I applied EA). Is that acceptable? What is their policy on rescinding apps otherwise?</p>
<p>Hello @chiraagdave‌!</p>
<p>Since you applied EA, your counselor won’t be considering your first term senior year grades yet. However, you will be required to send in your first term grades near the end of the school year. If your grade in this class affects your GPA very drastically, they do reserve the right to rescind your acceptance. Usually, this action is only taken in the case that your GPA falls off the deep end, meaning that you’re getting D’s and C’s in all of your classes your senior year.</p>
<p>I recommend that you let your specific counselor know of the situation, it’s always better that they hear it directly from you before hand rather than after the fact from your school. Here’s a link to the list of counselors by region, you can email or call them directly from there: <a href=“http://■■■■■■/SCUcounselors”>http://■■■■■■/SCUcounselors</a></p>
<p>vschuSCU: Can you give any insight into Jewish student life at Santa Clara? I have a child that is considering bothg Santa Clara and LMU (applied early action). He wants to attend a mid-sized private West Coast university that offers business majors. Academically, SCU and LMU appear to be the best fits. As a parent, I am concerned about the religious aspects of these two schools. </p>
<p>Is premed possible at SCU? Like, is there a nearby hospital and good bio/chem research available?</p>
<p>@Overtheline Only about 1/2 of the students are Catholic and all major faiths are represented and agnostics and atheists. Although everyone must take religious classes, they do not have to concern Catholicism. There are quite a few classes concerning Judaism and you can even study Hebrew Religious courses start at page 209 of this linked catalog; <a href=“http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/undergraduate/upload/SCU_Undergrad_Bulletin_2012-13_FINAL.pdf”>http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/undergraduate/upload/SCU_Undergrad_Bulletin_2012-13_FINAL.pdf</a></p>
<p>See also: <a href=“http://hillelsv.org/about-us/why-hillel/”>http://hillelsv.org/about-us/why-hillel/</a> </p>
<p>@jelly765 Bioengineering is a popular premed track. <a href=“Undergraduate - School of Engineering - Santa Clara University”>http://www.scu.edu/engineering/bioengineering/undergraduate/pre-med-track.cfm</a></p>
<p>I don’t know anything about local hospitals or research opportunities.</p>
<p>I applied Early Action & have a question about checking the status of my application. On eCampus, there is no note that explicitly states my application is complete. But it doesn’t show any missing items either. Should I be getting some kind of notification that states my application is complete.</p>
<p>Hi @Overtheline‌,
There is also a Jewish Student Union at Santa Clara, which provides a welcoming environment for students to participate in and learn about Jewish culture and faith. JSU also hosts annual events, such as Passover seder and the Welcome Weekend Havdallah dinner.
Hope that was helpful!</p>