There hasn’t been a post here for a long time so I’ll post a positive review for University of Redlands from a parent’s perspective.
My son is in his first year at Redlands and it has exceeded his expectations. As a high performer in high school, he received a generous merit scholarship and enrolled in the Engineering 3-2 program. He chose Redlands over 12 other college offers, many at Top 50 colleges.
There are some areas to gripe about:
- Dining Hall tries hard but execution is hit or miss for teenage palates. You can look at the dining hall menu. Meal plan gives limited options for the Launch and Den as alternatives.
- Bathrooms can be iffy if your hall mates aren’t considerate
- There isn’t much to do within walking distance, but many students have cars and there are plenty of dining/entertainment options within a short drive or train ride away.
However, Redlands offers many great programs/advantages:
- First Year Journeys was a great way for my son to meet friends before school started.
- Outdoor Programs extends this throughout the school year. My son has gone surfing twice, to a rock climbing gym, and skiing with the Snow Club.
- May Term offers many unique experiences and travel opportunities.
- The relative small size of the university allowed my son to get a campus job in his area of interest that would have been nearly impossible to get during first semester at a larger school.
- Seems like many/most of the classes have 20-30 students. My son’s largest class had 30 or so students.
- MetroLink is free for the students so they can get to Downtown LA in 2.25 hours from the train station right next to campus.
- Professors have been available and responsive.
- Most kids get doubles in the dorms whereas other schools now have triples as the norm.
- Campus appears very safe. That’s the benefit side of not having much within walking distance.