<p>What is the overall vibe of the campus here. How would one explain most of the student body? Is it a traditional California school or are there a lot of out of state students?</p>
<p>I’d like to know too. Someone?</p>
<p>A lot of California students, especially if you lump No Cal and So Cal together. I think maybe 30 percent OOS and International.</p>
<p>This is the new presidents impression of the vibe;</p>
<p>Dear LMU Community, Alumni and Friends:</p>
<p>This is a dynamic and inspirational time in the life of Loyola Marymount University. Students are back and the new academic year brings renewal. On a broader plane, LMU is on the threshold of a second century, when our still young university will focus on the promise of its future, while strengthening the Jesuit and Marymount traditions of academic excellence, service to others and educating the whole person.</p>
<p>We believe LMU is the Jesuit university best-positioned to thrive in the 21st century. It is the major Catholic university in the thriving metropolitan region of Los Angeles with a Catholic population and resources unparalleled elsewhere. We have a unique opportunity for growth and influence on society and people of faith. Through wise stewardship, we will realize this promise.</p>
<p>On campus, classes have begun. It is here you can see that the academic core of LMU is sound, grounded in the teaching and research of our professors. We have more than 500 full-time faculty and our students benefit from a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1, and an average undergraduate class size of 21. We leverage this to offer an intimate education, where each student can interact and be mentored by faculty, as he or she pursues educational and personal goals in a nurturing atmosphere.</p>
<p>Our reputation is growing and the results are clear. More students than ever applied for the Class of 2015 and those accepted have a record-setting GPA exceeding 3.7, with SATs again averaging above 1200. We rank number three in the U.S. News & World Report’s listing of “Best Colleges in the Western Region.” The Princeton Review – “The Best 373 Colleges” – praises LMU with high marks for the accessibility of our professors and the quality of life on our campus. It ranks us sixth on the happiest students list, trailing a top five that includes Stanford, Brown and Rice universities.</p>
<p>Loyola Law School jumped 17 spots in two years and now ranks 54th out of nearly 200 accredited law schools in U.S. News’ “Best Graduate Schools.” The 2011 Princeton Review places the law school number three in the country in “Best Classroom Experience,” number six in “Best Environment for Students of Color” and number seven for “Best Professors.”</p>
<p>We combine this academic excellence with purposeful efforts to maintain the rich diversity on our campus. We are justly proud that LMU was again recognized this year for its outstanding record in enrolling and graduating minority students. The prestigious magazine Hispanic Outlook named LMU as the top-ranked California private university in the number and percentage of Hispanic students earning bachelor’s degrees, and second in those earning a master’s or doctoral degree. Diversity stimulates debate and a rich intercultural, interreligious and interracial dialogue is the essence of a sound education.</p>
<p>We want to maintain these essential elements of the university and we do not want economics to cause us to change our character. The rising cost of education is a significant challenge. A key principle for me is to provide this top-notch educational experience while valuing parents’ tuition dollars. This year, tuition rose just 3.28 percent compared to 4.6 percent as the average increase for private, non-profit universities nationwide. </p>
<p>Looking ahead, we are putting in place the key pieces for our continued success. Kathleen Aikenhead, the new chair of the Board of Trustees, is a superb partner and leader, and she and her family have been LMU stalwarts for decades. The Los Angeles City Council this April approved our Master Plan, which is the blueprint for modernization on our Westchester campus for the next 20 years. We are increasing our $380.5 million endowment through our very successful Right Place. Right Time. The Campaign for LMU, which has raised $363 million on its way to our goal of $380 million by Commencement next May.</p>
<p>This past March, we began a university-wide initiative to create a new strategic plan. The effort is comprehensive, transparent and inclusive. While I am involved at every step, I assigned the oversight to a Strategic Plan Steering Committee with 14 members, including 10 faculty and deans. They, in turn, formed 11 working groups, each to examine and write a 10-page white paper on a key aspect of LMU life, ranging broadly from academic excellence to globalization. Participating in the working groups are 45 faculty members, 12 deans and associate deans and 28 staff. The Steering Committee will use the white papers to compose a draft plan, which will be circulated university-wide for comment this September, then revised and re-circulated again before it comes to me in February. The strategic plan goes to the Trustees for review in March.</p>
<p>The faculty this spring gave overwhelming approval to the framework for a new Core Curriculum. It will embody Jesuit intellectual principles and LMU’s mission, which rest on the premise that the best education – the one that sustains you for a lifetime – combines academic, social and spiritual pursuits. The new core will consist of a set of courses that focus on key competencies and foundational subject matter to provide students with critical thinking skills and a shared lens with which to view, understand and interpret the world in its spiritual, ethical and scholarly essence. The new curriculum, which will take two years to fully implement, will reinforce the values that make an LMU education stand apart from the many colleges and universities with which we compete.</p>
<p>Catholic. Jesuit. Marymount. It is who we are. It is in everything that we do. In all of our efforts, we will remain committed to the ideals that have characterized Ignatian education for 450 years. That means each of us has a greater responsibility in our individual work at the university to perpetuate and strengthen the Ignatian mission. This duty doesn’t reside in a particular office or person but with everyone who works at the university.</p>
<p>2010 freshman class profile</p>
<p>Applications Received 10,218
Enrollment 1,350
From California 68%
From 39 other states and 36 countries 32%
High School GPA above 3.8 46%
Mean High School GPA 3.74
Mean SAT score 1816</p>
<p>ethnicity
Asian/Pacific Islander 9%
African American 6%
Latino 21%
Native American/Hawaiian <1%
Caucasian 53%
International 3%
Multi-Racial 7%
Other/Unknown 1%</p>
<p>Thanks so much for that response!</p>
<p>Would like to hear about Engineering at LMU. If anyone has any firsthand info, thanks.</p>
<p>Not first hand, but my son is a freshman in engineering there. Not the highest ranked engineering program he was admitted to, but there was so much about LMU that we liked. I don’t know enough about engineering to know what kind of information you are looking for. I know it is not among the most popular majors there, but the students in the program seem stronger than the average LMU student. I know there is a placement test that son didn’t do well on, but this was for the best. He will have to go to summer school to catch up. Freshman take an engineering class with hands on projects, in addition to math ( usually calculua) and chemistry, and a mandatory writing class. I think there is a new engineering lab, or maybe it is in the works.</p>
<p>The personal attention there, has blown my mind. My D goes to a much higher ranked school of a similar size, and the feeling is quite difference.</p>
<p>Thanks Shrinkrap, at this point his plan is to apply to LMU. We all liked the campus very much. But I am not so sure how the Engineering would be. On our tour we dint have time to go into the Engineering building afterwards. </p>
<p>Shall wait for some more time and contact you to find out a bit more perhaps?</p>
<p>My son would be interested in Mech or Comp Engineering. So far he is really keen on these 2 majors. Plus teaching option which makes LMU very attractive.</p>
<p>How is LMU with the AP credits? Thanks.</p>
<p>“Shall wait for some more time and contact you to find out a bit more perhaps?”</p>
<p>Certainly.</p>
<p>My son is undecided engineering, trying to chosose between mechanical and civil, but leaning heavily toward mechanical and then aerospace at this point. not sure about AP credits, but I know you need 4’s for credit. I also felt that in engineering, skipping certain classes ( i.e. claculus) based on AP credits was discouraged, but only based on a conversation at my table during orientation.</p>
<p>For a frame of reference, my son was attracted to Los Angeles and the school of film, Div 1 AND club soccer options, and the TV station. We parents were attracted to the diverstiy and Jesuit philosphy. None of those have disappointed at this point.</p>
<p>I have a 4.3 gpa (all honors and AP classes), 1780 SAT, tons of ECs and awesome recommendations. Do I have a good chance? I am applying Early Action.</p>
<p>Nice GPA! I think LMU posts math and reading SAT’s. </p>
<p><a href=“http://admission.lmu.edu/requirements/profile.htm[/url]”>http://admission.lmu.edu/requirements/profile.htm</a>
<a href=“http://admission.lmu.edu/Assets/Undergraduate+Admission/LMU+Profile+2011.pdf[/url]”>http://admission.lmu.edu/Assets/Undergraduate+Admission/LMU+Profile+2011.pdf</a></p>
<p>Have you compared those? Might come down to admission without merit money. Would that work?</p>
<p>IMHO,such a nice GPA flips the balance in favor of UC’s.</p>
<p>Thanks you for your opinion!</p>
<p>You’re welcome. And I mean IF (maybe only if,) you are in state.</p>
<p>I am from NY, does that make me less likely to get in?</p>
<p>Wasn’t talking about getting in ; talking about perceived value of a UC vs LMU with a 4.3 GPA and 1780 SAT. I think you could get into UCSC, or even UCSB with that, and to me, for $25k/year, that’s a good value. OTOH, $55k/year, a 3.6 GPA and a 1900 SAT opens different doors.</p>
<p>I certainly don’t think being from NY works against you.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what the student body is like? Does it have a lot of diversity? Is it really preppy? I’ve done some research and heard that there are a lot of rich, preppy people. I’m not preppy so I just want to know if I’d fit in at LMU.</p>
<p>Hi hs8719. I’m an international student at LMU and while sometimes it seems like there are quite a few “preppy” people here, most of the people I’ve met here are friendly, pleasant types and there is a wide variety of personality types! I came from a very diverse high school and I had no problem settling into LMU because everyone I’ve met is very friendly.</p>
<p>What negatives have you noticed till this point at LMU from your own experience?</p>
<p>I went jogging through the campus the other day, it was quite beautiful, as was the day.</p>
<p>One thing I noticed was quite odd. About 98 out of 100 girls were wearing some sort of boots. I have never seen such conformity, even on a military campus. And not a single kid looked like they’d stayed up all night studying or had just rolled out of bed. Everyone seemed pleasant and happy, on their way to class. But I don’t understand the point of diversity if there is complete conformity. Even though we’re just talking footwear here.</p>