hello, trying to choose one for my safety school (my other safety is UCR). intended major neuroscience or child studies.
i know USD has a neuroscience major and pepperdine does not, but pepperdine is ranked a lot higher and i think this would fare better for post-grad stuff? also id be fine w just doing a bio major at pepperdine, i could prob concentrate in the brain.
these 2 schools are like the same in terms of location i feel like? i like the location for both, although i would prefer a lil more urban (like not in the middle of nowhere? if i could have college suggestions too thatd be great, like in cali and good weather and pretty scenery college)
im looking for a more moderate political body, not overly-partying culture but still ways to have fun on weekends, a bit of a cheaper lifestyle (i know, both malibu and san diego are expensive but still), good research opportunities and good premed advising/program.
Most people wouldn’t consider any of those schools “safeties”. You would be better off choosing a safety where chances of admission are much higher than they are at those schools. In terms of Pepperdine, the school is extremely religious and students are, I believe, expected to attend chapel regularly and take several religion classes. It is an excellent school, but Christianity is central to its identity so you need to be comfortable with that if you are considering it. I looked at UCSD with my son and my impression is that it is huge. Campus is pretty and modern but sprawling. If you want more of a safety in California, you could look at SDSU - nice campus, good programs and admission is not as tough. If you aren’t a California resident you should be aware the the UC schools do not offer aid to out of state students and the cost is around $65k per year.
Got it - must have misread. Toured USD with my kiddo as well. Really, really beautiful campus. It even smelled nice. I think it would make a good safety if finances aren’t a worry (although they do offer some good merit).
Although USD is Catholic it didn’t seem in your face during the tour. It certainly isn’t religious in the way that Pepperdine is. Our tour guide wasn’t Catholic or particularly religious (according to her) and said most kids aren’t.
Thorsmom66- My husband went to Pepperdine and is not religious at all. His lifelong friends are a wide range. He tells me of international students of all religions from across the globe he attended with. Wonderful experience w lifelong friends. I think it is important as we try to help each other that we don’t offer impressions on schools we don’t have personal references to. IE: neither of us went there. My husband of 20 years did. Why are you saying anything about this school at all? We live in WA State.
My only concern regarding either school is that if it is truly a safety, do the NPC’s show it is affordable? #1 rule when categorizing a Safety school is that you can afford to attend without significant debt. If you run the NPC, does it include automatic merit aid to bring costs down to an affordable level? You are looking at $55K-70K/year cost of attendance before FA.
Checked OP’s other discussions and they are very competitive academically with no budget limitations according to their post. So I guess it answers my question about affordability
I attended USD decades ago. We were required to take a religious course, in any discipline.
Now, they require two courses (one to be taken in your lower division years, and one to be taken in upper division).
It’s a Catholic campus in its buildings and in some courses where the faculty are priests/staff, but during my time there, the courses were very secular. I made life-long friends there and still have those friends.
It’s a good school but it is very expensive.
My son is looking at CA schools. Already accepted to Pepperdine haven’t heard from USD yet.
Both campuses were great when we visited. He also really liked Santa Clara and SDSU. He will likely make decision based on what kind of merit aid he gets. He is a BioChem major looking to premed track. I thought there is more to do around the SD campuses than Pepperdine. Pepperdine is really hilly from campus to Dorms. We spent a week visiting and really felt a more personal vibe from Pepperdine, USD and SCU than UCLA and UCSB, UCSD. No real surprise. Although UCSB is stunning and Isla Vista is great. I agree with poster above. UCSD is too big. Only school he visited that we ruled out. Hope this helps! Good luck.
The hills are no joke at Pepperdine for sure!
: D But, also, a great way to keep your heart pumping along with nearby hikes. For extra entertainment you do need to drive 25-45 mins (Santa Monica, LA, Westlake/Augora etc). In Malibu & nearby Topanga, there are plenty of independently owned shops and restaurants. Occasional local events and a weekly car show happen off the hill from Pepp. I am also very familiar with USD and there is much to do nearby, but also requires a drive off the hill into surrounding areas, as you know. Good luck to your son!