<p>Hey Guys, I'm currently a first-year at oxy and would love to answer any of your questions about the campus (note, I am not an official student ambassador or anything for the college) - but I live here, so I think that's close enough :) </p>
<p>I've got my last final tomorrow (note it's currently finals week), and then a 5-week vacation!
Good luck with all of your apps!</p>
<p>i'm probably applying regular decision to oxy.</p>
<p>I live outside of Atlanta, GA and was wondering how is the LA vibe? Is it a nice college town? Is the campus suburban or urban? I've also read that the school is extremely challenging, is this true? Would you say that oxy has a great sense of community?</p>
<p>Sorry for my bumbliness. Good luck on finals, and thanks in advance.</p>
<p>did you apply ED or ER?
do you know anyone who was waitlisted?
was your admission letter "thin" or "thick" xD
hahahahaha okay thank you so much!
Good luck on your finals!</p>
<p>How’s the food at Oxy?
What is there to do on campus after midnight?
Do you know how significant the discounts are for symphony tickets?
How are the restaurants around Oxy?
What major are you?
What museums are close to campus?
Do Oxy students get discounts to exhibits that cost moolah?
What clubs are popular? One that I saw was the Bad Movie Club, and I looooooooove to make fun of horrible movies. You know anything about that club?
If I brought my xbox do you think that it would be stolen? Would I have time to play it?
Would I get discounts to an LA Lakers game? I usually despise sports, but Basketball has an allure.
Are there racquet-ball quarts nearby?
How late do most people stay up?
Could I use Astroturf as carpeting in my room?
Can I paint the walls and ceiling? If not, what color are they?
I may have more questions later if I remember them. Thanks a lot for answering these and I’m sorry if there are too many!</p>
<p>Hey, I am also a First-Year at Oxy. I am majoring in Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) and will probably minor in Economics. I write in the student-run newspaper (The Oxy Weekly). I'm from Baltimore and drove my car out here for my first semester and have had an amazing time exploring the L.A. area. But don't worry if you can't bring a car because you can always get rides from friends (trust me every time I head to the beach or go out to eat, my car is packed). The normal course load is four classes. Three out of my four classes this semester had a little over 30 students and my freshman seminar had 15. But I hear higher classes typically have around 15. I turned down schools like Johns Hopkins and Davidson to come here primarily for two reasons: the unique DWA major and, of course, the location. And so far I have been very happy with my decision. Overall, the campus is very beautiful and the people are friendly. It's quite easy to join clubs and get involved with various student organizations and causes. In my experience so far, I'd say most students drink on somewhat of a regular basis and a lot smoke weed. Both are very accessible, even for First-Years. Student body is very liberal (in fact, the most liberal in the U.S. I'm told) which I was worried about at first but its actually not bad at all. If anyone has any questions too, I'd be happy to answer them.</p>
<p>What is the immediate area around the campus like? Is it student friendly (ie places to eat, coffee houses etc)?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply guys, I think finals went pretty well :)</p>
<p>mentalmystic:
1)The LA vibe is great. I'm somewhat local (~45 minutes away), but I have a friend from the georgia area and he seems to really like oxy.
2) Eagle rock is a nice college town per se - however, the REAL college-friendly aspect is that you have some better places that are close drives away (even if you don't have a car, you will know someone that does)- downtown LA is about 10 minutes away, and pasadena (perhaps you know the rose bowl) is about the same distance, maybe closer. All contribute to the goodness of occidental.
3) The campus is definitely in an urban area. The actual campus is very beautiful with a lot of the nice old buildings intact from the old days.
4) oxy has a huge sense of community. In fact, I feel as if there is almost too much community - as the campus is generally highly residential.
5) Is the school challenging? Of course. But all colleges probably are. I came from a pretty rigorous public school, and feel that I probably got all A's or A-'s this semester. But regardless, if you put some good work into your classes, you should be fine. </p>
<p>Around the world:
1) Regular decision
2) Yes one of my friends was waitlisted. He happened to get off (I think this is relatively common)
3) Definitely a "thick" letter, which is pretty damn obvious about your fate :P</p>
<p>Giggitus:
How’s the food at Oxy? - It is definitely great- but not gonna lie, it gets REALLY OLD after a while. Don't sign up for the highest meal plan, you will regret it!! - but lots of amazing AMAZING!!! ethnic restaurants in eagle rock.
What is there to do on campus after midnight? - lots of stuff. it really depends - weekends sort of get insane as there are usually lots of parties going on (generally walking distance off campus). Weeknights are sort of dead, but there are usually those nights when people don't have class the next day and just kick it.
Do you know how significant the discounts are for symphony tickets? - no clue. :(
How are the restaurants around Oxy? - (answered above) - simply amazing.
What major are you? - Biology or Biochemistry, or perhaps kinesiology. I'm pretty sure I would consider myself "premed"
What museums are close to campus?- Not sure specifically, but LA probably has just about any type of museum that you can think of.
Do Oxy students get discounts to exhibits that cost moolah? - Not sure about this one. Our student center, however, has TONS of random discounted tickets to places. It's probably a seasonal thing.
What clubs are popular? One that I saw was the Bad Movie Club, and I looooooooove to make fun of horrible movies. You know anything about that club?
^ Not sure about that one -- but I know it exists. We have tons of clubs of any type - and if you feel as if there aren't enough, then you can easily start the club (and most likely get funding for it too). </p>
<p>If I brought my xbox do you think that it would be stolen? Would I have time to play it?
Would I get discounts to an LA Lakers game? I usually despise sports, but Basketball has an allure.
^ Plenty of kids play games. Probably not about the Lakers. </p>
<p>Are there racquet-ball quarts nearby? - Not sure
How late do most people stay up? - It depends. You would get assigned with a roommate who (hopefully) goes to sleep about the same time as you. Generally past midnight. Some cases past 2 or 3am writing papers.
Could I use Astroturf as carpeting in my room? - I doubt it
Can I paint the walls and ceiling? If not, what color are they?- No. Dorm-rooms can't be tampered with (to my knowledge). Regular-toned colors? </p>
<p>KumitedDad:
Immediate area ... hmm. I would say that it is generally friendly, with a handful of joints within walking distance. But I think that the main grandeur of oxy comes with the fact that it is located close to downtown LA and pasadena, and all of the other amazing things about LA. But definitely you have your handful of coffee shops (starbucks close by) and this other place (swork) which is pretty famous. If you have a car, however, then it just makes your range of going places that much greater (parking at oxy is free for students) ... but many kids tend to have a roommate or a friend with a car, and that tends to be sufficient.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the answers Oxy12 and zingos101 :)</p>
<p>Hi, I have a question about applying. Are recommendations required from 1 teacher, 2 teachers, + a counselor? Sorry it wasn't too clear on the website... Just making sure because I accidently sent in 2 teacher recs for USC and I don't want to make that mistake again... ><</p>
<p>I am not sure about this year (so don't take my word for it), but last year I recall doing 2 recs + counselor/secondary school report. </p>
<p>(I think a lot of LAC's require 2 teacher recs b/c they are more interested in you as a person. USC probably not as much since it's a larger institution)</p>
<p>Question: 30 years ago, when I was at Oxy, the area close to campus was lovely and residential. But Eagle Rock, in general, was very run down, and not a place you would want to walk after dark. I did some student teaching at a high school that was in the area, and it was the only school I knew at that time that had armed guards. </p>
<p>Has Eagle Rock Blvd, and the neighborhoods adjacent to Oxy undergone some major improvements and enhancement?</p>
<p>Karen Colleges-</p>
<p>I probably can't answer your question about walking after dark outside of the immediate off-campus area, as I haven't walked outside in the dark anywhere past the immediate off-campus housing - however, I do have a few friends that have walked from campus to the colorado blvd area and back late at night - and to my knowledge they have come back unscathed :). I do believe that many students walk to some of the neighboring taco trucks on the boulevard late at night, and feel as if they were safe. </p>
<p>Overall I suppose that LA isn't the safest of cities - however, given the urban environment, I'd say that eagle rock is one of the safest neighborhoods nowadays (I think I read somewhere that eagle rock had one of the lowest crime rates in the los angeles area). There are some new plazas around too which make the city look nicer.</p>
<p>thannkk you!!!! :D</p>
<p>guys what about international students?
im an excellent ib junior coming from a small european country.
are there any chances to get a full scholarship? r there many internationals?
im in doubt to apply to oxy or connecticut college on ED coz i dont know where i have bigger chances... i know u cant predict it but after taking toefl and sats ill post my background here.</p>
<p>luluzg-</p>
<p>There are a good amount of internationals here - but to the best of my knowledge (anyone wanna help me out) international financial aid is very limited. "Full scholarships" are even extremely rare among US Residents.</p>
<p>How often do people leave on the weekends? How many people are on campus then?</p>
<p>Also: what do you think of the administration? I get the impression the admissions office isn't on top of things.</p>
<p>Overall - not too too many. You have to remember that the place has only about 1/2 california residents. I live about an hour away and found myself going home about twice per month or so (one of which for medical-related purposes). </p>
<p>A lot of the administration is relatively new, so that is understandable. With regards to the admissions office, however, I believe that most staff have been there for a good number of years. I think that if your concern is whether or not they have received your materials, you should not worry - they are pretty on top of that. They are also quite responsive if you phone them - perhaps no so much if you e-mail them.</p>
<p>@zingos101</p>
<p>is ib recognizable? i have 36/42 points but at the end of year i'll try to increase it.
do u think its good enough for oxy or i should get more (and how many)?
thank you in advance</p>
<p>sorry I have no clue how the IB system works. With regards to transfer credit, (if that's something you're looking at), oxy does accept AP credits for a certain score (probably IB credits too) --- but the thing is that these AP/IB credits don't satisfy any core requirements. Some may allow you to skip an introductory class, but more likely you will want to take the intro class to get the easier A. If you are referring to a Grade Point Average, OXY is looking for you to have somewhat of a B+ / A- average. They will look at your activities and your essays more than anything though - as they aren't as stats-driven as some other institutions. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Hey zingos & Oxy12, I'm feeling really paranoid about getting into Oxy because it's a reach, so could you guys please read my essay and tell me what you think about it? I already sent it in a while ago, but I wouldn't mind getting an Oxy student's perspective on whether it's good or bad.</p>