Anonymous wrote:My son is going to Oxy - he got in ED!

Congratulations! My oldest is a recent graduate. Loved the school. (Ignore the resident troll.)

Anonymous wrote:Is Oxy struggling because it’s too woke?

It just attracts a pretty narrow group of students. They academically excel in very few areas

Is Oxy struggling because it’s too woke?

Anonymous wrote:My son is going to Oxy - he got in ED!

Can you get out of ED by claiming the financial aid package is inadequate or didn’t match the NOC? I would be very concerned about a college that cannot fill its class - especially when applications everwhere are up. Last spring, Oxy’s president announced that the incoming class would be 15% smaller than usual and, in reaction to loss of revenue, called a reduction in spending by faculty, no new hiring, and a revisit to Admissions to discover why it happened. That resulted in the $15,000 “Oxy Commitment scholarship” which anyone accepted ED1 or ED2 receives. That was announced last October to try and lock in students and get yield up. And Oxy’s selectivity has jumped to 44.9%. It’s too expensive to take in that kind of risk. https://theoccidentalnews.com/news/2025/11/05/college-adjusts-spending-and-admissions-tactics-in-the-wake-of-enrollment-decline/2916071#:~:text=15%25%20for%20the%20incoming%20class&text=Founded%20in%201893%2C%20The%20Occidental%20is%20the,newspaper%20of%20Occidental%20College%20in%20Los%20Angeles.

My son is going to Oxy - he got in ED!

Anonymous wrote:Can't help with this decision but I am here to add that we visited Oxy (we are from NYC) and my DC LOVED the campus and vibe. Really, truly a gorgeous and lovely place with lovely people. Ultimately, DC is choosing to stay on the east coast, but we were impressed.

Same with my DD - it's her favorite college that she toured! She said immediately it felt like home. She loved the kindness and range of her tour guide.

She liked aspects of 5Cs but was not a fan of being in the inland empire, she liked Pomona and Scripps more but did not care for CMC (too pre-professional) and she is more of an artsy intellectual kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oxy is pretty underwhelming. Very few resources.

+1. 15% of Oxy’s fall’s class didn’t show up! I have no idea why it couldn’t fill from the waitlist, but the school has had to stop faculty hiring, has asked faculty to curtail spending and brought in management types to solve the problem with admissions.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Oxy is pretty underwhelming. Very few resources.

+1. 15% of Oxy’s fall’s class didn’t show up! I have no idea why it couldn’t fill from the waitlist, but the school has had to stop faculty hiring, has asked faculty to curtail spending and brought in management types to solve the problem with admissions.

I recommend visiting if possible. My DC visited both schools last summer. DC did not like the vibe at Oxy (I thought it was nice and chill), but really liked the vibe and consortium aspect of CMC. The resources at CMC are exceptional. It is more difficult to get into CMC. Lastly, the CMC campus feels bigger because of the consortium.

Oxy is pretty underwhelming. Very few resources.

Oxy vs Pepperdine?

Can't help with this decision but I am here to add that we visited Oxy (we are from NYC) and my DC LOVED the campus and vibe. Really, truly a gorgeous and lovely place with lovely people. Ultimately, DC is choosing to stay on the east coast, but we were impressed.