Occidental College vs U Richmond?

College Search & Lists
1

I am currently considering being a premed major, a computer science major, or a finance/economics major.

Would Occidental College, or University of Richmond be better for their programs.

Internships and research opportunities are huge to me, as well as a good pre med advising program to a lesser extent.

2
  • LACs are generally strong for premed, and both schools appear to fit this pattern.
  • Oxy's computer science major is brand new, so no one really knows much about it. Apparently CS majors have cross enrollment with Caltech. http://www.theoccidentalweekly.com/news/2017/10/17/computer-science-newest-major-campus/2889536
  • Oxy is a traditional liberal arts college, so the only business-related major would be economics. Traditional LACs generally have strong econ programs.
  • Richmond is unusually large for a LAC and has a business school, so they have a lot more business-related options, including a variety of majors/minors like econ, accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, etc.

You could be successful in any of these programs at either school. Most people would probably have a distinct preference for one school or the other based on the location and vibe. Oxy is more West Coast urban and hip, Richmond more Southern suburban and preppy.

3

City of Richmond is a very cool place; the melding of history, art, parks (including white water rafting on the James River that cuts through down town - 3s and 4s), museums, etc. It’s only 10 minutes form campus. Campus is stunningly beautiful. My S liked it a lot but decided on Wake Forest. Similar but a little bigger and ACC sports.

4

Richmond is strong in all your areas of interest. The med school in Richmond is affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and I’m not sure what kind of relationship UR has with it. The business school is excellent. The above comments about UR and Richmond are accurate. Very “hot” city, with fun nightlife district, The Fan. The school attracts a lot of out-of-state students, including from the northeast, but the southern preppy comment is on target. Campus is located in a nice suburban area near downtown, and is very beautiful.

You might look into VCU also. It’s a downtown, urban school, and not so much of a traditional campus, which might not appeal. But we know lots of recent and current students, and they all seem to really love the school. I’ve heard that there is some sort of a strong honors pre-med program with direct ties to the medical school. Overall, the school is not ranked as highly as UR and Oxy, but I think is pretty strong in this area because of the med school, and certainly in art, where it is one of the best schools around and attracts top students. The very talented student who won the top art student award at our very enormous, quality public high school went there and is loving it.

Good luck!

5

Hey! Current UR student majoring in biochemistry on a pre-med track. I think you would love it here! Our pre-health program is great and the teachers in all of the required medical school classes are fantastic. I am very close with several of my professors here. We also have the Richmond Guarantee, so if you are interested in research you can use $4000 for your own research experience. A lot of students join research labs their first year here. We also have great clinical preceptorship opportunities and a lot of students (including myself) volunteer and shadow physicians at VCU’s hospital system. If you have any questions feel free to message me!