<p>My younger daughter wanted to apply to Oxy- before the election- for several reasons
It has had a reputation as a fairly diverse school ( race wise, not necessarily economic), especially compared to other LACs.</p>
<p>It is in an urban area, which she preferred, another criteria many LACs do not share.
California- even though * my * friends complain you can cut the air with a knife, D thinks of sun, surfing & shopping ( not necessarily in that order)
But mainly the diversity ( and that they have a marine bio program)</p>
<p>I am embarrassed to say, she paid more attention to me, than I would have guessed, when I expressed concern, about how we would pay for it ( as well as trying to subtly hint that it was a competitive school- which I feel bad about- at the time I did not fully realize that she more than kept up with her friends who get more attention than she for their accomplishments- I didn’t want her to be disappointed),she ended up not applying.</p>
<p>However, I console myself with the fact that she can always transfer if she wants, that she will also find a fairly diverse campus at Western, even if Bellingham is not as " ethnically mixed" as L.A. and that at least one boy who had attended her inner city high school and began college at Oxy, transferred out, because he was disappointed that it had less economic diversity than he expected.</p>
<p>The Obama connection as far as I was aware, did not factor in her interest at all.
The students who graduated from Oxy from her sisters very small prep school were happy with it ( although one girl was disappointed in the services available for learning disabilties, to Oxys credit, it sounds like they encouraged her to help them expand those resources- haven’t checked to see what they currently offer)</p>