My son is 95% sure he’s going to choose to attend Occidental next Fall. He’s interested in something in the social sciences (likes Diplomacy and World Affairs or Political Science), but he’s open to everything at this point. Oxy has always seemed to resonate with him and I’ve always been impressed with it (I attended CMC a million years ago and competed against Oxy in sports). At this point, I’m looking for anecdotes (positive and negative) from folks who are thinking about attending Oxy (maybe you went to admitted students’ day on Friday) and from current/former students.
He’s fortunate that finances don’t play a role in his final decision (although he was awarded the Presidential Scholarship at Oxy, which we’re grateful for), and while he was admitted to a number of other schools (including some “higher ranked” liked Tufts and USC), he’s feeling like Oxy is just a better fit for him than those schools. He’s definitely not prestige-driven, and he’s less concerned about the small size, but I’m nervous about whether the school gets to feeling too small in later years. I’m also somewhat concerned about career/grad school outcomes (although I think that concern is as much influenced by my ignorance of careers/outcomes for social science majors as it is wondering if Oxy does well in placing the majors). He’s a choir kid and excited about possibly auditioning for Glee Club and/or Oxy Chorus and I’m impressed with all of the other campus opportunities he would have. Tufts is probably his second choice and Oxy definitely wins on weather :). We live close to Denver, and he’s a kid who appreciates being in or adjacent to an Urban area, so Oxy checks that box too.
Never toured the school officially, but we live close by and bicycle through the campus frequently. It’s a lovely campus, and the community of Eagle Rock in which it is located is very trendy, but you can still find many reasonably priced restaurants etc there.
Replying to my post to add that the students seemed friendly and relaxed when we were there a couple of weekends ago – sitting out on the green and pathways, hosting a home-made ceramics booth, friendly and helpful to me when I asked a directional question.
So, the goal here is to reassure you that your son is not making a mistake by not choosing “higher ranked” Tufts and USC?
Humoring you for a moment: Tufts has an amazing IR school- but it is also somewhat of a ‘fit’ school school that many students don’t warm to. On paper it was perfect for our IR collegekid- but they bailed partway through the tour b/c they didn’t like the ‘feel’ of the campus at all. In “Diplomacy and World Affairs or Political Science” what gets you ahead is internships- and Oxy will have plenty of contacts to help him get started. Would Tufts have better ones? possibly- but it would also have a lot more hardcore IR types hustling for them. Fwiw, USC doesn’t have anything on Oxy in this arena.
But that’s all irrelevant: your son has 3 good choices- he can’t make a “bad” choice- and the “best” choice for him is the one that he is excited about. Time to start letting go…
I’m really excited for him for Oxy, and I think he’s likely making the right choice. He liked Tufts when we visited, but we only spent two hours on campus this Fall, and he was super sick that day. He did a few online things and overall liked Tufts enough to apply, but he’s always felt a pull towards Oxy. As he makes his final decision, he’s doing research, chatting with students, and he asked me to post as well to get some last-minute input. He 100% knows that USC would be a poor fit, and he’s great with letting that one go, and I have a feeling he’ll make his final call in the next 24-48 hours and be totally happy enjoying his last 6 weeks of Senior Year with his decision made.
I’ve always been an advocate for SLACs, but my experience at the 5Cs was a different small school experience and was probably more akin to a mid-sized school in a lot of ways with the consortium, which is what gives me pause on Oxy’s size. The student body size seems less concerning to him (and I do think Oxy being close to LA will have more off-campus opportunities than the typical remote, bucolic SLAC).
Thanks for your input (and the chuckle). This choice is entirely his, and I have a feeling he’ll officially be a Tiger in the next few days.
We toured Oxy and were really impressed. My D23 applied and was accepted, and even though she’s ultimately chosen a different school, she really liked Oxy: setting, campus vibe, internship and research opportunities, and more. I grew up in SoCal, so I know Oxy has a great reputation, and it looks like an outstanding match for your son’s interests. The United Nations program would be an outstanding experience! Sounds like it’s a great fit.
To comfort yourself, you can compare outcomes. I linked below their last report.
You could compare the data to the others if that helps provide comfort.
Most wouldn’t choose Oxy here.
This says a lot about your son. He’s thoughtful in his decision process. And willing to take chances.
Both good traits.
Also, I think the pedigree of schools in this area matter less. But hustle does matter so if he works hard enough, He’ll find opportunities. My daughter is experiencing this now and will soon secure a positive summer outcome. She’s not in pedigree.
Thanks for your post (and for humoring me)!