<p>Hi everyone, my daughter has been accepted by Santa Clara but hasn't visited and is running out of time. Her guidance counselor expressed some surprise that she applied to SCU. Would those of you familiar with it offer your impressions of the place and people? I've read mostly about the engineering and business school aspects. Would an introverted creative writing type who barely remembers to brush her hair in the morning find her niche at SCU? She applied based on what she read in the course catalog.</p>
<p>Well diddig, that is a big question. If you can at all make it to the campus for a visit before May 1st, I would recommmend that you do so. I can only speak from my visits and background info that I have absorbed.
From what you say, your daughter needs some attention as an individual person and the opportunity to grow. At the foundation, SCU is a Liberal Arts University…a plus for your D. The campus is small and very nice, where your D won’t get lost. The enrollment is small, with smaller class sizing, access to professors, individual attention, a plus for your D. If she needs spiritual grounding, it is there. On-campus housing is positive for meeting people and developing a closer cadre of friends. Access to clubs, intramurals, volunteer activities and other social events are available all year. The students that I have met are great, the professors intelligent and student focused, and the admissions/financial aid folks have been accessible, honest, and very nice. And it is only 1 1/2 hour plane ride to Seattle.</p>
<p>tough to answer without knowing really anything about what your daughter is looking for in a school. and, to be honest, cannot imagine committing to any school without seeing it in person. I live close by, and Santa Clara is an EXCELLENT school, in all majors, with a pretty rigourous cirriculum, very strong reputation, beautiful campus, strong sense of community, etc. but it really depends on what your daughter is looking for. what other schools is she interested in that she has gotten accepted to?</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. I didn’t mean to suggest that we wouldn’t go visit if she really wanted to. She had five EA acceptances and one more recent one and I think has lost interest in SCU after these long months. One CC visit report spoke of fit and SCU being a great school for the right person, so that got me wondering if there was something specific we should be looking at (since proper fit goes without saying IMO). For example, one school in SoCal was described as everyone looking ready for an audition. That didn’t fly in my D’s imagination. With her GC’s comment in mind, she has moved on. I just wanted any last thoughts to offer her from people who might have some experience so she doesn’t make a rash decision. Best wishes.</p>
<p>We visited SCU with our son about a month ago. Although initially it was not at the top of our list we were so impressed by the feel of the campus, the faculty…I guess the ‘vibe’ that it is high on our list. He is a mechanical engineering major. So, vry different from your daughter in academic interests but similar in that when he gets focused on physics or calculus the rest of the world fades away. We were treated very well by the faculty. We concluded that students really aren’t just numbers at SCU. There seemed to be a good mix of students, a commitment to academics and to the development of the student’s character.</p>