<p>From the book, I got the impression that his 2 years at Oxy played a large role in Obama’s path to figuring out his role as a black/white man during a very interesting point in our nation’s history. Having heard earlier that he abandoned Oxy, I was surprised when I read the book to learn that the move to Columbia was merely a very normal progression in a formal program available to all Oxy students. His description of his time at Columbia was far less detailed but essentially far less complimentary than the way he portrayed his time at Oxy. </p>
<p>If Occidental plays up his presence there, that seems pretty legitimate. Bowdoin talks about Nathaniel Hawthorne having attended, and that kind of thrilled me when I visited there. Is there really a big difference just because it’s recent history at Oxy instead of something that happened long ago?</p>
<p>Oxy’s new president Jonathan Veitch has said that the college takes justifiable pride in Barack Obama’s attendance there because he so clearly expemplifies the habits of mind that are produced by a fine liberal arts education- he reads broadly and deeply, he writes clearly and expressively, he does not shy away from asking questions or consulting the opinions of people whose views are different from his own. I agree with Mr. Veitch- Oxy can rightfully say that Mr. Obama demonstrates why a broad liberal arts background is so valuable- and I think Mr. Obama would agree.</p>
<p>My younger daughter wanted to apply to Oxy- before the election- for several reasons
It has had a reputation as a fairly diverse school ( race wise, not necessarily economic), especially compared to other LACs.</p>
<p>It is in an urban area, which she preferred, another criteria many LACs do not share.
California- even though * my * friends complain you can cut the air with a knife, D thinks of sun, surfing & shopping ( not necessarily in that order)
But mainly the diversity ( and that they have a marine bio program)</p>
<p>I am embarrassed to say, she paid more attention to me, than I would have guessed, when I expressed concern, about how we would pay for it ( as well as trying to subtly hint that it was a competitive school- which I feel bad about- at the time I did not fully realize that she more than kept up with her friends who get more attention than she for their accomplishments- I didn’t want her to be disappointed),she ended up not applying.</p>
<p>However, I console myself with the fact that she can always transfer if she wants, that she will also find a fairly diverse campus at Western, even if Bellingham is not as " ethnically mixed" as L.A. and that at least one boy who had attended her inner city high school and began college at Oxy, transferred out, because he was disappointed that it had less economic diversity than he expected.</p>
<p>The Obama connection as far as I was aware, did not factor in her interest at all.
The students who graduated from Oxy from her sisters very small prep school were happy with it ( although one girl was disappointed in the services available for learning disabilties, to Oxys credit, it sounds like they encouraged her to help them expand those resources- haven’t checked to see what they currently offer)</p>
<p>“Getting elected president is a Big Deal. And making history by becoming the first African American elected president is an even bigger deal. Any school that had a hand in that achievement alone has reason to be proud. And it’s a much better reason for more kids to apply and more applicants to choose it than say having Doug Flutie throw a big touchdown pass on TV, which is what boosted Boston College’s popularity, or having your baskeball team make the final four, which is what boosted George Mason’s popularity back in 2006.” -coureur</p>
<p>So true. Georgetown wasn’t all that popular until Patrick Ewing played basketaball there and led the team to national fame. Notre Dame is a big name BECAUSE of the success of the football team in decades past. The Gipper and all that crap. It made non-football players want to go there, which helped raise the school’s selectivity through the roof. </p>
<p>To Ray192, #14: Who the hell gives a crap about Milton Friedman? It’s not “bragging rights.” It’s the “coolness” factor. Obama is cool. MIlton Friedman is not cool. I don’t think you understand young people.</p>
<p>" Do you think that the tour guides at Eureka back in 1981 should have refrained from mentioning their famous graduate because he “hadn’t actually done anything yet”?</p>
<p>Ah, by 1981, Reagan had been a movie star and a successful multi-term governor of our most populous state. That’s hardly nothing, and quite a bit more than being a first-term US Senator who hadn’t accomplished anything in that role.</p>
<p>People are confusing the boost in fame and awareness from a Flutie-type incident with actually wanting to go there directly BECAUSE of it. Flutie’s game-winning pass (which is still shown in highlight shows on sports networks to this day) made some people (who hadn’t heard of it) aware that BC existed, helped others finally get something tangible to distinguish it from Boston University, and made others aware that BC’s sports were not a joke, as nearly every other New England college’s programs infamously were (this was before UConn basketball got big).</p>
<p>By the way, I get the BC alumni magazine and email, and when John Kerry was running for President, I don’t recall any mention of him having gone to BC for his law degree. There was never any mention of it on the television news, either. It was all Yale Yale Yale (where he went as an undergrad). Think of how often we heard of the Clintons going to Yale Law, and of Obama going to Harvard Law. Kerry went to law school too, but never any mention of where.</p>
<p>Am I the only person who thinks both seeing a great athlete perform and being home to the first African American President are both pretty legitimate reasons to choose a school? Neither is frivolous and both definitely can make a choice much easier to make when otherwise tied with another college.</p>