Occidental College is the perfect launch pad?

Michpadams
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 15:45:40 +0000

I’m sure others have different opinions but I’ll just share my student’s experience thus far. My daughter is a freshman and, thus far has a few weeks at Oxy under her belt. My daughter is taking very challenging hard-science classes. She was a top student at her public school (top 1%) and took many AP classes that she excelled in. Her GPA was over a 4.0 BUT…she finds Oxy to be challenging. She says it’s doable but it IS challenging. She said there are plenty of other students with other majors that appear to be taking it a bit easier but if your child is going to be a hard science or engineering major be prepared for serious studying. That being said, she is extremely pleased with her decision and LOVES Oxy. She’s found her “people” there which has been helpful. She turned down many great colleges including UCLA because she felt that the small class sizes offered her a better chance to get to medical school. So more directly your statement of “Is this a worthwhile plan for underachievers that want to start fresh?” Begs the question of whether this student is ready to buckle down because if they feel that Oxy will be an “easy” option they might be surprised. On the flip side, for such a small school Oxy has amazing resources to help every student succeed including many study groups with peers. Just be prepared to work very hard for good grades. Hope that helps. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.