Perhaps you should apply early action (EA) to Santa Clara, and regular decision to USD. This would keep your options open.
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That was my original plan- but now iām starting to doubt it
You can get to know profs anywhere. Even big schools
You donāt answer the budget question but given itās a communication degree are you sure your parents are ok spending upwards of $375k plus.
And again, communications comes in various forms - are you interested in media, marketing, speech, messaging or what ? That will impact school selection.
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USD is test blind (and was for the past one or two admissions cycles).
And SCU is test optional.
Santa Clara University has adopted a three-year ātest optionalā policy beginning with Fall 2021 first-year applicants. Scores on the SAT or ACT are not required for students applying to Santa Clara University nor will they be disadvantaged for doing so in the admission process.
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My D23 applied to USD, LMU and Chapman. She had about a 3.6 UW with good rigor, went test optional, and we are from MA. She applied as a psych major (which is apparently an impacted major at LMU). She got into Chapman EA (no merit) but was waitlisted at both LMU (applied EA- she was first deferred and then waitlisted) and USD. By the time the USD notification came out, she was over it. Decisions were posted much later than her other schools, and she had basically crossed it off the list at that point, despite loving the location.
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Thanks,@thumper1, for the shout out.
My kidās data is quite dated, but yes, applied and accepted to USD and SCU. Mine chose USD, but retrospectively thought SCU might have been a better academic fit.
One observation is that USD, up on the hill, has very little āneighborhoodā walkability. Off campus housing (for most upperclass students) is a drive away.
If I recall correctly, SCU had more integration with the local area.
I do not know much about requirements for communication majors regarding internships/practicums, but if needed, compare opportunities of San Diego vs Bay Area. CalTrain is adjacent to SCU campus!
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And my kid chose SCU. Some of what was written above was why. SCU had more you could walk toā¦and some public transport too. Off campus housing was adjacent to the school for the most part. No need for a car at all. And ease of flying homeā¦the San Jose Airport is a 10 minute free shuttle bus ride away.
But both schools were under consideration.
At the time my kid applied, I believe USD had rolling admissions or EAā¦or something early. My kid had both of these acceptances well before Christmas. Itās too bad that isnāt still the case at USD.
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This is one of the reasons I transferred to SDSU from USD. I attended USD decades ago and the views were crazy good. Loved my ādorm matesā and I made great lifelong friends at USD, but I wanted a bigger and more diverse university (people, activities, courses, local eateries).
Also, are you okay with the religious requirements?
Are you okay with transportation issues?
Are you okay with having to drive EVERYWHERE from there?
You will need a car. You canāt get easily to a trolley station unless you are a strong biker or walker.
Remember that USD is not considered to be in a ātropicalā location. The ocean waters are typically in the 50ās-60ās. We do get cold weather in SoCal (this past winter, it was unusually cold for us, and we were in the upper 30ās-40ās for 3 months). Plus we had hard rains. The weather has drastically and dramatically changed over the years with drought and cold dry winters. We are definitely not ātropicalā.
Not trying to discourage you, but trying to prepare you.
Right now, my gallon of gas is $6.00. It will be expensive for your family, so make sure this is what you really want to do.
I think you will get into USD because of your demonstrated interest and the fact that they tend to give the ābenefitā of the doubt to East Coast applicants who are trying to get in. (My friend Stefie was from New Jersey and ājust made the cutā. )
My experience with USD is that it was a nice āsmall collegeā experience. Made lots of friends but paid a lot of money for that experience. My experience with SDSU was that it was a great ālarge collegeā experience; got my Masters there and worked my way through that college.
Whatever you decide, go with what will work for you.
Our daughter was admitted to Santa Clara, but she wanted a ālarger college experienceā and chose Davis because of the friendliness (for a UC-students really collaborate well and support each other), Downtown Davis location, and the professors there. Good Luck!
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HI! Sorry Iām back and have yet another question. Talked it over with my parents; am seriously considering eding to SCU. Chances you think Iāll get accepted? Iām not going to be crushed if I get deferred bc I have other options Iāll be happy at.
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They also switched our UW gpas- now a 3.34 so Iām panicking
My D20 is a senior at SCU and has loved it. Sheās a double major in English and Communications (with an emphasis in digital film). She has had a really fabulous experience with so many opportunities for internships and work experience. All of her professors have been supportive and her advisors have been great. I donāt want to hijack the post by outlining the various experiences and internships she has had through SCU, but feel free to message me if youāre interested.
In terms of admission, I think the admit rate hovers around 50%, give or take a little. But I think the stats of the average admitted student are pretty strong so if youāre serious about it, I think EDāing would help (a lot), especially with your East Coast location. Although as others have stated, it doesnāt make sense to ED if you arenāt sure you want to attend.
Itās been a couple of years, but my D graduated from a rigorous private HS with a low 90s average (on a 100 point scale, unweighted), a handful of APs (4s/5s) and mid-1400s SAT (75th percentile for SCU). She applied EA to SCU and was deferred and was admitted in RD. She got lots of merit at Chapman, a good amount from LMU and just a little from SCU. She was WLād at USD and as another poster mentioned, USD was so slow in sending out decisions that by the time she heard back, she had lost interest and already committed to SCU.
Without test scores and your unweighted 3.34 GPA, youāll want to be strategic. Chapman is easier to get into (even more with ED). SCU and LMU will be more of a reach, but still worth a shotāespecially if you decide to ED.
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At your first gpa 50/50 ED. At the new one 20/80.
I do think ED and full pay is a huge boost. But your gpa just too low. Unless like Georgetown they donāt reject, Iām not sure youād get a deferral.
You still havenāt answered what aspect of communications interests you. Film? Media studies ? Journalism ? Advertising ? Mass comm ? What ?? Yes it matters for school choice.
All CCers can yell at me now - but if your last name isnāt Gates or Bezos, I canāt imagine paying nearly $400k for a communication degree at SCU, no matter how wonderful an experience the school is. Especially when OP canāt answer what aspect of communications interests them.
OP no need to panic. If a school turns you down, their loss. You just need to find one who wonāt. Thatās it. One. You donāt need to get absorbed by it and never have a dream school.
You want So Cal - so Chapman or Cal Lutheran seem better bets. Thereās always schools like Cal State San Marcos. And the Arizona School are close, are safeties and are known for their mass comm departments with ASU one of the tops in the country.
Good luck.
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You already know your odds are low at SCU - 3.34 is a straight B+ (or 85, to compare with the 90s+1400 SAT above), youāre missing .3 to be competitive. So, yes, you probably wonāt get in even EDing, but youād regret not trying so take your shot, cross your fingers, and focus on other colleges.
Have you looked into Cal Poly Pomona?
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I am thinking media studies but I am also unsure If iām being honest.
Iām not an adcom at SCU. But I agree with othersā¦while the acceptance rate is about 50%, those accepted are strong students.
You can apply ED if you want toā¦and see. But have all of your other applications completed also. You might need them.
Have you visited any of the California schools? Which schools (anywhere) have you visited? I would be very wary of EDing to a school that I have not visited in-person, even though firsthand accounts from folks like @mominva and @aunt_bea are certainly helpful. If your family is in the financial position to be willing and able to be full pay at any university in the U.S., then I would strongly urge you to make plans to visit colleges over your fall break, before ED apps are due.
What does this mean? Is it that youāre unsure about communication? Or are you trying to do something more in the entertainment vain but donāt want to admit it? Orā¦?
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Our kid is a Santa Clara grad from CT. We absolutely forbid her to apply to any school in CA that she hadnāt visited.
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Ive visited SCU and UCSC. i have done a lot of virtual tours for the other schools.
iām really not sure. i was thinking maybe something kind of in public relations? i also have thought about minoring in psych and doing something with that.