<p>To anyone with personal knowledge of Occidental; My d is a relatively high achieving URM from a small chrsitian, unusually-republican-for-these-parts school, where my D is considered liberal. We live in a 100k pop suburb between San Francisco and Sacramento, and she is usually the only Black person in her social group. I think she is openinded, but would prefer a fairly conservative and bright group of friends. She LOVED SCripps, but we are not counting on even minimal aid. A little merit aid would make many privates doable. Will she "fit" at Occidental?</p>
<p>My daughter emphasised her interest in multiculturalism and diversity-she
had always gone to bilingal schools and her very strong interest particularly
in attending Occidental. She is very bright and a slightly conservative like her dad. I think you hit the nail on the head -the Oxy kids that I have met are ambitious, hard working and bright, they seem to be on both sides of the political spectrum. My daughter feels very well supported by advisors, professors and thrives on those relationships. Good luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>Oxy tends to lean pretty far to the left - not to the degree that Pitzer does, but it is still very liberal. According to the Princeton Review, "Republicans don't fit in." As long as your daughter is open-minded to other ways of thinking, I think she will be fine. Oxy is all about diversity, intercultural understanding, and I think many Oxy students are very idealistic.</p>
<p>Resposes are right on track, Oxy is her school.</p>
<p>Sweet!!!!!</p>
<p>I'm not sure if she has already picked, but I go to Oxy right now, and although most of the school does lean to the left (my family is conservative, so sometimes I do feel a little awkward), almost everyone is open to discussing issues like adults. Also, last year we had a debate between the Oxy Repubs and the Oxy Dems that was well attended. It sounds like she would fit in well! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!</p>
<p>Thank you! she has applied but hasn't visited, so she only knows what's in the guide books.Is there an admitted students overnight? If so, do you think it helps give a "feel"? BTW, SHE is somewhat conservative, her parents are not! That's probably why I'd love to see her with a more diverse population than her high school.</p>
<p>Haha, we are the perfect opposites then, because my parents are conservative and I am not! I would absolutely, 100%, most definitely recommend an overnight visit. (Did I mention that I highly recommend an overnight visit?) To me, Oxy was just another school on the long list of small liberal arts colleges until I stayed overnight. Everyone was so welcoming, I felt like I was already part of the community. My host had to go work for a few hours, and people from her dorm automatically adopted me and took me to the Cooler for milk shakes and made sure I was a part of their fun until (and after!) she got back from work. (In fact, I am still friends with those people.) As I walked around campus people would ask me if I was a prospie (prospective student) and offer their thoughts on the school and offer to buy me food. The visit was absolutely the deciding factor for me. If you call the admissions office they will assign her with a host who shares a common interest (whether it be a major or an extracurricular) and provide a cot for her to sleep on and such. I'm a part of the Admissions Team and we love having prospies!</p>