Hi all
Thought it was time to start this thread going! Anyone else out there applying to Santa Clara EA? Our D21 really likes what she’s seen on virtual sessions but we are in the Midwest and haven’t visited. Our S19 didn’t have any EAs on his list so we are so excited that D21 will have a few decisions in December and hope SCU will be an option!
Is anyone applying EA who is from CA and/or knows the school well?
@homerdog thanks for starting the thread. I think I’ve already shared our great tour experience with you in the parents of 21 thread. Very positive about this school and S has his EA application in! It’s about a 5 hour drive to SCU from our home in CA.
Daughter has applied to SCU. Know a few friends’ kids who went there and nothing but great experience overall.
Any idea when the EA decisions will be out?
D21 is onboard for SCU EA. We’re located a short CalTrain ride away.
FYI, from a former inside SCU admissions source, close to 30% are accepted during EA and most of the rest are deferred.
They say late Dec.
I peeked at last year’s thread and someone had posted this last December:
"FYI…SCU press release about EA & ED…
SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Prospective Class of 2024 students showed Santa Clara University a record-breaking amount of love this fall by sending 8,280 early applications—the first time the university has broken the 8,000 mark. Most notably, Early Decision I applicants, those students who are committing to a binding admission process, were up 28 percent.
A record 8,280 students applied early to join the @SantaClaraUniv Class of 2024, with decisions issued Dec. 11. #SCUProud
Tweet this
Students who applied through both Early Action and Early Decision I admission tracks received their notifications through their online application portals on December 11.
Santa Clara’s acceptance rate for these early applications was 55.5 percent overall. Another 27 percent of students were deferred. Other notable characteristics of the admitted class include:
Average unweighted GPA: 3.82
Average SAT score: 1415
Average ACT score: 32
48.5 percent are students of color
12-15-2019 at 12:43 am"
Here are the release dates for the past three (3) years of SCU EA Decisions:
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
So, FYI, the 2019-2020 CDS states the 25/75 as:
SAT: 1,300-1,420
ACT: 28-32
Average uwGPA = 3.69
Wow. That’s so soon!!
Did anyone apply test optional? D21’s SAT is in that range above but we still thought it brought down her app compared to her transcript so she did not send it.
D21 applied test optional. However, she was able to take the SAT on 10/14 and if that score is a winner, then SCU does allow an applicant to change their application for one week after theIr deadline.
@sushiritto I hope your D is happy with her results. It’s a tough wait for those.
Thank you.
At this point, the UC’s and CSU’s are test blind, so I don’t think the score really matters nearly as much anymore. I believe D’s top choices are CA publics.
D20 is a freshman at SCU and loves it. She is living off campus (dorms were closed Fall quarter) and her classes are virtual, but she likes her professors and is certainly busy with schoolwork every time we talk to her.
FWIW, we attended the Open House last fall and she was initially skeptical because the surrounding area didn’t have a “college town” vibe and she was worried it would be boring. But she needn’t have worried; there is plenty to do. Nearby Santana Row has upscale shops and restaurants, and of course Santa Cruz, Palo Alto and San Francisco are accessible. Most of her social time is spent with kids living within a few blocks of campus or at local hangouts like “The Hut” where they go for breakfast on weekends, burgers at night, etc. There is also an active Greek life (which is officially “unaffiliated” with SCU, so they don’t talk much about it on the tours).
She has told us multiple times that she is so grateful that she chose SCU. She said the kids are smart and academically focused, but also social and fun–and this is the balance she was looking for. She also applied EA last year.
Good luck!
Hm. Sounds like one needs a lot of spending money to socialize at SCU if kids are eating off campus a lot! Also, if your D is socializing a lot off campus, does that mean there’s not much to do on campus for weekends?
@homerdog Everyone is pretty much eating and socializing off campus for the moment because the dorms and dining halls are closed due to COVID. My D is living in a nearby off-campus studio and most students are living very close to campus. The dorms are opening in January, but it will be restrictive with the pandemic in terms of socializing in your dorm room so I would expect that more socializing will happen off campus. D mostly cooks in her room, but does eat out more than she would normally because there is no dining hall. I have no reason to think that an SCU student would require more spending money than at any other school. My point is that the absence of a traditional college town has not been a factor–in other words most things are happening on (or very near) campus.
@cuppasbux Ah got it. I’ll be curious how spring goes. Will your D move into the dorms in Jan?
Yes, that’s her plan.
The cost of living here in the SF Bay Area, specifically Silicon Valley, is going to be higher than most places in the US. As an example, my D18 attends UMich and even “upscale” Ann Arbor is WAY cheaper than here in Silicon Valley. I’d say allocate more money for food and housing costs, if attending SCU.
Santana Row is pretty posh/upscale.
[quote=“sushiritto, post:19, topic:2106735”]
The cost of living here in the SF Bay Area, specifically Silicon Valley, is going to be higher than most places in the US. As an example, my D18 attends UMich and even “upscale” Ann Arbor is WAY cheaper than here in Silicon Valley. I’d say allocate more money for food and housing costs, if attending SCU.
Santana Row is pretty posh/upscale. [/quote
So off campus housing is also more expensive that the dorms at SCU? I guess we would budget whatever is room and board for freshman year and then use that as a gauge for any year she would live off campus as an upperclassman.