<p>Like so many other HS students, I'm at the point where I'm weighing my college options. I just visited Oxy in this past week and I find that many people don't want to say anything particularly bad about Oxy, especially to "prospies", which is understandable. But I need to know both the good and the bad to make a truly informed decision. </p>
<p>As a prospective or current student, what are the cons of attending Oxy?</p>
<p>I’m just finishing up my freshman year here, and am actually going to transfer next year to either Whitman or Lewis & Clark. There are multiple reasons, but a lot of it is purely location (I’m from the Northwest and have quickly discovered that LA is not the place for me; also, the school and I just didn’t “click”). My overall experience here has been pretty good, especially from an academic standpoint (I have loved most of my classes, been challenged but not overwhelmed, and am actually fairly close with two of my professors, which is amazing). As far as cons go, there are a couple, a lot to do with the small size. We’re in a bubble here, like most small LAC’s, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but on the weekends (because it is LA) a lot of kids go off-campus so there aren’t a ton of activities to do except for the same tired old frat/house party nearly every weekend. Don’t get me wrong, they can be fun, but I got sick of it after a while.
The other thing that’s not so great about Oxy, at least that I’ve seen, is the definite hierarchy of, well, jocks/athletes. I’m not sure how to explain it exactly, but the interactions between men and women here is rather strange. Maybe it’s just a [small] college thing, but I’ve noticed that it’s a lot like high school in that there are a lot of kind of, well, “bro”-type athletes who are on top of the social heap, with a lot of kind of witchy girls who hang all over them, and that can get kind of annoying. That aspect of the social scene is not my favorite, to say the least. But again, maybe that’s just my perspective.
Overall, it’s been a decent year. I definitely am looking forward to getting out of SoCal, though, personally. If you have any other questions or anything you can feel free to PM me, I’d love to answer them. I totally agree with you on knowing the good AND the bad about the school before you go; otherwise you’ll end up like me and realizing that you made the wrong decision and that leads to going through a very tedious transfer process!</p>
<p>I don’t attend Oxy right now, but many of my friends do, and most of them love it. The most common complaint I hear however, is about the lack of variety of food. There is only one main cafeteria option, which seems to me a bit too much like the situation in high school.</p>
<p>^
That’s odd. Though Oxy only has one main dining hall, it has so many options. Nothing like my high school. It’s actually one of the things I liked about Oxy. But I guess anything can get old after a while.</p>