Anonymous wrote:Our high stats DC applied EA last year (not STEM) and was accepted.
Prior reports of a place for good merit aid on DCUM did not play out. They got something like $1500 a year in merit - which I and only assume was meant for airfare - because there was no way that was helping defer their tuition. Another CA school that came through with far more merit was Occidental...but they only have a 3-2 engineering program with Columbia - and that's an extra year of tuition (not sure how merit plays into that).
SCU is a nice place with nice kids. It seemed like a good backup for our DC - they didn't attend. But it doesn't hold a candle to the other schools on your DC's list, but that's what backups are for.
This is me above..
I should add - it was also a place where I felt teachers would know and care about the kids. Far smaller classes than a UC. But similar housing cost issues off campus. (That said - I think you could live on campus 4 years if you wanted). Another plus about SCU is opportunity for great internships and jobs being in the tech corridor.
Also - on Occidental merit - it made it similar cost to OOS at UC schools. But I think the UC schools would have far better STEM than either of these privates....but there are real differences in the private v public experience on size and access to faculty.