Occidental College is the perfect launch pad?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Occidental College
1

Occidental College seems like the best place for students to attend if they didn’t work as hard in high school but want to get serious in college (so this would not apply for students that don’t want to up their game), and these are my reasons as to why:

Occidental College has a 3-2 program with Caltech.

Their website says that most students that were recommended have received admission, and the students get enough financial aid to attend.

http://www.oxy.edu/physics/32-engineering-program/3-2-engineering-faq

“we never submit applications to Caltech unless we truly feel the student is up to the challenge – and in the last many years most of the names we’ve submitted have been accepted for admission. But it’s not automatic.”

“we have not had a single case in which a 3-2 student was unable to attend Caltech or Columbia due to financial constraints.”

I know that big reasons students don’t follow through with programs like these is because they want to stay back with their friends, lose their passion for engineering, or think the affiliate school will be too hard for them, but it would be quite different in this case. Caltech and Oxy are about 7 miles apart, close enough that a student would not feel like they’re leaving their friends. In addition, Caltech allows admitted students to choose from any of their options, not just engineering, including humanities and hard sciences. Finally, Oxy and Caltech students can cross-register for classes, meaning Oxy students know what they will be getting into beforehand and can properly prepare for it.

In the end, if a student does not get admitted to Caltech, they will still have a fantastic fallback in Columbia if they still want to do engineering.

The only negative I can’t address is the extra year they will spend in school (and the money that it would cost), but I would think the opportunities a Caltech (or Columbia) degree will provide can negate that for most people.

If none of that sounds appealing, Occidental feeds well into USC too as far as transfers go, I think.

What do you think? Is this a worthwhile plan for underachievers that want to start fresh?

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I’m sure others have different opinions but I’ll just share my student’s experience thus far. My daughter is a freshman and, thus far has a few weeks at Oxy under her belt. My daughter is taking very challenging hard-science classes. She was a top student at her public school (top 1%) and took many AP classes that she excelled in. Her GPA was over a 4.0 BUT…she finds Oxy to be challenging. She says it’s doable but it IS challenging. She said there are plenty of other students with other majors that appear to be taking it a bit easier but if your child is going to be a hard science or engineering major be prepared for serious studying. That being said, she is extremely pleased with her decision and LOVES Oxy. She’s found her “people” there which has been helpful. She turned down many great colleges including UCLA because she felt that the small class sizes offered her a better chance to get to medical school. So more directly your statement of “Is this a worthwhile plan for underachievers that want to start fresh?” Begs the question of whether this student is ready to buckle down because if they feel that Oxy will be an “easy” option they might be surprised. On the flip side, for such a small school Oxy has amazing resources to help every student succeed including many study groups with peers. Just be prepared to work very hard for good grades. Hope that helps. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

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For an “underachiever” to jump into the most competitive school in the universe (Caltech!) would be a scrumbling challenge!

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@Michpadams @uclaparent9
Thanks for your responses! I should have clarified that my kid goes to a top magnet school in the country, but ended up in that middle area where he has good test scores on SAT/APs but mediocre grades due to the stiff competition. He was unfocused for most of high school and fell through the cracks because the teachers only really focused on the top students, but he is ready to really buckle down (and his grades this semester show it) and wants to backdoor his way into Caltech/Columbia by working hard at a partner school (or maybe he’ll just realize in the process that which school you get your degree from doesn’t matter as long as you excel wherever you end up).

I should rephrase my questions as: “Is Oxy the right place for a determined mediocre student from an elite high school to succeed?” Your answer makes me think the answer to the question is yes, which I’m sure will make him happy!

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Having a senior at Oxy, I would say, that there are very few “mediocre” students at Oxy. Academics are rigorous. Most students do not use it as a launching pad to transfer. Admissions looks highly upon those who will contribute to the community and not use it as a “stepping stone.”

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I have to agree with swimsoc2013. Occidental is full of extremely bright students. Your student will be challenged academically from the very beginning. Most students are focused and take school seriously. A student that may have been unfocused in high school will really need to buckle down.

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I think I have an interesting view point to this conversation, I’m a transfer student to Oxy coming from a large state school in the south east that is also known to be rigorous and a “public ivy” or whatever. I decided to transfer to Oxy because it was smaller and a liberal arts school as I was sick of the south as well as lecture classes.
Not sure if its because I’m done with alot of my pre reqs (maths and sciences are what I struggle with) and have mostly major based classes in my junior year, but the classes are not nearly as challenging as my previous institution. That being said, I know friends who are bio-chem majors that are almost constantly studying. Its hard to determine whether that is because of their major, the classes are actually very difficult, they aren’t studying smart… etc.

Oxy is different for everyone but personally I don’t believe it could ever compete with other college/universities, ivy leagues especially, and math science universities with huge research programs. I think alot of oxy students don’t take advantage of the 3-2 programs because they don’t realize how incredible they are / they’ve only ever known the occidental academic atmosphere which is much like a bubble and not a good representation of academic thought in undergraduate institutions.

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@misfits2123 would you say you are unhappy with your decision?