<p>Hi, I wanted to be reassured by what ahnelk said, however not getting first or second choice for classes as a freshman doesn’t sound so encouraging to me. You say that the kids are not coddled at Oxy however as a parent one of the reasons I want a small private liberal arts school for my son is indeed for ease with regular meetings with advisor and ease of getting classes as well as the small class size and classroom based discussions. Otherwise we would have considered a UC school where one has to be very proactive to figure out your path and trying to get into classes or getting advisement (we’ve heard it takes a long time to see advisor after putting in request). The other small private schools we have looked at didn’t seem to have these issues. Does your daughter know if a lot of other freshman did not get their choices of classes? Any info or feedback would be great. Thank you</p>
<p>Hi guys-
My name is Jamie, I’m a current Oxy sophomore (male) and I’m here to answer questions as well.</p>
<p>@zoegirl31
I’m from Boston, so I know a little about living in the Northeast, and I’d say it is definitely worth your time to come out to the west coast-whether you choose Oxy or a different California school. It’s so beautiful out here and it’s a great new experience! As for your Oxy related questions…The professors at Oxy have generally been quite good. They are all very knowledgeable in their fields, most will make time to meet with you, and most seem to be genuinely nice people. I did have one professor my Freshman year who was quite terrible, but there are bad profs everywhere you look. The community here is also very welcoming and pretty inclusive. I definitely find that people are nice and fairly easy to become friends with. That being said, this school is outrageously liberal. Like wayyy far left. I myself am from Mass, I’m an Obama supporter, and I still feel that I can’t speak my mind here. If you are a conservative, you could have a bit of a tough time to be quite honest. Also, I don’t know if you are a big partier, but the party scene here is pretty dead. I would definitely recommend joining Greek Life if you’d like to attend parties somewhat regularly, but I’m in a frat here and it’s still pretty rough at times. </p>
<p>Besides those two negatives though, Oxy really is a great place to be. It’s not for everyone, but if you think you’re a fit for a small liberal arts school, I highly recommend this one.</p>
<p>@boogree
I am in a forced triple this year, and yes, they absolutely do put 3 people in double rooms. That being said, the double rooms here are much bigger than most double rooms at other colleges, so 3 people can live in them fairly comfortably. Living situations vary quite a bit by dorm as well. Some dorms are more hot/crowded (Chilcott) while others are airconditioned and more spacious (Newcomb). Freshmen can also apply to live in doubles, or even singles occasionally. As for your other question…The admins do reserve a fair portion of spots in each class for Freshman. I found that I usually got 3 of the 4 classes I most wanted. Often times freshman (and others) do end up with 1 or 2 classes that weren’t at the top of their lists. That being said, class sizes here are quite small and they do encourage discussion (especially for Freshmen). Also, most advisers have small groups of students and are generally quite accessible.</p>
<p>When will transfer admission decisions come out?</p>
<p>@boogreen I’m definitely still here to answer questions! I myself wasn’t in a triple during my time here (so there’s a chance your son won’t be either!), but I had a ton of friends who were not only in triples during freshman year, but who CHOSE to be in triples during their sophomore and junior years. One pro to being in a triple is that it is cheaper. That being said, I know it sounds not so great! The truth is that some triples are larger than others, but all of them are at least a bit bigger than a double. There are also a lot of ways to make extra room by putting desks under lofted beds, and other things like that. The friends that I know who stayed in triples really liked their roommates and enjoyed having that much more social interaction with their peers :)</p>
<p>As for classes, I mentioned previously that freshman do not register first, but usually freshman aren’t vying for the same classes as upperclassmen anyway! There are some classes that are extremely popular every semester and those are going to be difficult to get into no matter what year you are because Oxy likes to keep class sizes small and the demand is higher than can fit in the classroom. But, I would still say that it is not hard to get classes you want or classes you will enjoy. My freshman year I took my 2nd choice CSP, two classes I wanted, and settled for a science class that I wasn’t crazy about, but which fulfilled one of my core requirements, so it was fine! I alway tell students that if a class they want is full, usually they can get added simply by emailing to professor. Showing initiative goes a long way with this kind of thing 
</p>
<p>I hope that helps your son make his decision! Oxy is an amazing school and I have had the most incredible academic experience here. As you get older, you really find a niche within your department and getting into classes is no longer an issue. For example, this semester I’m in a class with only 6 students! You get really settled with your department and other students in your major and things go really smoothly :)</p>
<p>@boogree Hi again! I didn’t see your second post when I answered the first one. I, personally, am baffled when people say it is difficult for them to meet with their advisor at Oxy. Not only do I meet with my advisor regularly, but I am constantly emailing her not only about my school work, but about personal research projects and department events that I am involved with. We communicate constantly and I can’t imagine a situation where I would have trouble speaking with her. </p>
<p>I think the “personal initiative” talk that I and others have mentioned is more only in cases where you don’t get the one class you want or other relatively rare situations where you need to put in a little extra work. On the whole I would say that Oxy is entirely different from a UC because of our small class sizes, close mentorship with professors and advisors, and the sense of community that is fostered by the residence hall system. I’ve never been in a class of more than 25 people, typically only classes of 10-15 max. I receive prompt responses from all of my professors and have no trouble meeting with them in and out of office hours (which all professors have and adhere to). You are correct in thinking that the experience at Oxy is more intimate and supportive than a UC, but that does not mean that professors and administrators do not hold us to a high standard in our work and in our lives. For example, if we are confused about a topic in class, it is likely that a professor will notice and take steps towards elaborating on that topic in class, but if a student is still lost it is then up to them to GO to office hours and take time to meet with a professor one on one (which professors will be more than happy to do!). I hope that explained more clearly what I meant early about personal initiative!</p>
<p>@Sarah. how will i know when my decision status has changed? and When are decisions for transfer coming out?</p>
<p>Does anyone has experience or knowledge about its UN program? My D is interested in Oxy largely b/c of its UN program, she wants to do arts and cultural internship there at agencies such as UNESCO etc. I know it’s competitive, but is it well-run, rewarding and as good as it sounds?</p>
<p>@questionmarkk Hi there! I asked the Admission office about your question and transfer decisions are on a rolling basis. You should expect word in mid-May. If you need a decision sooner based on hearing from other schools and their reply deadlines, you can contact the transfer coordinator to explain his situation, and they can see if a decision can be released faster. You can do this by emailing Pati at <a href=“mailto:pati@oxy.edu”>pati@oxy.edu</a>. If not, mid-May is the typical decision release time for transfers.</p>
<p>@momfromWA Hi! One of my best friends did the UN program last semester and had an amazing experience! It really is the most comprehensive UN program in the country. No other school has their students doing as much substantial work at the UN. I know from her stories that she had a lot of work to do and was pushed academically and in her work place to grow, but she also had a lot of time to explore New York! I can ask her if she is ok with me providing her email if you would like to hear more.</p>
<p>I think we also have a blogger who wrote about her experience at the UN. You can read her post here - [Which</a> Way Is Up? | Occidental College | The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles](<a href=“http://www.oxy.edu/campus-conversations/student-voices/which-way]Which”>http://www.oxy.edu/campus-conversations/student-voices/which-way)</p>
<p>Hey zoegirl31. It’s never too early to start thinking about college. I’m from Connecticut, so perhaps I’ll be able to help.</p>
<p>The students, teachers and community are great. Are you in a large high school right now or a smaller one? I came from a smaller one and the feeling of Oxy is very similar to the feeling of a small high school.</p>
<p>As someone from the Nutmeg State coming out to LA you may encounter the following:
–No fall. You know how the leaves all turn beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange in the fall? Yeah, that doesn’t happen out here.
–Distraction by all the nice weather. Instead of living in the grey of fall and winter from November through March, it’s sunny in LA. Sometimes that’s a good thing and sometimes it’s a challenging thing, like when you’re trying to stay indoors and focus on studying
–A lack of access to good pizza. LA has some east coast transplants, a few of which will be adventurous enough to open a NY style pizza restaurant. It’s not the same there are a few good places in east LA, one of which is about a mile from campus. But unfortunately a NY thin crust or a New Haven white clam pie is roughly 3000 miles away
–Proximity to a large city. Depending on where you live in CT, you may be anywhere from 45 min to 2 1/2 hours from NYC or Boston. Oxy is IN LOS ANGELES; like right in the city.</p>
<p>How about you come out and have a look for yourself.</p>
<p>Hey QM, </p>
<p>I’m also a transfer applicant to Occidental and I sent their admissions office an e-mail a few days ago and they said they start rolling decisions on May 15th. Good luck!</p>
<p>LC</p>
<p>How many Oxy’s students can be admitted by T14 Law School? What about the admission rate of the 3+3 Columbia Law School’s accelerated program for Oxy’s students?</p>
<p>Could you give me any information on your theater major? If stats are 4.3 gpa and an 1880 SAT’s what are the chances of acceptance?</p>
<p>I have a two questions about Oxy:</p>
<ol>
<li>If I am correct, there is only a minor for Computer Science. If I want to aim for 3/2 program for Caltech/Oxy, what major should I declare at Oxy?</li>
<li>I saw something on the website about taking more CS classes in Caltech after 2nd year, is this different from 3/2 program?</li>
</ol>
<p>Same question, asked before without answer…</p>