<p>This is a school that,on paper, appeals to me and my son. </p>
<p>He likes that it's in a city and a cool city at that (I mean that literally- kid hates heat.)
I like that it's smallish and Jesuit, because he could use the oversight & discipline ;) </p>
<p>So -- all feedback welcome. Son is bright but very much a late bloomer academically, dislikes humanities, very interested in natural sciences, biology, chemistry and biochem in particular.</p>
<p>Two of my siblings went there, both liked it, one was a Chemistry major. I wish my son would consider it but he doesn’t want to live in SF. It is supposed to be easier to get into than Santa Clara Univ but comparable education. </p>
<p>I would definitely visit if you can. Your S should like gray sky in addition to a cool climate.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, campbellmom, appreciate the comparison vis a vis Santa Clara. Frankly, this school will be a reach for my son since he had a disastrous sophomore year. I’m hoping USF will consider his upward trend in grades, his test scores (which should be respectable as he tends to test well) – and the fact that he’s a boy. I gather they’re somewhat in short supply at this school. </p>
<p>As to visiting, we’ll be in the city in early December. Son at least CLAIMS he loves gray sky and rain. But he was born and raised in Denver with over 300-days of sunshine a year, so what does he know 
I went to Cal so I’m familiar with Bay Area weather. </p>
<p>Anyone else with thoughts on USF?</p>
<p>I used to live just below it – don’t have any experience with any part of it except a little research I had to do in the law library there once – but as a person who was born and bred in the southern CA uni-season of sun and more sun, I <em>loved</em> SF weather. I still do, in fact, but I enjoy it Oregon now. ;)</p>
<p>D has three freshmen friends at USF and they love it. Campus is very pretty, if a bit hilly. Dorms are nice- just doubles I think. San Francisco is awesome and their student ID is a Muni (bus) pass. Tuition is not cheap but what is. D also has a friend a St Mary’s of Ca in Moraga, you might what to check that one too. D also has a friend at Santa Clara. All these girls love their schools and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. </p>
<p>My father is a graduate of USF as well but that was many years ago. D was accepted with very nice merit aid but chose another school based on Math major strength.</p>
<p>Jesuit campuses are usually VERY NICE :)</p>
<p>USF usually gives pretty good merit scholarships. What are your son’s stats? </p>
<p>Santa Clara has gotten to be ridiculously hard to get in - especially if you need FA. My full-pay nephew just applied EA, and we’re hoping that his “full-pay” status will help. He does have 4.3 GPA and is going to a Catholic school, but his ACT was “only” a 29 (which is about 93 percentile). </p>
<p>USF won’t nearly be that hard to get in, but it’s also a very good school. :)</p>
<p>St. Mary’s (Moraga) is also very nice and generous with merit.</p>
<p>San Francisco is a lovely city but the only student I know who attended USF came home after a year and is taking a year off before returning to another, currently unknown campus.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input, everyone. Son’s stats will not be stellar, his GPA will be low since did very, very poorly in 10th grade. Our hope is for a major upward trend and decent scores. Like I said, at this point USF is a ‘reach’ at least from the grades standpoint. </p>
<p>I will look into St. Mary’s – though it may be too suburban for son’s liking. He prefers much bigger schools but will consider USF due to the urban setting.</p>
<p>Had lunch this week with a friend who’s D is a soph at USF. She absolutely loves it. She was an A student in HS, but not over-the-top competitive. I think this might describe many of her classmates… She’s a math major, and thinks her classes/profs are good, has made lots of friends, and absolutely loves the proximity to all SF has to offer: music, cheap and good restaurants featuring lots of exotic cuisine, access to Golden Gate park, lots of cultural and racial diversity on campus, and in the city.</p>
<p>SF is generous with merit aid, as someone else mentioned. Not sure what their thresholds are, but many students qualify for some break in the tuition bill. </p>
<p>Bonuses: It’s easy for her to get to the airport to come home, or for family/friends to visit, and they love to visit SF!</p>
<p>She doesn’t complain about the weather- she’s from a colder climate as well, so appreciates the relatively mild winter and goes home to see snow.</p>
<p>My wife and I were in SF for a week last year and ended up strolling around USF during one of our unplanned urban hikes. Beautiful campus. Since it was July I was surprised at how many people were walking around campus. Some were grad students, faculty and staff, but it turned out that more than just a few were families who had come into SF for the day from places like Walnut Creek, Concord and Los Gatos to escape the heat and wildfires effecting parts of the Bay Area, while making a college visit. As I recall Concord was well over 100 degrees that day, while the temps San Francisco were a comfortable 72.</p>
<p>Katliamom, isn’t it funny how weather matters to our boys? My S is spoiled with the weather of his hometown and doesn’t want cold weather like SF or hot weather. He nixed SoCal schools because he thinks it’s too hot there, an impression he got from playing in soccer tournaments on very hot weekends. I never would have thought climate would be such an important factor for him.</p>
<p>My S is applying to St. Mary’s but your S might find it too remote and hilly. Mine thought it was beautiful and “peaceful.” He prefers a peaceful setting over the activity of a big city. </p>
<p>I think your S’s upward trend in grades will help him and he can try and strengthen the application with his essays and recommendations. Good luck and enjoy your visit to SF. Be sure to take a ferry ride in the Bay if you haven’t before…even better if it is a sunny day on the Bay. That will really make him want to go to school in SF!</p>
<p>campbellmom, to the great disappointment of my parents (Palos Verdes) and my in-laws (Long Beach) both my kids nixed college in SoCal because of the climate - son thinks it’s too hot, daughter won’t live anywhere where it doesn’t snow. All the grandparents are up in arms and suspect a conspiracy </p>
<p>And as long as we’re speaking about SF – any recommendations for (relatively) inexpensive sea food? And what should son order that’s a bit of a local specialty (crab?) Son is a bit of a foodie, and I don’t eat sea food so even though I lived in the Bay Area for years, can’t help him there.</p>
<p>I recommend The Franciscan on Fisherman’s Wharf. Get a window seat, sit back and enjoy a little bit of Heaven on Earth. Spectacular views and very good food. I don’t eat fish either but H does and says it’s delicious. I get a certain pasta dish and love it. </p>
<p>There are other restaurants on Fisherman’s Wharf (Alioto’s comes to mind) that will also have the same quality of fish dishes and views. Do a little research on Yelp, Insider Pages and SFGate.com to get restaurant reviews from visitors.</p>
<p>One caution though…I don’t think these restaurants are inexpensive, but when you are visiting SF from Denver, a bit of a splurge might be o.k.</p>
<p>We didnt’ go to so many places to eat when we were in SF recently, however we went to Cafe Pescatore three times for breakfast.( North Beach-Fisherman Wharf-the crab ravioli sounded good)- good food and great service, and the coffee was the best I had.</p>
<p>We also went to Harvey’s in the Castro, which I would also recommend, but living in Seattle by Fisherman’s Terminal, we can get seafood cheaper here ;)</p>
<p>A friend of my fathers was a chem prof at USF, apparently brilliant, he is currently doing some sort of research in Mexico. (?)</p>
<p>My D was vaguely interested in USF, but we were concerned about the cost. ( she didn’t apply)</p>
<p>There are so many excellent places to eat in SF- at every price point. Best thing to do is to ask the hotel valet staff or front desk staff where they eat if they are craving _______. The concierge tends to send people to touristy places.</p>
<p>Depending on your S’s interests, University of the Pacific in Stockton CA might be interesting. The campus is very pretty but it is located in Stockton, which does get hot!</p>
<p>You might look into University of Portland as well. Similar in ways to USF and St. Marys but further north. Also very close to a great city (and airport!) and 1 1/2 hours from Mt. Hood for skiing/snowboarding. Probably on par with St. Marys as far as admission. My D who chose a small LAC in Oregon had applied to Santa Clara, St. Mary’s and University of Portland. She was offered merit aid at each one.</p>
<p>University of Portland sounds interesting but I think, with a 3.7 average freshman GPA, it’ll be a major reach for this boy. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the SF sea food restaurant suggestions. This is shaping up to be a great little trip :)</p>
<p>if by “seafood” you could possibly mean sushi, I can recommend Zushi Puzzle</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.zushipuzzle.com/index.htm[/url]”>http://www.zushipuzzle.com/index.htm</a> </p>
<p>Not too far from Fisherman’s Wharf on Lombard- you would want to take a cab or drive, probably, but not at all far.</p>
<p>I know it is a bit off topic but, for god’s sake, forget Fisherman’s Wharf!!! You could try Scoma’s, but it is overpriced and has gone a bit down hill since the owner passed away. I recommend Tadich Grill (a favorite, and an SF original!!) or Cafe Maritime. Also, try Hog Island during the day (in the Ferry Building). Any of these are delicious, locally revered and nearby. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Second U of Portland–you mentioned a downfall in grades in 10th grade–if all else is Ok then a well written letter by your S explaining this and what he learned from all of it can go far. Also schools such a USF, UofP and Seattle U are the kinds of schools that take situations into consideration</p>