<p>Looking for the top small private colleges in California.
List any?</p>
<p>the claremont colleges, specifically Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd (for what they offer)</p>
<p>Stanford is kinda small-ish</p>
<p>Caltech if you're into that.</p>
<p>caltech pomano?</p>
<p>what about woodbury or chapman? are they any good colleges?</p>
<p>occidental, it depends on what your stats are</p>
<p>but overall are woodbury or chapman decent schools?</p>
<p>He was referring to Pomona College, not Cal Poly Pomona. </p>
<p>You can think of the Cal privates in terms of tiers. The top tier are the most academically intense and also the most highly selective, the bottom tier the least selective and least academically intense.</p>
<p>Here's how I'd group the Cal privates (no particular order within each group - they are all pretty equivalent within each group). And, PLEASE NOTE: I am not saying the lower tiers are BAD schools, just less selective and less academically rigorous than the higher tiers. For many students, they are good choices though. I'd definitely give Chapman the edge over Woodbury, however.</p>
<ol>
<li>Cal Tech, Stanford, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna</li>
<li>Occidental, Pepperdine, Scripps, Pitzer, University of Southern California</li>
<li>Santa Clara, U of San Diego, Mills College, Thomas Acquinis</li>
<li>Chapman, Redlands, St. Mary's College of California, University of the Pacific, Loyola Marymount, U of San Francisco</li>
<li>Whittier, Dominican, Pt. Loma Nazereth, Cal Lutheran, Woodbury, Westmont, University of LaVerne, Vanguard University</li>
</ol>
<p>I do not have the best grades; I can write excellent essays and have good EC's. I am American Indian; I am also on the crew team. I have about 3.1 GPA at a private school, and 1550 SATs. I would like to go to a good undergrad business school, preferably small and private for the best education and financial aid. Then I want to go to the top business school for graduate school.</p>
<p>oh man...if you can bump up your sats and gpa...that native american will help you a TON</p>
<p>i know...
i wasnt motivated at freshemen/shopmore/junior year.. but i am a bright kid..
have any ideas for me?</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna, Pomona, etc etc</p>
<p>I nom. Pomona College.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd</p>
<p>All the Claremont Colleges are among the tops, each distinctly outstanding in its own way.</p>
<p>carolyn,
while i mostly agree with your list personal experience, including direct evaluation of several academic programs, yields the following conclusions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>USC is now in the top tier of privates in the state. It is nowhere near Pepperdine in anything other than location. In fact, I might even move Pepperdine down a level.</p></li>
<li><p>Chapman probably deserves to move up into your third rung. The new Dodge School is drawing rave reviews and the Argyros School is moving upward swiftly. President Doti has raised $68 million just for the past year and the campus is transforming way beyond anything a place like Redlands could dream. There are a couple others in your fourth tier that might be moved to three though I am not as familiar with them to recommend same.</p></li>
<li><p>You left out many other California privates, though admittedly bottom tiers, such as Biola, APU, Cal Baptist, Notre Dame de Namur.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>agreed with comments to original poster. those grades will hurt...probably need higher test scores and some APs/IBs to boost the profile or the top two levels are out of reach.</p>
<p>Carolyn,</p>
<p>Good approach to looking at the CA private colleges I agree with drjs comments, however, regarding some of the relative rankings. We may be parsing thinly, but this is how I would see the top 4 tiered groups:</p>
<ol>
<li>Stanford, Cal Tech, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, USC</li>
<li>Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Occidental, Scripps, Pitzer, </li>
<li>St. Marys College, Chapman, Loyola Marymount, U of the Pacific, U of San Francisco, U of San Diego </li>
<li>Mills College, Redlands, Thomas Acquinas</li>
</ol>
<p>Creqisleet,</p>
<p>Given your interest in Business, I would not rule out one of the Cal State University schools, depending on the type of program you are interested in. Your GPA and test scores put you at a disadvantage, such that your consideration for any of the top tier schools mentioned above are likely beyond your reach, notwithstanding your URM status and any other extenuating factors. </p>
<p>If you are looking specifically for a school with a good undergraduate business emphasis, I cant recommend any of the Claremont schools for you either beyond your reach (e.g., Pomona, HMC, Claremont McKenna) or not suitable (Scripps is all-womens are you female; Pitzer does not have good business program).</p>
<p>In my mind, if you are able to get into Santa Clara or Pepperdine, both REACH schools for you, youd be doing well. Otherwise, excellent business programs are available at Chapman, St. Marys College, Loyola Marymount, and U of San Diego of the schools in what I put into my Tier 3. Redlands is very viable for business as well. Mills College is not strong in business and is all-womens for undergraduate.</p>
<p>creqisleet-
Is your 1550 on a 2400 scale? Also, I don't believe the Claremont colleges have an undergrad business degree per se. CMC is strong in economics, but if you are looking for a BBA, I don't think these are the right schools. Carolyn, your suggestions?</p>
<p>do any of these private school not look at freshman year grades? thats the primary reason i am looking at UC's, but even without my freshman year 2.7, a 3.6 might still not be good enough for an out of stater.</p>
<p>Does it have to be CA? An American Indian who rows crew? I would throw in an application at Dartmouth. It has a real committment to Am Indians and I'm pretty sure special aid.</p>
<ol>
<li>Stanford, Cal Tech, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna</li>
<li>USC, Occidental, Scripps, Pitzer</li>
<li>Santa Clara, Pepperdine</li>
<li>Chapman, Loyola Marymount, U of the Pacific, USan Francisco, USan Diego</li>
<li>Mills, Redlands, St. Mary's, Thomas Acquinas</li>
</ol>
<p>USC is not small by any means.</p>