My Tour Experience

Colleges and Universities A-Z Chapman University
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<p><em>I was a little tired writing this so please FORGIVE any grammatical errors!</em></p>

<p>OK so first off I know this should probably be posted in the “tours” section of the Chapman forum but I figured more people would see my post this way. Anyways, I literally just got home from the airport (I flew in for my tour) from touring Chapman and all I have to say is wow. The school isn’t perfect, but for me none of the schools I am considering are and I think that wherever anyone ends up, there will always be imperfections. However Chapman was pretty much everything I had anticipated (a testament to how helpful reading this forum has been) and even more.</p>

<p>I started the day by spending some time with my mom in the area surrounding Chapman’s campus our tour. Known locally as “Old Town Orange”, the area feels like a total throwback to the 1950’s. I have spent a lot of time in Coronado, CA and for anyone else who has vacationed or spent time there, this part of Orange will feel very familiar. There a ton of antique store and other vintage touches (a “main street” feel with ice cream parlors and such), however there are also modern touches as well such as Starbucks, some typical college area eateries, a yogurt shop a la Pinkberry and even a cupcake shop a la Sprinkles Cupcakes from Beverly Hills. Overall the area feels incredibly safe and relaxed. This week happened to be Chapman’s spring break so the town felt pretty deserted however several individuals mentioned that when school is in session the area is full of students. </p>

<p>If you are looking for a school in a very urban setting (USC, USF) then Chapman is probably not the place for you. However being in the OC, larger areas like Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, and Disneyland are only a few minutes away so really you are not restricted to small town Orange. As far as commuting goes, if I attend Chapman I will not bring a car my freshman year and am not concerned for a few reasons. Firstly, a bike is all you need to commute from main Campus to surrounding Orange and the Dodge College if that is where your classes take you. Secondly, it is likely you will make multiple friends who do have cars and thirdly Chapman is super close to the train station that will take you to the beach, LA, etc. </p>

<p>Our tour started in the Argyros Forum and right away I was blown away by the new, modern, and amazingly well groomed feeling the campus has. Now I will say right off the bat that the campus is SMALL. You can walk from end to end in a matter of minutes however the overall feeling is very typical college campus as in, if I were to close my eyes and picture the ideal campus, it would look very much like Chapman, albeit on a slightly larger scale. For me personally however, the new and beautiful quality of the buildings almost offsets the small factor to Chapman and I also feel that student involvement in organization such as Greek life or others will also distract from the smallness as you will feel a greater involvement in Chapman as a community. </p>

<p>Our guide was among the most pleasant I have had on my college tours this past year and the weather could not have been better either. Our group was very large, I am assuming because so many schools are on SB right now, but our guide did a good job of keeping the group together and making sure he was heard by all. Like I have previously said, all facilities are beautiful and new. The theater we saw seemed a little old and only holds about 999 people however our guide said such acts like Dane Cook and Rooney have been through there which seemed to make it more lively. The cafeterias seemed ok, nothing horrible but nothing to lust over. The dorms are an aspect of Chapman that personally draw me in. Most rooms are either doubles or triples and in the newer halls (which are the majority of the halls) bathrooms are suited (2-3 per bathroom). This is an important aspect of the school to me so I would say if you are not looking forward to sharing a bathroom with 20 other kids next year, this is an aspect of Chapman to pay attention to. </p>

<p>Though our guide mentioned athletics as not being a particular strong suit of Chapman’s (not a deal breaker for me but, may be for someone else), all facilities were new and BEAUTIFUL including their stadium and new Olympic-sized pool. Now, I am a workout fanatic and exercise about six days a week. We were unable to see any workout facilities and I am somewhat dubious of their state and quality. Our guide mentioned that one of the two workout facilities was dedicated to athletes which I suppose only leaves one other workout facility? I am not sure if this is accurate so if you read this and are aware of different, please let me know. Overall I enjoyed the campus feel. It is not as awe-inspiring as say USD’s campus however it is typical southern California as in it is lush, sunny, and colorful. </p>

<p>Academically speaking, the classroom we saw was a “smart” room with gadgetry and technology to ensure optimal learning which was pretty neat. On a more personal level however, if I attend Chapman I will be enrolled in their PR/A program within the Dodge College. I managed to talk to a few students in the PR program and all had nothing but positives to say (internship laden and rich in learning). However, I was also able to meet for a while with a professor within the Dodge College who teaches an advertising course. He was enthusiastic, well seasoned (9 years as a senior VP of marketing for Disney) and genuinely interested in educating his students through his own knowledge and experience. The Dodge College itself is BEAUTIFUL and through talking with the professor, I was given a sense that I would be in a infectiously creative environment where I will not only learn, but really will be given an advantage as far as specifying my education towards my career in PR that I would not have at any other school.</p>

<p>Wow. I basically wrote a novel and I seriously feel like I could write so much more but in all honesty, I loved it. I think if it becomes more serious, I will return and do a second visit while there are student on campus to get a better feel of the student body and diversity. The professor I met with said I could even sit in on a class or two which seems like it would also be very helpful and exciting even. If anyone has any questions about Chapman and have not visited, please message me and I’d be happy to answer any questions or University of San Diego and University of San Francisco, both other schools I have toured and applied to.</p>

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<p>anth,</p>

<p>Glad you had a good visit. I have a kid at each USD and Chapman, and these campuses have many positives to offer any student. </p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>A student was recently killed by a car between USC's campus and her nearby apartment. USC is in an area that has a lot of drive-by shootings. Years ago, a lot of female students were attacked and killed between USC and their apartments. USC only guarantees housing for the first two years, I think.</p>

<p>Chapman is in the safest area of Orange County. OC is more alive than say Boston, which rolls up the sidewalks early. You can always find late night stores, restaurants and places to go dancing in OC. I can think of some within walking distance of Chapman.</p>

<p>Chapman has conservative financiers and some of the law school personnel are extreme. However, I've heard some good things about the other profs.</p>

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<p>The weather is 70 degrees year round there and the school is above the smog. You can see the ocean and Mission Bay from anywhere on campus. I prefer the people in San Diego. They are nice and relaxed. In OC, there is an uptight businesslike attitude to the people. However, OC is relatively safe and closer to L.A. if someone is in film or theater.</p>

<p>USD doesn't have any special admissions criteria for specialized undergraduate programs and so they don't have the reputation pf those programs at Chapman.</p>

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<p>My daughter has been accepted at USD and Chapman (also USF; waitlist for LMU, SCU). She has a perception that Chapman is only good for film. She’s undecided for a major but is considering communications or psychology. She is also a dancer. Since you have students at Chapman and USD, what can you tell me about the pros and cons of these 2 schools? Thanks.</p>

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<p>I would definitely suggest going through the Chapman posts, as well as the USD posts. Many of us have put up many points about the pluses and minuses of these campuses. I know I have posted dozens of things for these campuses. </p>

<p>When you click on this post, just go up to the top of the page, where it says “Chapman University” and scroll through the list. Do the same for “USD”. Read the campus visit reports. </p>

<p>Chapman only good for film? No. That is a silly perception. I actually know a girl who chose Chapman because she is a dancer and was interested in the advertising program. There are tons of great programs. My son chose it because of the English program, in addition to the location, the profs, the campus, the clubs, the size of the classes, etc…</p>

<p>USD is in an amazing location, high on the hill overlooking Mission Bay in San Diego. Chapman is in a residential neighborhood, near the heart of the OC (Orange County). </p>

<p>If you have specific questions I can answer, send me a private message or post it here - but I urge you both to read through posts first. There is a lot of information that might answer those questions. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>anth007:we must have taken tours with same guide - he mentioned all that you did, only on Wednesday, the 8th. Son LOVED the Dodge School tour, and the main campus tour actually made him a bit nervous. Maybe JJ was too polished, maybe it was the Greek thing (S isn’t into all of that - at least he doesn’t think he is). He also had a question about the student body. For some reason he thinks that there’s the possibility of a lot of “high school type drama”. I reminded him that “drama” is probably part of the local scene, it being SoCal and all, but then I stopped short with my pseudo-psycho analysis and thought we should hear from those in the know. How would one describe the general maturity level of the students at Chapman, and is there any whiff of anti-intellectualism there?</p>

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<p>I actually was talking with a girl today who is from Fullerton who has a lot of friends at Chapman and she mentioned that there is a lot of HS type drama at Chapman…I have not idea if there is truth to this, but my hope is that when I go back to look at the school when there are students on campus I can get more of a feel for this.</p>

<p>I am not interested in greek right now either, and the professor I met with within Dodge insisted that there are indeed other ways to be involved. I am not opposed to greek life however, as I am sure it is likely much different at a small school such as Chapman rather than a larger public institution.</p>

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<p>Please post your personal impressions when you go back (which is hopefully before May 1! ;)</p>

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<p>haha I will…I unfortunatly will likely not be able to get out there until either the 27th or 28th…leaving me little time to decide</p>

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<p>I was told from a student that there isn’t a lot of high school drama, but it happens here and there (which is every college). And it obviously depends on the type of friends you choose.</p>