Occidental College

Date: Feb 01 2014
Major: Anthropology (This Major's Salary over time)
You will be making an accidental decision to go to OXY. Don't be deceived by its marketing or the positive reviews you get from others who have heard of Occidental. Those who have experienced Oxy and disliked it will think of it as a bad school. Some negative reviews of this school include: campus assaults not completely resolved, oppressive administration, poor admission standards, nosy students, and professors setting up students to fail. It is not worth spending 60 grand a year on this school for what is described above. Occidental should drop that freshmen CSP. Why is it Fall semester course is 8 units and spring is 4 units. Are the professors trying to mess up students' GPA.

Pay close attention to the last decade. Over the course of 5 years, Oxy had multiple college presidents who stepped down because they felt it wasn't properly structured institution. I left Oxy due to academic difficulty. I think I got a wrongful admission because my recommendations and writing samples stood out. I feel guilty of choosing this school in the first place. I was under the impression that professors care about the students and want them to succeed. It was total opposite. I paid the price. The state schools were the only institutions on a semester system willing to accept my units. I almost transferred to Cal State Fullerton and the admissions officer there told me her son in law went to Occidental for one year and left. Oxy nearly wrecked my future. If I stayed there, I would have been put on academic probation and eventually face dismissal. Leaving a school due to extreme academic difficulty is embarrassing and hurtful. If you really want a liberal arts education, consider the Claremont Colleges. They have well structured curriculum and admission standards.

Recently I bumped into Oxy grads and they regretted choosing Occidental. They wished they had gone to state schools where a solid education is attainable.

You don't have a sense of independence by attending Oxy. Even though most students are friendly, they are considered nosy which is expected at a small tight knit community. Sometimes they should mind their own business. I carried that nosy personality to my new school and some students there viewed it as unacceptable. This demonstrates that Oxy does not provide proper character building. I recommend large schools over small schools for the following reasons: wide variety of majors and classes to choose from, independence, lots of students, and well heard of due to wide alumni network.

Don't bother considering Oxy if you prefer Scantron tests. You will never get one there. The writing at Oxy is exaggerated. Professors intentionally give lengthy papers which is unnecessary. Some of them have been accused of testing students on material never discussed in class. Senior Comps and Thesis are a requirement. If you plan on becoming a doctor or lawyer, you will be loaded with graduate school tests, comps, and thesis. Don't expect senior year to be a relaxing year. You never know, President Obama and Ben Affleck might have left Oxy due to tough academics.

To all you high school students, best of luck in your college decision. Please spread the word to any friends or relatives considering Occidental. I am making sure that you will not become a victim like I did when I ended up choosing Oxy.

If you absolutely need to attend a private college, consider Pepperdine, University of San Diego, University of Pacific, Claremont Colleges, and Loyola Marymount. I know peers who were completely satisfied with those schools.