Pepperdine vs Miami - Academically

[Anonymous]

We are in California but my oldest went to St Andrews while my daughter is at Pepperdine.

She is getting a great education. The fact that USNWR removed class size as a variable is ridiculous. She has not had one class with more than 18-20 kids. This has been great. One on one with professors has been amazing. She is pre-law, so this will be helpful for rec letters, etc. I dont know yet how it will pan out. But so far no regrets.

My son graduated from St Andrews 3 years ago. I think the main difference here was how connected his classmates (mainly the American ones) were in the US. Given the large contingency of NY/New England kids and LA/Bay Area kids that go there, the connections through family and friends has been amazing for him. He got a job right our of school at a niche US consulting firm in London and after one year through a US alumnus, he got a phenomenal job back in the LA area. The connections run deep in that circle and that has been a pleasant surprise…

[Anonymous]

I’m not surprised. Someone posted on another thread the breakdown of where the Americans are coming from. And basically 2/3 of the Americans are coming from 2 states, NY and CA.

That tells me something. The avg American going there is obviously coming from wealthier families. These wealthy families in CA and NY have connections and once all of these kids graduate and come back home they end up taking positions at firms with family connections. You can clearly see this by looking at American St Andrews grads on LinkedIn…..you will find the avg graduate that is back in the us is working at a “prestigious”firm in a major US city and not the typical small/regional firm that grads from Pepperdine/Miami end up at.

[Anonymous]

My daughter was admitted EA to Pepperdine as a regents scholar. 45k scholarship plus perks like housing together with other scholars, great books seminar first year (which replaces some religious requirements), special events with faculty and staff, funding for academic conferences, and special mentorship. I’d heard they get priority for sophomore study abroad choices, which are phenomenal. It’s giving “big fish in a small pond” feelings that might appeal. There are like 80-100 of these scholars on campus. But there are still obvious cons: it’s very remote and small.

[Anonymous]

To clarify that should really say 80-100 scholars per class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter was admitted EA to Pepperdine as a regents scholar. 45k scholarship plus perks like housing together with other scholars, great books seminar first year (which replaces some religious requirements), special events with faculty and staff, funding for academic conferences, and special mentorship. I’d heard they get priority for sophomore study abroad choices, which are phenomenal. It’s giving “big fish in a small pond” feelings that might appeal. There are like 80-100 of these scholars on campus. But there are still obvious cons: it’s very remote and small.

Regents scholars look like a nice set up for these kids. I guess it is their version of Honors College…But Pepperdine is so small (Freshman Class is about 800 kids) already, it already feels like more State school honors college. The priority choice for study abroad options is the best feature for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not surprised. Someone posted on another thread the breakdown of where the Americans are coming from. And basically 2/3 of the Americans are coming from 2 states, NY and CA.

That tells me something. The avg American going there is obviously coming from wealthier families. These wealthy families in CA and NY have connections and once all of these kids graduate and come back home they end up taking positions at firms with family connections. You can clearly see this by looking at American St Andrews grads on LinkedIn…..you will find the avg graduate that is back in the us is working at a “prestigious”firm in a major US city and not the typical small/regional firm that grads from Pepperdine/Miami end up at.

This makes sense. I did take a look at Linekdin. And yes, nice impressive list of companies these kids are working at. Wonder how much this is due to family connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter was admitted EA to Pepperdine as a regents scholar. 45k scholarship plus perks like housing together with other scholars, great books seminar first year (which replaces some religious requirements), special events with faculty and staff, funding for academic conferences, and special mentorship. I’d heard they get priority for sophomore study abroad choices, which are phenomenal. It’s giving “big fish in a small pond” feelings that might appeal. There are like 80-100 of these scholars on campus. But there are still obvious cons: it’s very remote and small.

What does it take to be a regents scholar? My kid was also accepted, not regents but received two different scholarships that add up to $40k.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think they are very clear about what determines regents scholar status. I’ve read top 10% academically, but I’ve also read other things are taken into account like service and leadership. The email mentioned character. I think test scores are a must. DD’s are mid 1500s. We have also been invited to a breakfast with the president of the university on admitted students day, but that might be open to other scholarship students too. I do think Pepperdine can be generous. DD received this scholarship plus a grant, but it’s still going to be 30-40k/year. This is great, but dd will likely get a better offer somewhere else. It will make the decision hard because she loves Pepperdine.

[Anonymous]

Similar here. Kid was also 1520 on SAT, but not regents. But he is waiting on other offers. He really likes Pepperdine but I have a feeling he will get in “better” unis soon. $40k per year in merit is still pretty decent. Let’s see where else he gets in. Sin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think they are very clear about what determines regents scholar status. I’ve read top 10% academically, but I’ve also read other things are taken into account like service and leadership. The email mentioned character. I think test scores are a must. DD’s are mid 1500s. We have also been invited to a breakfast with the president of the university on admitted students day, but that might be open to other scholarship students too. I do think Pepperdine can be generous. DD received this scholarship plus a grant, but it’s still going to be 30-40k/year. This is great, but dd will likely get a better offer somewhere else. It will make the decision hard because she loves Pepperdine.

Where else is your DD waiting for?

[Anonymous]

DC was 1580 SAT with a lot of community EC, and was offered Regent Scholar. Very cool program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC was 1580 SAT with a lot of community EC, and was offered Regent Scholar. Very cool program.

it is a cool program. But with those stats, I’m sure your kid can do better than Pepperdine? Is he/she set on Pepperdine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think they are very clear about what determines regents scholar status. I’ve read top 10% academically, but I’ve also read other things are taken into account like service and leadership. The email mentioned character. I think test scores are a must. DD’s are mid 1500s. We have also been invited to a breakfast with the president of the university on admitted students day, but that might be open to other scholarship students too. I do think Pepperdine can be generous. DD received this scholarship plus a grant, but it’s still going to be 30-40k/year. This is great, but dd will likely get a better offer somewhere else. It will make the decision hard because she loves Pepperdine.

Where else is your DD waiting for?

She’s waiting on quite a few decisions now ranging from an HYP to schools all private and lower ranked (but slightly higher than Pepperdine) that have merit scholarships which she felt competitive.

She had thought she’d take the full ride NMF scholarship at Alabama, and that initial proposition has colored her outlook on “value”. She wants a good scholarship somewhere.

I wish that could be Pepperdine because I think it would be a nice experience for her there. She’s just a chill kid who is smart and intrinsically motivated but, at the same time, hasn’t really had to push herself that hard yet. Personally, I’m willing to pay 35k a year all in for Pepperdine, but if she got a better offer it seems unwise in this financial climate to turn that down.

I thought the campus was gorgeous, facilities modern, dorms looked so comfortable—bright and spacious views of the pacific. Perfect weather and sunshine. 20 min walk to the beach. She’s not religious, but she’s the type to get along in any environment in that regard. However I do think the religion would be a huge turn off for many students just imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC was 1580 SAT with a lot of community EC, and was offered Regent Scholar. Very cool program.

it is a cool program. But with those stats, I’m sure your kid can do better than Pepperdine? Is he/she set on Pepperdine?

No. But they were happy to have this option in case other options didn’t work out - which they are prone to do in this crazy game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think they are very clear about what determines regents scholar status. I’ve read top 10% academically, but I’ve also read other things are taken into account like service and leadership. The email mentioned character. I think test scores are a must. DD’s are mid 1500s. We have also been invited to a breakfast with the president of the university on admitted students day, but that might be open to other scholarship students too. I do think Pepperdine can be generous. DD received this scholarship plus a grant, but it’s still going to be 30-40k/year. This is great, but dd will likely get a better offer somewhere else. It will make the decision hard because she loves Pepperdine.

Where else is your DD waiting for?

She’s waiting on quite a few decisions now ranging from an HYP to schools all private and lower ranked (but slightly higher than Pepperdine) that have merit scholarships which she felt competitive.

She had thought she’d take the full ride NMF scholarship at Alabama, and that initial proposition has colored her outlook on “value”. She wants a good scholarship somewhere.

I wish that could be Pepperdine because I think it would be a nice experience for her there. She’s just a chill kid who is smart and intrinsically motivated but, at the same time, hasn’t really had to push herself that hard yet. Personally, I’m willing to pay 35k a year all in for Pepperdine, but if she got a better offer it seems unwise in this financial climate to turn that down.

I thought the campus was gorgeous, facilities modern, dorms looked so comfortable—bright and spacious views of the pacific. Perfect weather and sunshine. 20 min walk to the beach. She’s not religious, but she’s the type to get along in any environment in that regard. However I do think the religion would be a huge turn off for many students just imo.

Same with my son. $35k a year for Pepperdine a great deal. Specially with the tiny class sizes, one on one with professors, calm community away from the madness of LA. My son is also not religious, but grew up around a ton of kids and friends who are and went to a parochial school for years, so not isolated from that world. Lots os positives at Pepperdine for sure. The study abroad programs are one of his favorite things. He has a EU passport too and speaks some Italian too , so hopefully if he goes there he can do the Florence option.

Like you, still waiting on other offers including 2 Ivies. Let’s see where things go, but as far as backup, this is a great option for sure.