<p>What do you guys think of Occidental? How does it compare to schools like Stanford, Yale, UCLA Berkely, Pomona etc. How difficult is it to get good grades there? Is it good for a pre-med student?</p>
<p>It is a bit less selective than the other schools you mentioned but is a very good, friendly, small LAC in a residential area (Eagle Rock) of the city of Los Angeles. I have known people who went there who loved it. It is known for good international offerings. It is getting more selective all the time. Wish I knew more to tell you.</p>
<p>Excellent biology program at Occidental, with lots of personal attention and opportunities for hands-on research. Oxy is also one of the most diverse schools in the country, and as SBmom says, is getting more selective and popular every year.</p>
<p>Oxy isn't as popular as it deserves to be right now, but in the next few years it's going to rocket into the same selectivity as the other top LACs. I also think it has a huge advantage over say, the claremont colleges, just because it's location is so much better, so many more oppurtunities. :p</p>
<p>Carolyn has nailed the key points above. Very good school.</p>
<p>Occidental seems like such a match for me...but I just can't bring myself to apply for a school that's like half an hour away from my house.</p>
<p>is it a nice neigborhood SoConfused? like would i be able to go party in the streotypical hollywood club and go to like the nice beaches and everything from there? how far away are these things from the campus?</p>
<p>Nothing is easy getting around LA. LA has hideous traffic and crappy public transportation for a city of its size. </p>
<p>Eagle Rock to Hollywood is not that bad... maybe 15-20 minutes to go out in the evening to Hollywood. However, many of the clubs you'd like would be more in Sunset Strip, or West Hollywood and that's another 10 minutes away.</p>
<p>The beach is about 45-60 minutes by car (to Santa Monica beaches.)</p>
<p>These are rough estimates because a bad traffic day could be more and 3 am could be less.</p>
<p>There is not really a major scene adjacent to the campus. However, you are a heck of a lot nearer to city life than you'd be in Pomona.</p>