My son is at Santa Clara (freshman) and we're on the East Coast. He's in the business school and loves it. Granted, it's one quarter so far, but we were happy with the need-based and merit aid that he received. They did a great job with the orientation and first-year experience imo. He has many acquaintances who are juniors and seniors, and has been impressed with their internships and job placements thus far.

Santa Clara U has a good California campus vibe. You can go on campus, and not leave. But the california campuses feel very different than East Coast--more outdoor walkways, a bit more cinderblock, the tiled roofs. The social life is lived outside a bit more. It would be good to check the commuter v. residential. It will probably take 1 hr+ to get to SF. San Jose doesn't have a ton to see or do, but the airport is convenient.

LMU is much closer to the city--LA. And that has more of a campus in the city feel.

U of SD --I don't know it well.

You might want to consider the other Jesuit school--U of SF. This is a super cute campus, in SF, in the area close to Sea Cliffs (kind of like SF's version of Kalorama). You wouldn't need a car, and it's pretty. The academics are a bit weaker than those on the list but it used to (15 yrs ago?) have a great nursing program.

The other school, if you're just looking for Cal schools (and Catholic) might be St. Marys. This is super pretty, in Moraga--which is a suburb (?) of SF. It would be like a campus being in McLean, but if it was farther like Loudouin county (distance from county to Dc). It's much more local and regional but I believe it's campus life and amenities might be nice. It would be worth checking out.

Anonymous wrote:USC has cut their financial aid and merit back significantly, so it is much more expensive if you don't want to pay full price.

Hmm, good luck to them

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who loved Loyola - can’t say exactly why - vibes mostly. We toured Oxy and my DC see deemed it “cultish”, UCLA was too big and other schools, USC “not diverse”. LMU checked all the boxes. Potentially helped by the fact that our tour guide was from the DMV as well….

USC is just as, if not more diverse than all the schools you mentioned.

No, go look at the actual numbers. USC wants to pretend it’s 50% students of color, but is only 6% black, which is particularly interesting since Watts and Compton are only two exits away on the freeway.

Sorry since when do only black Americans count as diversity?

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who loved Loyola - can’t say exactly why - vibes mostly. We toured Oxy and my DC see deemed it “cultish”,[b] UCLA was too big and other schools, USC “not diverse”. LMU checked all the boxes. Potentially helped by the fact that our tour guide was from the DMV as well….

Agree. You’ll only fit in if super woke and SJP

Anonymous wrote:USC has cut their financial aid and merit back significantly, so it is much more expensive if you don't want to pay full price.

And USC is $99,848 a year!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who loved Loyola - can’t say exactly why - vibes mostly. We toured Oxy and my DC see deemed it “cultish”, UCLA was too big and other schools, USC “not diverse”. LMU checked all the boxes. Potentially helped by the fact that our tour guide was from the DMV as well….

USC is just as, if not more diverse than all the schools you mentioned.

No, go look at the actual numbers. USC wants to pretend it’s 50% students of color, but is only 6% black, which is particularly interesting since Watts and Compton are only two exits away on the freeway.

Any other feedback on these schools?

USC has cut their financial aid and merit back significantly, so it is much more expensive if you don't want to pay full price.

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who loved Loyola - can’t say exactly why - vibes mostly. We toured Oxy and my DC see deemed it “cultish”, UCLA was too big and other schools, USC “not diverse”. LMU checked all the boxes. Potentially helped by the fact that our tour guide was from the DMV as well….

USC is just as, if not more diverse than all the schools you mentioned.

Santa Clara has solid programs in both business and in STEM. It leverages its location and has great outplacement into high tech companies in SFBA. Definitely worth a look see.

I’m the PP who loved Loyola - can’t say exactly why - vibes mostly. We toured Oxy and my DC see deemed it “cultish”, UCLA was too big and other schools, USC “not diverse”. LMU checked all the boxes. Potentially helped by the fact that our tour guide was from the DMV as well….

All great schools.

USD is beautiful, but a bit isolated on top of a large hill. No cars allowed freshman year, parking is tight, but very nice to have for the following years. Students end up hanging out in the same beaches as UCSD and San Diego State kids (about 10-15 mins away).

Santa Clara is piped into Silicon Valley and has solid job placement. The campus is similar architectural style to USD, but quite suburban. They’ve been more on the rise than the other names and will yield protect.

Aside from Pepperdine (Regent scholarships for high test scores) another school in similar grouping is Cal Poly SLO. Much larger, yes, but a really cool beach town and some solid academic programs.

What’s your DD like? Loyola is great for the right kid. The kids are fun, lots of creative kids attend. It’s a very social school. Solid academics. Nice campus. Kids leave campus to party in LA. You should visit. It’s hard to get a feel for these places until you do.

Anonymous wrote:I'd also love to know more about all 3 schools, not from CA. How big of a deal is not having a car? Wildfires/air quality during the school year a routine issue, or infrequent?

Wildfires and air quality are not an issue for these schools, except possibly Loyola.

A car is important for just about any CA schools other than Cal and USF.