<p>why is pepperdine ranked lower than i would have expected? just random, but my mom is turned off to schools ranked lower than 35..</p>
<p>pepperdine is a small private university (77th most selective school in nation). i applied there and got waitlisted but was admitted to UCSD (29th most selective). </p>
<p>my advice would be to not go there, you can get a better education at a uc for half the price</p>
<p>I agree that you can get an excellent education at UC schools, California has a great system. However you need to outline what you are looking for in a school and see if that is the same criteria that u.s. news is using for their ranking. There are several ranking systems, some just looking at LAC's if that is what you are looking for.
There are a lot of factors involved in selecting a school that are individual. For example if you are comfortable in large arena classroom settings then a UC school would stay on your list, if not then you might reconsider. Do you care if you have easy access to your professor or not is another factor. Social is important too. What are the social opportunities, will they help me grow or be a distraction depending on the climate of the campus. Financial is an obvious factor, keep in mind some private schools offer some excellent financial packets.</p>
<p>It is really important for you and your family to make a list of what you are looking for in a college experience. Then make a list of schools that fit your wants and needs and are within your range (some stretches of course too!)</p>
<p>My D transferred to Pepperdine sophomore year from a bigger state school and her college experience changed dramatically. She has had an excellent year at Pepperdine, especially happy with her academic experience which included a summer session of study overseas in Florence. </p>
<p>It is an expensive school, but she was fortunate to be awarded several grants that helped fund her education.</p>