<p>other than the incredible campus, are the academics worth 40 grand a year?</p>
<p>On the Princeton Review website, the content below appears in the What University of San Diego Students Say about the Schools Academics section. You may find this information helpful in making your decision.</p>
<p>Approximately one in three undergraduates major in business, management, or marketing at the University of San Diego, a small, prestigious, Catholic school perched on the Pacific Ocean's edge. But there's a whole lot more to a USD education than prepping for a successful corporate career. All undergraduates here must complete the demanding general education requirements that ensure a "values-based education for everyone. You not only learn about Plato's Republic, but also how its themes are relevant to our socio-political situation today in this country and around the world. There is exploration beyond the here and now and spiritual adventure here." Adding to that sort of experience is USD's community service-learning, which "provides opportunities for community relations and student 'hands on experience' in different fields (sociology, psychology, political science)." USD also offers solid, popular programs in communications, psychology, nursing, and education. Smaller departments like engineering and the sciences earn praise, too, the latter which benefits from "a great facility with brand-new labs." Undergrads in all departments embrace the small school environment in which "professors know you by name and expect you to be in class and doing your work." USD professors "are enthusiastic and you can tell they love teaching at a small school rather than a huge state university." And just so you know, they expect a lot from their students. Cautions one student: "This school is very academically challenging and you have to work hard for your grades. The results, though, are more satisfying because you actually did work hard and put in the effort and you learned something.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at USD this year. I am sure there are many schools where she could have gotten similar academics for less than 40K/year, but USD met all her requirements (academics, class size, school size, geographic location, etc). This appeared to be a school my daughter would be happy at, and an environment in which she would thrive. That was worth it to us.</p>
<p>USD seems to provide a high quality education. But for non-Catholics or non-religious persons, the multiple Theology classes in the Core requirements might be a bit burdensome for science majors.</p>
<p>Actually, we thought the variety of theology courses made that requirement an interesting and non-restrictive one. USD had a ton of different courses you can use to satisfy that requirement. Any college that has core requirements is going to force the science major to take courses in other disciplines. USD happens to have theology as one of its core requirements.</p>
<p>It is behind UCSD but above SDSU. Now, contrast that with the rest of Southern California and it is below UCLA, USC, Harvey Mudd, Occidental, Caltech, Claremont-McKenna, and Pomona. It is pretty equal to Pepperdine in that it is a religious school that is a lush campus, expensive, and not as dominant in Southern California.</p>
<p>Besides the comparisons with rivaling schools, USD offers a really nice environment and is generous in merit aid to many. I was deciding between Occidental, USD, and USC. I liked USD because of the area and great surf; however, I spent an overnight there and greatly disliked the student body. Perhaps I was assigned to the wrong crowd. But I heard about a Freshman taking the virginity of a Senior girl on the same overnight as me, my friend and the USD kids he was staying with went out and stole a 32 pack of beer at a store, and there was ganja and alcohol around in the dorms. Now, this is okay with me if people want to do drugs or drink. I don't care. But, these seemed to be the kids that all they wanted to do was drink or smoke. There wasn't a clear balance between that and studying or achieving goals. That was my feel from the overnight. </p>
<p>Another dampening event was being in the cafeteria. I was hoping to hear some intellectual conversations. I don't know, something interesting! I have never been so bored at the dinner table in my life. There are cliques of good looking girls, the jocks, the surfers, and other people. </p>
<p>USD is challenging if you are in the honors program, so try for that. It is a great campus, there are pretty girls, and don't worry about the religion. It is not as austere as Pepperdine. I decided not to go there for my experience with the overnight and the fact that USD hasn't much of a reputation for prestige. I hope I helped you.</p>
<p>My D has found a group of great friends there. She is outdoorsy, an athlete and a good student. You can find like minded friends. Her classes are smaller then in high school and the professors know all their students. Advising is very personal and my D has had better luck with that then my S has at Pomona .They are quite generous with scholarships and fin aid so you probably will not have to pay full fare. The school has a good reputation with grad schools. My D plans to go for a doctrate in PT and called around first to some grad programs. They felt they had had well prepared students from USD and the school was good in sciences. Students come from all over and the campus does not empty on weekends as is the case with some schools. My D did not like Occidental , UC san Diego, or USC but again it is all such a personal preference. The size is large enough to offer a variety of classes but small enough to get personalized attention. Many of the students on her team had been accepted at schools such as Columbia, UCLA, and USC and chose USD's honors college instead. The location and scholarships probably played a part in that.</p>