<p>Now that we parents of the HS class of 2005 can pretty much catch our collective breath, were there any schools in your college visit circuits that surprised you? Sometimes we have pre-conceived notions of colleges and universities and, once on campus, are surprised that perception is not necessarily reality.</p>
<p>I'll be the first to admit that H, D, and I were quite impressed when we swung by Occidental's campus. The students with whom we talked (it was a Sunday) were <em>very</em> well-spoken, excited about Oxy, and represented a wide array of backgrounds. We enjoyed walking around the campus, visiting the library, and peeking in on a student activity in progress. From what we had read about Oxy, we knew that it was actively seeking out diversity in its students, but these kids seemed to be much more poised and mature than some of their counterparts on Ivy and higher tiered college campuses. It surprisingly became the safety our D could love.</p>