My D is having a hard time making a decision for undergrad. Reviews on Redlands and USFCA is pretty limited - any current students or recent grads want to chime in about pros and cons? With Redlands, people seem to love it or hate it. She really enjoyed the campus and students when she toured. My D is undeclared for a major but possibly Psych or Sociology. Academically, Chapman and LMU seem like a great fit, but she’s worried about diversity. She’s more of a thrift store dresser, and likes exploring quirky areas and interesting food, versus parties, sororities or concerts. Can she find her people at Chapman or LMU? Financially, Redlands has offered a very generous merit scholarship and the others would be about twice as much in total costs. We can swing it, but it will be painful. We’ve been to all campus twice…and the decision is not getting any easier.
All are good options. Socially, it sounds like USF would be a great fit.
However, you need to consider costs carefully, as with any Psych or Sociology major, at least two years of grad school will probably be in her future. Weigh the lower costs at Redlands against any perceived academic strengths in her other options.
Be sure to go to the Psych/Sociology department web sites at all potential schools and dig deep into the graduation requirements for that major, as well as how many faculty are teaching in those areas and what their focus is in.
Are these people your daughter would like to study with and learn from? How large is each department and do they track where their graduate go after college? How about where they are 5 years out? If they were all barista’s paying off college loans, that would worry me. If they say that 60% go on to MA’s or MFT’s from their program within 5 years, then I would feel much more secure.
Bottom line is where your daughter feels most comfortable, balanced with overall costs and academics.
@hop Thank you so much. We are planning to go through course catalogs this week and based on your comments, will look into outcomes and faculty as well.