Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 13:08     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Do they still have the booster vax mandate in place?
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 13:03     Subject: Re:What's up with Santa Clara University?

I have a sophomore there currently. The vibe at Santa Clara reminds me of when I was a student at Stanford in the 80s before all the fun died there. It even kind of looks like a mini Stanford.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:52     Subject: Re:What's up with Santa Clara University?

DS is at SCU in STEM. Receiving $24k/yr in merit. Has a great friend group. Is getting lots of attention from professors since there are no TA’s. Goes into SF or road trips to Santa Cruz. Students are only guaranteed 2 years of housing. So I am concerned about the cost of off-campus living next year. I think Santa Clara is highly-regarded in the Bay Area. The previous poster has a mindset from the 80s. Check out the listed stats of the class of 2027: https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/these-students-were-accepted-at-santa-clara-class-of-2027/3633801
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:44     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:60% acceptance rate $60k tuition per year (plus the rest).

It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.

Parent with kids in CA high schools now, looking at colleges.


>>It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.<<

Does it have something else going for it? For example a good co-op program or dedicated teachers or some unusual study model? Just trying to find a sensible reason to like it, aside from the fact that it's easy to get into and CA.


I disagree with this as well. Obviously it’s not in the same league as Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA. It’s most similar to USC, except smaller, undergraduate focused and Jesuit. 52% of students come from private schools. Diverse but it also has a bro culture which is rare in California.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:37     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Anonymous wrote:Son is a straight-A STEM kid, loves sports and California. Otherwise pretty ordinary, doesn't have great extra-curriculars aside from team sports. He's planning to study engineering or physics and is applying to UMD, Michigan, Purdue, and the UC system. He's also interested in Santa Clara because it's in CA and easy to get into. I don't know anything about it, and it's one of the priciest schools he's applying to. We're trying to discourage privates as we can't afford most of them. Any thoughts on whether it's worth the cost? Do they give merit aid? What kind of vibe?


I wouldn’t be so sure about the easy to get into part. I know a straight-A STEM kid who was rejected last year.

Your son should apply to Wisconsin too. The kid I referred to above eventually ended up at Wisconsin after getting in off the waitlist in late spring.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:33     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Anonymous wrote:60% acceptance rate $60k tuition per year (plus the rest).

It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.

Parent with kids in CA high schools now, looking at colleges.


I’m in California and I disagree with the bolded entirely. You say you are a parent with kids in CA high schools now. Where, and how long have you been here?

For CS it’s extensively recruited from by SV companies.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:28     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

The internship pipeline is amazing. Very expensive place to live. Great school.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:22     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Previous poster again: the Silicon Valley is a very boring place in a lot of ways. Very.

Think endless miles of strip malls and office buildings intermixed. You drive a few miles, and don't realize you're in another city because it all looks the same. The weather is great, but I don't think I'd dig SCU as a young person of 18 or 19.

Even my spouse who grew up there fled for college elsewhere in CA and never moved back. I find the SV leaves me cold as a location. It's just sort of...dull and uninspiring as a place.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:19     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Beautiful campus. Gorgeous new STEM building.

Located in Silicon Valley near internships. Alums in various positions at Silicon Valley employers.

Offers EA with a result in Dec. Known for deferring high stats applicants if they're not convinced the student is very interested.

Jesuit.

Currently requires students to have either had three doses of the original COVID vaccine or one dose of the latest formulation and does not grant exemptions. School is subject to a lawsuit.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:17     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

I have family in that area. You might want to check how much a studio or one-bedroom apartment goes for in that area. We're talking $3,000/month. Silicon Valley is one of the most expensive areas in the country. You will pay through the nose to house your kid there.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:16     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

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.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 12:13     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

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.

Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 11:58     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Anonymous wrote:60% acceptance rate $60k tuition per year (plus the rest).

It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.

Parent with kids in CA high schools now, looking at colleges.


>>It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.<<

Does it have something else going for it? For example a good co-op program or dedicated teachers or some unusual study model? Just trying to find a sensible reason to like it, aside from the fact that it's easy to get into and CA.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 11:34     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

60% acceptance rate $60k tuition per year (plus the rest).

It's not highly regarded in CA, it's considered middle-of-the-road.

Parent with kids in CA high schools now, looking at colleges.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2023 11:27     Subject: What's up with Santa Clara University?

Son is a straight-A STEM kid, loves sports and California. Otherwise pretty ordinary, doesn't have great extra-curriculars aside from team sports. He's planning to study engineering or physics and is applying to UMD, Michigan, Purdue, and the UC system. He's also interested in Santa Clara because it's in CA and easy to get into. I don't know anything about it, and it's one of the priciest schools he's applying to. We're trying to discourage privates as we can't afford most of them. Any thoughts on whether it's worth the cost? Do they give merit aid? What kind of vibe?