<p>I've been looking into Occidental as a prospective 2011-er, and I was wondering: What's the general atmosphere around Occidental? Are students generally friendly and easy to approach, or is it a sort of 'ever person for themself' mentality over there? Also, is the location in L.A. a plus or minus?
Your opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Occidental is in the suburban community of Eagle Rock. It is a small school with a very "liberal artsy" feel. If you like big cities, LA can be nice as far as opportunities to get out and see things. Public transportation is not very good, so it is often hard to get around (and takes forever). The campus is pretty, but not as bustling as a larger school. Oxy is similar to the Claremont Consortium, but not as well regarded. It does not have a national reputation particularly.</p>
<p>Ou, so would you reccomend a car? How's parking there, in any case?</p>
<p>Just returned form daughter's orientation. Loved it and my daughter who can be reserved is v.happy and having fun. Beautiul campus-dorms vary but hers is large, sunnyroom.Free parking . We sayed in Pasedena9 minutes away- Lots of ethnic resturants,shops,people strolling music and warm evening.Diverse student body.Challenging program-oxy ranks among the top 10 percent of liberal arts colleges whose graduates have earned Ph.D.s.
and I loved the community outreach programs.</p>
<p>We also just dropped our D at Oxy and I was so impressed. The campus is beautiful and the people are very friendly, down to earth, and diverse. Our d has a small room but it is pretty and the dorm is very charming. </p>
<p>The location is excellent. You are in a big city, but the campus is similar to other lac. The town of Eagle Rock had lots of ethnic dining options and some cools artsy stores and thrift stores. You can walk to these...I'd guess they are about a mile away.</p>
<p>Pasadena is very close and there is an abundance of shopping and dining. We also verntured over to the Silver Lake area which is very hip and had lots of cafes and cool shopping. I'm guessing it is 10 minutes away.</p>
<p>Our d did not take a car, but I can see that a student would like to have a car to take advantage of the surrounding area.</p>
<p>I was also very impressed with the academic core program. Overall, our d is having a terrric time and meeting great people from all over the country.</p>
<p>collegemom - Oxy sounds awesome!! I can't wait to visit next month!!</p>
<p>My friends little brother is maybe interested. Could you describe the core program in detail.
thanks</p>
<p>I just got the viewbook from Oxy in the mail today, and I saw they have a semester long UN program, which made me very excited, as I've been in MUN at my school for the past three years. Could anybody tell me about that, whether from personal experience of from what they've heard? Thanks. :]</p>