Daughter is in the same boat. Mind if I ask if she’s going to commit to SCU or is she waiting on others?
She’ll wait for sure. She only applied to CA schools and there’s at least a few CA publics that would probably rise above SCU. But SCU is a strong candidate for us.
And we may need to take another trip through SCU’s campus in April.
Out of curiosity which california publics would you rank above scu? Berkeley? Ucla? Any others?
Yes, there are other publics that rank higher for my D, but they’re not necessarily Cal and UCLA.
I had 1490 SAT Superscore (690 English / 800 Math)
Math 2: 800 / Physics: 780 / Bio: 720
94.91/100 unweighed
Top 10 percent of the class
6 APs
(BC Calc (5), Bio(4), Physics C Mech(5), Physics 1 & 2(4), Microeconomics(5))
I couldn’t get any scholarships 
I guess it’s very hard to get as an international…
We contacted D’s AO today to ask about admitted student days. She said that they are putting together a virtual program and that the county doesn’t allow visitors who live more than 150 miles away unless they quarantine for 14 days. Campus is closed to visitors and she said we should respect that
Hm. These CA schools are going to have it rough getting kids from outside their immediate area. Not sure how many students are comfortable choosing a school across the country without being able to at least walk on the campus.
2 Likes
By mid-to-late March, we should be in a better place. At least I hope so.
If not, then there’s going to be a heck of a lot of open spots in classes that’ll need to be filled by many CA colleges.
2 Likes
We’re hoping to be able to visit over April break, before the May 1 deadline. May be a pipe dream…
I’ve posted before, but D20 is a freshman (living off campus) and loves Santa Clara. She had some doubts based on her initial first impression (when we attended the open house). She thought the campus was beautiful and loved the access to internships afforded by the Silicon Valley location, but she was worried about the absence of a college town. She was ultimately deciding between a couple of LA-area options and SCU, and said multiple times over the holiday break how grateful she is that she chose Santa Clara. Hopefully your kids will get to visit in person, but if you have any questions, I’m happy to try and answer!
4 Likes
Thank you. How did she find her roommates? Are they people from high school or did the school help?
Ugh. I certainly hope people aren’t just living with friends from high school! D21 wouldn’t know anyone and also wouldn’t want to be somewhere where the kids already have built in friendships from high school. Good question though - does SCU allow kids to choose roommates (maybe from an Instagram or FB group?) or do they have everyone fill out roommate questionnaires and match them? We only have one experience and Bowdoin does not allow kids to choose their roommates - they fill out very long questionnaires that include essays and the college matches them up.
In normal times they said on the tour that they match with a questionnaire. I can’t recall for sure but I think you might be able to request someone too.
1 Like
So are people signing up for housing now even if you’re not sure if you’re going to SCU?
no. I don’t think that’s a thing except for big state schools. You don’t do housing at SCU until later in the spring and then it’s only for kids who have paid their deposit and committed to SCU.
1 Like
@NateandAllisMom and @homerdog, D is currently living in an off-campus apartment with a couple of other girls who she met while at SCU (not from HS). For dorms, the school allows you to select a roommate or you can complete a survey and they will assign. Kids connected through social media and that seems to be how most selected roommates (unless they were choosing a HS friend, but that seems to be the minority). The dorms haven’t opened all year due to COVID, but D wanted to get started in person, so she moved into an off-campus studio last fall which was very close to campus. She joined a sorority, connected with other freshman who had moved to Santa Clara and made friends–which is how she met the girls she’s now living with. Many kids are living in temporary off-campus housing hoping that the dorms open soon, but we signed a lease through the end of the year. It’s not a huge school, but a lot of freshman have moved and there were many sophomores, juniors and seniors who had already signed leases when the pandemic hit, so there were a lot of kids in the area. She has been fortunate (knock on wood) not to have contracted the virus despite a relatively active social scene.
2 Likes
was the school ok with freshmen living right off campus? Bowdoin has made it clear that they do not want students renting in town and pretty much said stay away from Brunswick if you are not one of the grades allowed on campus this semester. The town of Santa Clara seems very very conservative in its Covid rules so I’m surprised if many freshmen decided to move there.
They didn’t encourage kids to move, but they knew it was going to happen. Like I said, a lot of sophomores, juniors and seniors had already signed lease agreements. The school had limited services for off-campus students including COVID testing, library use (with restrictions) and grab-and-go meals. Some freshmen (and probably other students) moved to the dorms last fall if they had hardships (international time zone, living situations that made distance learning a challenge, etc.), so there were some kids on campus.
D was pleasantly surprised by the number of freshmen who were there in person, but certainly the majority stayed home. It sounds like more kids are moving to the area for winter/spring quarter.
The area is conservative in terms of COVID rules, but with proper social distancing and mask wearing, there was plenty to do. There are a number of nearby restaurants with outdoor seating (and the weather is pretty much perfect), a really nice outdoor mall (Santana Row), takeout dining, etc. But I think most socializing took place in student-rented apartments and houses.
2 Likes
Ah I thought outdoor dining was a no no in CA but maybe that’s just LA county. Also they told us that one had to quarantine for 14 days if one comes to Santa Clara. That’s kind of hard to do if you’re coming as a freshmen. Not sure how you get food!
Outdoor dining isn’t allowed in Santa Clara County at this time. If you need food delivered, pretty much every delivery service is available.
Outside dining was available before the holidays, but it’s county by county in CA.
1 Like
FWIW, the family and I order takeout a lot. The apps make it so easy. And then I’m the “door dash” person and pick it up. Curbside is often available too.
1 Like