A thread of all my college tours and why I chose to either keep research that school or not. I’d love to answer any questions you may have!
California Lutheran University (Cal Lu)- I came to this tour ready to find flaws in the school because I hated how close to home this school is, however, I ended up quite liking the school! The campus is a great size and feels quite cozy. The dorms were great, and all students were in a good mood including our tour guide. Everything seemed rather up to date and state of the art. Plus, they offer easily obtainable scholarships that bring down the price. However, if you’re looking for a robust nightlife scene this college may not be for you, trust me when I say everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is closed by 10:30. And while this school boasts about it’s closeness to LA the drive is easily an hour and something many people try to avoid.
Woodbury University- I thought this school would be an ideal safety school for me as it was close to home and had a film program. Driving up to school I already had a funny feeling as there’s only a single gate that allows people to get in and out of campus, and while this makes it safe it also makes it feel secluded. The school seemed to be empty, and while I toured on a Saturday, I was still shocked by the atmosphere of the campus. We visited at 12:30 pm and there were only five students eating lunch, and the one library of the school was closed like it is every Friday. The student workshop spaces were a ghost town even though students have access to them 24/7. The entity of the film department was in a building smaller than my house with only three rooms.And while they had nice goodie bags for us, I took Woodbury off my list the second I got in the car.
Columbia College Hollywood (CCH)- This school has a great mindset with students picking up filmmaking equipment on day one however what they fail to provide is a secure future. The film business is very hard to get into it’s a well-known fact, and at this school that’s all, you can get a degree in. The location of the school was less than ideal seeming trashy and not somewhere you’d want to be alone at night, and I don’t say that lightly. The dorm situation is poor with your apartment provided by the school being closer to CSUN than the actual college you’re going to. The school doesn’t even have ten clubs and lacks diversity in mindset. The school does what it can to keep you out of non-film related subjects, and when it can’t it makes it subject film related, there’s only one math course at the school, and you can test out of it. If you want to do film and only film this school may be for you but if you want to have a second major or even a minor out of film don’t bother considering CCH. Also, keep in mind the lack of well-rounded students. I quickly took CCH and all art schools off my list.
University of Redlands- This college was far more impressive than expected. The students all seemed happy, and we had an amazing tour guide. I could actually see myself going to this school, they require students to do community service and even have a dorm hall committed to social activism. The students appeared to be heavily involved and passionate about their interests and there were around 300 clubs and student organizations. Their May Term system allowed for students to do classes they needed to in a quick amount of time, study aboard without large commitment or even get an early start to summer internships or jobs. The students and faculty were friendly and made sure we had a great experience. My main qualms with the school are that I feel I can get in somewhere better as well as the fact that the school is quite expensive despite scholarships and financial aid. However, this school is the desert still managed to move up my list after my visit.
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My next tour is at the California State University of Los Angeles if you have any questions you’d like me to ask for you while I’m there I’d be happy to do so!
And if you have questions about Redlands, ask me. My older daughter graduated from there and loved it.
Hi - my daughter is very close to choosing Redlands for next year. I am keeping my fingers crossed! She had a great tour and her follow-up research was all positive. What were your daughter’s favorite things and least favorite things about Redlands? Thank you!
@Brooke1999, my daughter was in the Johnston Center and really liked that, both for the community atmosphere and for the opportunity it gave her to create her own concentration and receive untraditional grading (for example, writing papers instead of taking exams, always with the instructor’s agreement). But she wasn’t cloistered in Johnston; she was also a member of a sorority, which further expanded her social life, much to her delight. Things she didn’t like: career advising and assistance was lacking for students outside the business majors; the administration made cuts in areas that affected student life and academics; students who got in trouble seemed to receive discipline based on who they were or what organizations they belonged to, not on what behavior they had engaged in.
Thank you - all good to know! What were the recent cuts that affected student life?
The things I recall are that some faculty and staff lost their jobs, and a dining hall expansion project got behind schedule (something that I figure can always be rectified if more money is paid to get things back on schedule), and the school put up a big tent to serve as a dining area for at least a few months. I don’t want to exaggerate the financial problems. They didn’t seem horrible to me. But I understood my daughter’s concerns. She became accustomed, in a good way, to the way Johnston was organized and operated: as a community in which the students had a lot of say. So when top-down decisions were made for the university as a whole, she felt distressed at the lack of collaboration and consensus.
Thank you!
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CSULA (California State University Los Angeles)- The campus tour didn’t go into a single building, and while it may be the perfect school for someone looking for a commuter school in LA, the emphasis on getting off campus was unappealing to me and what I’m looking for. Plus the one building I was most interested in was as close to off-campus as it gets.
My next tour is UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) if anyone has a question they’d like me to ask I’d be more than willing!
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UCLA (University of California Los Angeles)- The tour was phenomenal. This campus sets itself apart with its vast libraries, commitment to research, and active student body. The school has a lot of clubs and over 95% of freshman live on campus giving the school the community feel I’ve found that I’m looking for in my future school. I could see myself going to the school and was enthralled by all of the opportunities available to me if I were to attend. The campus is somewhere where I could enjoy just existing inside of it. And while I find it hard to describe just how much I enjoyed it, I encourage you to visit and see for yourself.
LMU (Loyola Marymount University)- First of all a beautiful campus the buildings themselves are beautiful plus their set against the Pacific Ocean. Fun fact the film program has a 10% acceptance rate! It had a great community feeling, and I really could see myself there. The number of times I heard Beyonce being played got me excited. I wanted to walk around campus and live my life. Plus the opportunities that are given by the university including internships are numerous.
Reed College- My least favorite tour yet. The approximately hour-long information session took this school from being from my favorite school in the state in Oregon to 100% OFF my college list. The information session made me hate the school the presenter talked about the philosophy of the school for far too long. However, there were great things the campus was BEAUTIFUL, and the dorms were HUGE. But the students of the school were all very independent no one interacted with each other despite the small size. I could never see myself going to this school. Which is shocking seeing my interest before touring.
@vegetarianstress good thread! You’re smart to document this stuff so you can look back later as you move through your process!
Interesting about Reed - I always tell my students, a college visit where you wind up hating the school is just as valuable (if not more so) than a tour where you like the school. What looks terrific online and sounds amazing from word of mouth can just be a NO personally, for so many reasons. This is why visits are so important!
It’s sad to me to see all the threads as of late of kids trying to decide between 2 or 3 schools…they have until May 1st to make a decision and in lots of cases, they haven’t even VISITED one or more of the schools yet! It boggles my mind.
Looking forward to seeing where else you tour! Good luck!
Pacific University Oregon- a completely different experience than all of the college tours that I have been to in California. It was SUNNY, RAINY, CLOUDY, AND EVEN HAILED all during my brief visit. The students were all super friendly, and both students and staff made me feel like I was someone who belonged on campus. The school offers a ton of financial aid based on merit which I liked. The faculty seemed to care about you and would work with you throughout your years there. I loved the variety of programs offered and was only held back by the weather,
Willamette University- now this school was so surprising, I really had no expectations going in but I FELL IN LOVE. First off seeing as one of my top major choices in political science I don’t think I could’ve stumbled into a better school, the campus and the state capitol building were separated merely by a crosswalk. The people there were super friendly, we got to have lunch with a student, and the community feeling was incredible. The weather in Salem Oregon is much more stable than other parts but only relatively. However, their financial aid opportunities were kind of hazy. A lot of great resources and opportunities seemed to be available to me there and I could really see myself there.