Questions about Occidental.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Occidental College
1

<p>I have a daughter accepted to Occidental, and we are visiting soon. She has received feedback from teachers, who seem to like it as a college. Neither parent attended a small LAC, nor did older sibs. So we aren't pre-disposed to the "small LAC" environment for our daughter. She is also admitted at two other small LACs, the State Flagship, and medium sized private college with a few graduate programs. Given the $65K/year price tag at Occidental, I'm trying to be open-minded and have a few questions:</p>

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<li><p>This seems like one of those schools where the college is very much a "bubble." By that I mean dorm residence is required for 3 years, its location makes public transportation a poor option, and the immediate commercial district is pretty small (Eagle Rock). Any comments by current or former students about wanting to get off campus, and the frustration of not having a car? How easy is it to get to outdoor recreation opportunities (e.g., beach, hiking)? </p></li>
<li><p>Within California, how is Occidental viewed academically? Is it on par with the Claremont consortium schools? More like LMU? I really can't assess this from our part of the country. </p></li>
<li><p>Anyone who has attended from out of state, and listened to the sales pitch, only to find the experience wasn't as advertised? Why?</p></li>
<li><p>Her aid package is primarily need-based scholarship aid. Assuming (1) parent income levels remain relatively constant, and (2) satisfactory student performance, any experiences at Occidental with need-based aid being withdrawn or diminished in later years? </p></li>
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<p>I know there are fans and disgruntled students at every college. But like many admitted students, cost is a major consideration for us. Choosing Occidental means giving up pretty generous (and similar) aid packages at other schools, and she would probably forever lose the opportunity to transfer back to her State Flagship University (which is very good).</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your thoughtful responses. </p>

2

<p>I can’t answer your questions directly, so I hope that current or former students can provide some input for you. </p>

<p>If you don’t mind, though, what is your daughter’s intended major/career plans? And is the state flagship U of Wash?</p>

3

<p>Given that my original post didn’t generate any responses, I thought I would provide my own assessment after visiting Occidental a few weeks ago.</p>

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<li> Occidental is indeed a “bubble” in the Eagle Rock neighborhood. That said, the Eagle Rock neighborhood isn’t as bad as it has been portrayed elsewhere. There is a grocery store several (6-7?) blocks away. There are some restaurants and coffee places nearby, though not an awful lot.<br></li>
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<p>It does seem a long way from things if you don’t have a car. Go up to the top of the campus (it is hilly) at Fiji Mountain to get a 360 degree view of the area. You get a sense of how far away things are. Want to run through campus for exercise? You’ll probably end up down at the soccer field, because it is that hilly. </p>

<p>Also, One thing my daughter was looking for in a college was proximity to salt water. To those not from Los Angeles, Occidental is not close to the beach. It is many freeways, and several million people, removed from the beach. For my daughter–who won’t have a car–the choices right off campus weren’t that appealing.</p>

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<li><p>Occidental is a beautiful campus. Beautiful buildings, beautifully landscaped, and the student union/dining hall is probably the best we’ve seen on our travels. The vibe seemed casual, pretty relaxed. Lots of kids in flip flops and shorts. A significant number of girls, though, clearly concerned about fashion. Loved the smell of the eucalyptus trees! The dorms are dated (at least the one we saw).</p></li>
<li><p>Enough of the “study abroad” competition already! Seems like every college tour for admitted students we attend, the student tour guides feel like they have to drive home the “high rates of ______ students studying abroad.” Occidental was no exception, and it seemed like it went on forever. But c’mon, it just isn’t that hard to study abroad as long as you have the money to do it. Just pick a place and a program under which to study, and the credits nearly always transfer.</p></li>
<li><p>Oxy academic reputation: We weren’t able to get much info on this from Occidental students themselves. Rather, (1) native Angelinos and/or (2) friends whose kids have gone to Claremont consortium schools or LMU tell us that Occidental is not perceived particularly better or worse than those schools.</p></li>
<li><p>Financial aid Scholarship. It was generous, and we were appreciative, but being need-based was not guaranteed after freshman year. As parents, we have a hard time paying Stanford or Ivy rates for Occidental. I still find myself outwardly gasping at $65K/year…But if you value it differently, it may make sense for your son or daughter, or even seem like a bargain.</p></li>
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<p>In the end, my daughter decided not to attend, and it wasn’t even her runner-up. We visited USD (her runner-up) afterward, which is also a very beautiful campus. The difference between 6000 undergrads (USD) and 2100 undergrads (Occidental) was not lost on my daughter. The USD campus is quite a bit closer to the beach, and access to Old Town and downtown is pretty easy by virtue of the trolley system there. She also liked the public service emphasis she saw at USD. So I think the opportunity to take advantage of those “off campus” things appealed to her more.</p>

<p>Interesting that we heard many stories from other California parents about cut-backs at the UC system which caused them to seek out the private colleges. We have some of that too where we are from. But these parents from California were painting a pretty dark picture. </p>

4

<p>Deeppocket1, you’ve written such a good analysis of your visit I thought I would just drop in and confirm many of your conclusions. My daughter was accepted for the class of 2016 but ended up attending UCSB (we are in-state). Aside from the cost consideration (no aid) the college just seemed too small and limiting. The quality of dorms and facilities also did not seem commensurate with the tuition. Its proximity to Caltech might be a selling point for some, as I believe they allow some cross registration. Despite the horrific year that UCSB has experienced, my daughter has not regretted her decision. The darkest days of budget cuts appear to be behind us.</p>

5

Just for the record, Oxy is a top-tier LAC. It boasts one of the highest number of Fullbrights per year in the country. Our daughter is attending there with both a merit scholarship and financial aid, and our cost is less than our flagship state school. The top 10% of those admitted, I believe qualify for merit. She chose it over nine other schools. I think it is all what you are looking for. If you want small class size, a close knit student community, ability to participate in numerous activities, rigorous academics, and undergraduate research, Oxy may be for you. My husband and I attended an east coast LAC and loved it, so we may be biased. We also know that our daughter will go on to graduate school and Oxy will totally prepare her. Good luck in your search.

6

Wanted to support what swimsoc2013 posted above. Our daughter just finished her first semester at Oxy. She loves
it there! Great classes, challenging and interesting curriculum. Made quite a few off campus trips to greater LA without problem. For those of you visiting the neighborhood around Oxy, check out York Street for more coffee shops and cafes. College staff and dorm RA’s presented many opportunities to build community and get to know other students at the start of the school year.