I’m sorry I don’t remember the name…but there is a great Thai restaurant just off campus.
The first time we were there, we actually bought lunch at the little lunch place which was on campus…it was a a grab and go place. Not sure if it’s still open for those who aren’t students.
You could also ask about eating in their dining area…many stations. And it’s fun to see the students there.
I’d appreciate hearing from current/recent students and parents about the idea of “religiosity” on campus. In particular, what the SCU experience may be like for a kid who is somewhere between atheist and agnostic (probably leaning atheist), has no formal/family religious background, and is not overly interested in exploring these concepts.
Many thanks.
Been a while but @thumper1 student attended.
My D20 is a current senior at SCU and she (and our family) are also on the agnostic-atheist spectrum. She had to take a couple of religion classes, but SCU is on the quarter system, one of the advantages of which is that if you don’t like a particular class, it’s over fairly quickly. But there is a wide-range of options to fulfill the requirement, including one she really liked with a relationship/sexuality focus (I don’t know the name of the course), but she said that it was thought provoking and interesting and while I gathered that religion was part of the discussion, it wasn’t the exclusive lens through which the subject was explored. One thing she mentioned is that the “best” classes that fulfill a religion credit (including the one about relationships) tend to fill up early in the registration process and it was actually easier to get into the class as a junior or senior (registration is determined partly by number of credits, so 3rd and 4th year students are earlier in the registration process). I think she spread out her religion requirements (I can’t remember if it’s 2 or 3 classes total), but waiting until junior year might result in the less “religious” of the course offerings.
As an aside, my D has absolutely thrived at SCU. She comments frequently about how grateful she is that she chose this school even though she had some slight reservations about the location and the religious piece (and more merit money from other colleges). My husband and I agree; it has been really exciting to see her growth during college.
Many thanks - extremely helpful! Happy for you and your daughter!!
Thanks for the tag.
My daughter is a proud SCU graduate. She is not Catholic, and actually was raised sort of understanding the traditions of a lot of religions but practicing…none.
SCU is a Jesuit college. It is welcoming to students of all faiths, and there is no stigma to not being Catholic there at all. There is no required chapel attendance. There is a three course religion requirement but there are over 100 courses which can satisfy this…and these include ethics courses and some very interesting religion ones. My kid took a Women in Religion course that she said was fascinating and very interesting. She took two ethics courses in addition to meet this requirement.
The Jesuits have a presence on campus. At the time my kid was there, a Jesuit resided in every residence hall. According to my daughter, these Jesuits were very smart, approachable, interesting to talk to, and generally just great people. My kid also worked in undergrad admissions and knew the Jesuits in higher administrative positions as well. She really really liked them…a lot.
Jesuit colleges have a community focus, and there is a tie giving back to the community in the residences, and in many courses. My kid loved this. She did a lot of volunteer work in the greater San Jose area.
Oh…agreeing with the poster above. The school has a core course requirement…and religion is part of that. My kid spread her core out over the four years she was at SCU. My kid was a bioengineering/biology major and said those core courses really broke up all the STEM courses in her major…and she looked forward to them each quarter.
Our kid also thrived at SCU…it was the perfect choice for her. She made lifelong friends there, and whenever she visits that area, she makes sure she stops in to visit the school.
I will add…this school had amongst the nicest facilities and grounds of any school we visited (we visited 28 between our two kids). The Library Learning Commons was actually built and opened while our kid was there…and is considered state of the art for such buildings. The school continually upgrades and maintains everything there.
I can’t say enough good things about this school. Our kid graduated in 2010, and she still has her SCU car license plate holder on her car!
Super helpful (and awesome) thank you so much for sharing all of that.
Thanks, my D was also accepted and has similar outlook and concerns.
I can try to answer some questions from my daughter’s and my POV…I posted a lot above, but if there are any additional questions…just ask!
Do you know much about SCU compared to LMU? My DC was admitted to both last night (we need financial info before knowing if either is really viable). We don’t know many people who have been to either school. We have visited LMU but not SCU yet. Also applied to USD but haven’t heard anything yet.
I would love a comparison of those schools! 
I know absolutely nothing about LMU.
Thank you for all the assistance you provide here!
One SCU question: I noticed it is very close to San Jose airport. Is airplane noise an issue?
Thanks!
My daughter never once complained about airplane noise. But I will say, the convenience to that airport is excellent. There is a free bus (I think it’s the number 10) that runs from the airport to the Caltrain station which is smack across the street from the main campus entrance. It’s less than a 10 minute bus ride. Super convenient for those flying out of San Jose.
I’m not sure I can provide a great comparison but we visited both campuses when she was applying and she went back and forth when deciding between SCU and LMU. I thought she was leaning toward the LA location of LMU, but decided on SCU. I think the schools–at a top-line level–are more alike than not: Jesuit, whole-person focus, great location, similar size. She heard (not sure if it’s true) that a lot of kids leave LMU on the weekends to go home, and LMU’s campus is on a hill and a bit more tucked away. SCU has a lot happening on and adjacent to campus, including off-campus housing which surrounds the campus and is a hub of activity. The “walls” of the campus feel a bit more extended to include this area; as @thumper1 said, the campus itself is very beautiful. I personally liked it better than LMU as it was a bit more updated. The new Discovery building is state of the art and I know other facilities are fantastic.
The Silicon Valley location (and proximity to San Jose and San Francisco) leads to great job and internship options and while such opportunities don’t fall in a student’s lap, they’re available to those who network, hustle and apply themselves. I’m sure LMU would also be great, but I can tell you that at SCU, she has taken initiative and her professors notice and reward the effort.
Without trying to sound boastful, I will share the following: D has had an on-campus job; a leadership position in her sorority; was actively involved in a club, including a leadership position; had multiple internships related to her area of interest/study; has had an active social life and built close friendships; and has fantastic grades and truly enjoys her classes. She is an English and Communications double major, so while the school has a lot of STEM and business-focused opportunities, for those who lean more toward humanities, there are a lot of great options, too.
One key difference in LMU’s favor: She got more merit money. I think SCU can be a bit more tight-fisted on that front, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker for us.
@GolferDad1 the proximity to SJC is a great benefit. No airplane noise and very convenient.
I’ll add something else. There is a ton of off campus housing right adjacent to the campus. My kid lived in a house on a cul de sac right across the street from a side entrance. Very very convenient. There were 4 or five houses on that street alone and all were rented to students.
SCU also has a lot of things off campus that are able to be walked to. My kid had a great hairdresser, there were some good restaurants, etc.
The other college in CA that my kid applied to was University of San Diego. At her accepted student overnight, she realized she would be stuck on top of the hill where the school was if she didn’t have a car…and she knew she wasn’t getting a car! That school on the hill was one reason USD came off her list.
Thank you all for the helpful information!
Figure you guys have already made a decision but I’m leaving this comment for anybody else who stumbles across. Little background, I’m a local student involved in a fraternity and the boxing and weightlifting teams, with what I would consider to be a solid social life, also outdoorsy and fairly mainstream. Below average income for the school and a minority if that matters. Santa Clara social life has been very good for me. There are a range of Greek options to choose from, with seven fraternities and five sororities. For guys it is mostly a challenge to socialize if not in a fraternity, though there are “open” parties about 3-4 times per quarter. I recommend all guys come check it out and rush if they are interested in having a strong social life.
For girls, all fraternity functions are open, including mixers which we have about once a week. Between all seven fraternities she will not be lacking for parties if she’s into them. Joining a sorority is not necessary to party as a girl, but is an excellent social boost and will allow her to meet a close group of friends. We also have some bars and clubs located near campus that get great turnouts throughout the week. There are plenty of “mainstream” people here as well who generally fit the American middle to upper class mold. Country music, Taylor Swift, etc are all big here. Everybody is very friendly and wants to make friends. Greek life is less cliquey here than in other schools and it is possible to have both Greek and non-Greek friends without it being an issue (I do).
Outdoor life is big here, with numerous student organizations dedicated to the outdoors, including backpacking and ski/board clubs. Both have hundreds of members. We are close to a network of fantastic trails, about an hour from the beach and SF, and about four hours from the nearest snow. There is a large network of people who travel up together for day trips and it is very fun and easy to get involved with.
Most of the local guys still live on campus because we are a more upper-class school, meaning there is the financial ability to live on or near campus for all four years. Many of our boys are local but not commuters. Hopefully this helps
Just a note about Greek life. Unless something has changed since my kid left, the %age of those who join fraternities and sororities is very low…25% or so I think less. So, Greek life does not dominate this college.
There is plenty to do apart from Greek life at this school.
In addition, while my kid was there, the college did not actually sanction those groups. They were independent of the college and college support.
A current student would need to clarify.
Greek life is still unsanctioned by SCU but much bigger now, we have an informal Greek row and its fairly common to spot fraternity and sorority gear around campus. Depending on when your kids attended SCU it may have been smaller, as we gained numerous new Greek organzations in the post 2012 era (including my own). Still, it is not everywhere. There is a strong over-representation in the business and finance schools, while engineering is more moderate. I am in a humanities major and am typically the only Greek student in my classes.
My D24 got into both schools. We visited both schools earlier this year. She hasn’t decided yet since she’s also waiting on other east coast schools. With that said, our initial impressions: both are beautiful campuses. LA and Bay Area have different things to offer. We have lots of kids from Seattle go to both. Feedback from one parent is that LMU seemed “too fast” for her D22, got mixed up into a party drug culture and LA clubs. She transferred to SCU this year and really loves it. Others say it’s great and love being in LA and bear beach. I’ve heard mostly positive for SCU, but crowd is a lululemon crowd and one kid didn’t like that. Not enough alternative students. My DD is probably more the former. Both offer great education, great social scene, and close proximity to airports. FWIW, my DD got $20k merit for SCU. We don’t know yet for LMU (I heard they tell u in Feb).