<p>Any Oxy tour guide will tell you that Obama spent his first 2 undergraduate years at Occidental, but does anyone know why he decided to transfer? I mean obviously Columbia has the prestige, but once you are in a four year college there must be something wrong with it to make you want to switch.</p>
<p>He is from Hawaii, so he grew up in a small community. It is possible that he decided he wanted to go to a larger school.</p>
<p>Read the descriptions of the cooperative programs -- Oxy has a joint program with Columbia where the student transfers to Columbia in the junior year and then completes law school.</p>
<p>That wouldn't be why he transferred. President Obama got his law degree at Harvard. It seems he transferred to Columbia as a regular transfer student.</p>
<p>Yeah it was more because he wanted to go to an institution that would allow him to grow even more. Larger school yes. He probably felt that Columbia was more of a change agent than Occidental, even if he learned some of his valuable lessons at his 1st alma mater.</p>
<p>I'm fairly sure I've read that he had a rocky period in his life at Oxy, and got somewhat out-of-control at that point. I know he acknowledged some cocaine use; I'm not sure if it was here or at Columbia. (Please -- no darts -- he's clearly grown out of whatever issues he had as a college student, and I rather doubt whether any of the issues were caused by Oxy.)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anne Howells, a retired English professor, said she wrote Obama a recommendation for his Columbia transfer -- even though he sometimes turned in assignments late.</p>
<p>"He wanted a bigger school and the experience of Manhattan," she said. "I thought it was a good move for him."</p>
<p>In his e-mail, Obama confirmed that he transferred partly "because Occidental was so small, I felt that I had gotten what I needed out of it and the idea of being in New York was very appealing." But another reason was that he had many older friends who were graduating. College spokesman Jim Tranquada said privacy rules forbid releasing grades, but that Obama left in good standing.
[/quote]
Occidental</a> recalls 'Barry' Obama - Los Angeles Times</p>
<p>same reason that i and several of my friends transferred to columbia/penn/duke - your options are very limited coming out of oxy.
the connections you make at an ivy, the recruiting that takes place in it, and the rigor of its classes are not matched at oxy.</p>
<p>This makes me a bit nervous for my D, who is a sophomore studying bio, and who is currently “happy” at Oxy, although she seems to have social issues left and right (I think it’s that small school - everybody knows each other thing). Each semester I ask her if she’s still wanting to continue, and she’s slated for summer lab research this summer so I guess she’s “on track” for grad school, but I’m still wondering if this was the optimal move…</p>
<p>You can second-guess yourself forever, investorscooter. Is your D happy? Does she feel she’s getting a good education? If yes, then you’re ahead of the game.</p>
<p>Obama out grew the school but I like to think he learned something about himself and what may be possible-he also out grew his junior senate seat as well.</p>
<p>It really comes down to the individual-My D (currently a Junior )wanted a smaller school&from her first visit Oxy was it and think that self knowledge has made Oxy a great fit for her. I’d wondered if she should transfer, if she would get bored however every year seems to bring more satisfaction & more growth. She seems to have kept her focus, I see so many of her friends going to state colleges and drifting whereas her Oxy friends seem to be working hard and are v. motivated. It really comes down to what works for your child-and they will probably go to grad school anyway.</p>
<p>I was at OXY when Barry was there. He was not really in the swing of things, and hung out with international students. He admitted he got a C in Boesche’s Poli Sci class, which is what you get if you enroll and do minimal work.</p>
<p>Remember it was a different time then- not too hard then to transfer to Ivys. Much less competitive. And Oxy had a formal transfer arrangement with Columbia then as well. He was African American, though he did attend an elite prep school, so that made him attractive as well. Oxy was pretty boring back then, very little going on. I don’t blame him for transferring. There were some magazine articles written that explored this, and he lived with some other Oxy people who transferred, so again, pretty common at the time.</p>
<p>I knew other people in the 1980s who transferred to Berkeley, Columbia, and NYU in search of a bigger ponds. Oxy is small, but that is okay for those of us who want to study in a quiet liberal arts college. I think it’s a peculiar place – in the middle of LA but doesn’t feel like it. Having grown up in LA, I saw Oxy as “going away to college” while being able to stay in my home city. It was so different from the crazy, urban environment where I grew up, and I could focus on my studies. When I was there the college had a commitment to take care of its students, and I assume that continues. At Oxy I got a great education, had a great internship, and got into a top-ranked graduate program. I don’t think I would be in my line of work today if it weren’t for Oxy. So while I understand why Obama and others transferred out, Oxy is great for those of us who want that particular experience.</p>