College Spotlight: Santa Clara University

Key Stats:

• Location: Santa Clara, California (about an hour from San Francisco, and right next to San Jose)
• Type: Private, Catholic Jesuit University, in a defined campus with a suburban surrounding
• Size: Just about 5,500 total undergraduates
• The total cost of attendance is just over $64,000 per year, but SCU does offer a good amount of financial aid and merit based scholarships. 

Admissions Stats:

Santa Clara University is a top ranked university in the country, and is a fairly selective school. Last year, SCU had almost 16,000 applications and accepted about 7,600 students for an acceptance rate of 48%. Their average SAT score range for accepted students is: 1270-1450 and the average ACT score range for accepted students is: 28-32. There are three different ways to apply to Santa Clara: Regular Decision, Early Action, and binding Early Decision.

Academics:

Santa Clara has three main schools in their undergraduate college. They have the College of Arts and Sciences, which houses 26 different majors including Communication, Music, and Political Science. Their most nationally recognized school is the School of Engineering, which has six different majors including Civil Engineering and Web Design Engineering.

Also, the Leavey School of Business has seven majors including accounting, finance, and marketing. Students in the business school will get to learn in a brand new, state of the art building, where most classes are live-streamed or recorded...just in case you decide to sleep in. Regardless of major, all students will enroll in a fairly extensive core course requirement program that will give them a broad education across many areas.

What’s special about Santa Clara University:

I have been to some gorgeous parts of the country and toured beautiful college campuses, but Santa Clara is definitely one of the nicest schools I have seen. The buildings are built to look similar to help identify the campus, which is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and students enjoy paradise-like weather most of the year. Walking around campus, I could sense that students loved being there. SCU is a Jesuit school, with incredible engineering (#29 in country), business (#51 in country), and liberal arts schools. Students are pushed academically and socially, and you could sense that the students are happy and appreciate the opportunity they were given to study at such a great university.

What is so truly special about Santa Clara is the entrepreneurship mentality of the students there. Just by their location, they have front row seats to our quickly evolving society, especially on the technology front. Whether you are a computer science, finance, or engineering major, SCU students have many opportunities for incredible internships and eventual jobs. Case in point, the class of 2015 was surveyed and it showed that 98% of business majors had a job in their field 6 months after graduation and 95% of students who applied to graduate school were accepted to at least one graduate program...those are some outstanding numbers! SCU was also recently ranked #12 in the country for salary potential among all other colleges and universities.

Campus life is also very big at SCU, with countless clubs and activities happening at any given time. Students always have something to do and can find many different reasons to enjoy the sunshine outdoors. Santa Clara is also part of the West Coast Conference in Division 1 athletics, and they have a pretty famous basketball alum...Steve Nash.

My Perspective

All in all, Santa Clara is just an amazing place to be a college student. It is a community full of engaged students and faculty, who are striving to be their best in the classroom and overall society. They care about improving their own lives and serving others who are less fortunate. Santa Clara cares about its Catholic identity, and students look to grow not only in academics, but as individuals in an ever-changing society. If you are up for considering a school on the west coast, you definitely need to put Santa Clara on your radar!

College Spotlight: University of San Francisco

During these chilly first weeks of spring, I am wishing I was back in sunny California, on the top of a hill, looking at the city of San Francisco go on and on towards the ocean. The sky is a vibrant blue, with a slight chill on the breeze. Surrounded by eager college students on the move, I could definitely picture myself here as an undergraduate student at the University of San Francisco. USF (not to be confused with UCSF) has a beautiful and manageable campus with epic views of the Bay Area...with restaurants, shops, museums, and not to mention the countless tech industry companies within walking distance. University of San Francisco seems like an ideal place to study, grow, and prepare for a successful career.

Here’s everything you need to know about University of San Francisco, plus my personal perspective below.

Key Figures:

• The University of San Francisco opened in 1855, and was the first university in San Francisco. USF is one of the 28 Jesuit universities in the country, and has a big social justice component to its mission today. 
• USF has 6,750 undergraduate students, making it a nice medium sized school. 
• USF is an extremely diverse college; 20% of its students from other countries, and 1/3 of the school is first generation.
• USF has a great, defined campus, but is also right in the middle of the city. So for students looking to be in a city, but still have the luxuries of a college campus, USF should be on your list.
• USF prides itself on being a diverse and socially responsible learning community of students who are committed to academic enhancement and being involved in social justice. 
• USF has 15 Division 1 sports, and play in the WCC conference

Admissions/Academics:

• This year they had 17,500 applications from all over the world
• Overall, they had a 70% acceptance rate
• Their middle 50% for SAT is 1120-1300 and ACT is 23-28
• They are a Common Application school, and take a holistic approach in reading applications
• USF offers over 45 majors, and all students take a liberal arts core. Some of their more impressive majors include Accounting, Advertising, Architecture & Community Design, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance, Hospitality Management, International Business, Marketing, Nursing, and Media Studies
• For some majors, USF offers a 3 year accelerated graduation plan, where students take more classes during each semester, and enroll in two summer semesters
• Hot off the press, USF will be offering a new engineering program beginning in the fall of 2018!!!        

What’s special about University of San Francisco:

USF is situated on some incredibly prime real estate in one of the most sought-after locations in the country. San Francisco, much like New York City, is a hub for all different cultures and walks of life, and is an area where all different industries, especially the tech world is absolutely booming. USF knows this and takes full advantage of their surroundings.

They have a top notch Career Services Program with a ton of access to the top companies in the world. There aren't many colleges out there where you can have breakfast on campus, then within 10 minutes get to your internship at LinkedIn, and then come back to campus for your afternoon classes. With companies like Facebook, Google, SalesForce (fastest growing company in the country), Twitter, etc, all right there in the Bay Area, the internship and career opportunities are endless. As long as you put in some effort, you will be given the chance to be extremely successful, and USF will do everything to help you.

USF actually is part of a 22 University Internship Consortium, which is a private network that shares internships and job opportunities. This is a very exclusive consortium, with 14 of the 22 schools being ranked in US News World & Report top 25 colleges. USF also owns exclusive Bay Area membership rights to this group, so there is no competition with the other colleges in the area. In 2015-2016 alone, over 10,000 US and international internships were posted in this group.

At USF, you are going to be taught by incredible professors, and will have rigorous academic training in the classroom. I think the sheer access to a crazy amount of career opportunities right outside your door is what makes University of San Francisco very special. 

Personal Perspective:

I am a big fan of Jesuit education and everything that it entails...commitment to academics and helping the community are a big part of the Jesuit world, and that is a core principle at USF. Walking around the campus, and talking to professors, you can easily see two things; the USF community deeply cares about its students, and will push them to improve themselves in all facets of life.

When it comes down to choosing a college, you want to make sure you are taken care of are given many different opportunities to grow as a person both academically and socially. Without a doubt, you will get this at USF. 

Joseph D. Korfmacher

College Spotlight: University of the Pacific

The first week in March, I had the opportunity to travel to Northern California with about 50 other Jesuit High School college counselors. We had a wonderful conference, talking about all of the updates in college admissions, and then we visited six colleges and universities (U of Pacific, U of San Francisco, Cal-Berkeley, St. Mary's College, Stanford U, and Santa Clara U). They varied in size, environment, program offerings, and rigor.

Usually on big trips like these, there are one or two schools that I'm not particularly impressed by...but not on this trip. I could honestly see many students from the East Coast taking the 5 1/2 hour plane ride to either San Francisco or San Jose to any of the six schools I visited. Over the next few weeks, I will try to write about each college and give my feedback...and of course, add some of my pictures! First up, and probably the least known of the six, University of the Pacific located in Stockton, California.

Here’s everything you need to know about Pacific, plus my personal perspective below.

Key Stats:

• UP has about 3,800 undergraduate students
• The campus is 90 minutes from San Francisco and a little over an hour from Sacramento
• There are 18 Varsity sports, all Division 1 (including water polo), and they are in the West Coast Conference, which has schools like Gonzaga and BYU
• Although the name of the college may make you think the school is on the water, it is actually pretty far from the ocean, and has a desert climate...cool in the morning and at night, but warms up during the day
• A community-based school, most activities happening on campus, and UP offers over 180 organizations, 18 Greek Houses, 10 Honor Societies, and 4 service clubs
• The average salary 10 years after graduation for UP students is the 5th highest in California and top 40 in the country
• UP is currently spending $1,000,000 on a student success initiative 

Academic Info:

UP has 80 different academic programs, a huge number for a relatively small school.

• College of the Pacific: This is their liberal arts college, and all students will take at least a few courses in this college
• Conservatory of Music: Recognized as one of the nation's top conservatory, and oldest one west of the Mississippi. One of its programs is music education, which has a 100% job placement rate. Also UP offers a music industry major (does not require an audition) and is good for students who want to go into the business side of the music industry
• Benerd School of Education: one of their smaller schools, which offers 4 year Bachelor degree and teaching credentials 
• Eberhardt School of Business: A relatively small business program, but with great facilities. A fully accredited school of business which allows students to run a $3,000,000 investment fund. Students can also receive a Masters in Accounting through this school.
• School of Engineering and Computer Science: Offers 8 different programs and all students do at least one 6-month co-op program where they work full-time.
• School of International Studies: Students can receive a BA in majors such as Global Studies, International Relations, and Commerce. All students in this school must study abroad at least once.
• Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Offers PharmD options and also has Speech-Language Pathology, which is the fastest growing job field in California.
• Dugoni School of Dentistry: Students in this program will start at UP for their undergraduate studies, then finish at the dental school located in San Francisco.

Admissions Stats:

• UP has a 55% acceptance rate
• Averages include a 3.5 GPA, 1190 SAT, and 24 ACT
• When students apply, they will be reviewed by their major, so it may be tougher to get in applying for engineering as opposed to the liberal arts college
• Their pre-dentistry program takes about 70 students per year and they look for a 3.8 GPA, 1400 SAT, or 31 ACT
• Their pre-pharmacy program takes about 130 students per year and they look for a 3.74 GPA, 1310 SAT, or 29 ACT
• They are a Common Application school, $35 application fee, and test scores are required
• They have both Early Action (November 15th) and Rolling Admissions application options

What’s special about University of the Pacific:

The ACCELERATED PROGRAMS! University of the Pacific has a lot to offer, but what stands out the most is their dedication to getting students graduated and working as soon as possible. Most students graduate within four years, and are working or in graduate school within six months. UP actually has a 4-year guarantee, with an actual contract and was the first school to do this. In addition to making sure their students have graduated in four years, UP offers many incredible accelerated programs. Some of the best include:

• 5 year MBA program, where students can get their MBA or Master's in Accounting
• 2+3 or 3+3 or 4+3 Pharmacy and Dental programs. The first number is how long a student would study at UP before going to professional school. So yes, super competitive students could actually becomes dentists or pharmacists in 5 years...incredible! 
• 3+3 Law degree, where students would do 3 years at UP, and then have guaranteed admission to the UP Law School, which is located in Sacramento, the capitol of California.

Personal Perspective:

I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to University of the Pacific. It is in a beautiful part of the country, and it was a gorgeous ride from San Francisco. You can definitely tell there is a ton of school spirit there, and the administration truly cares about the students. They want them to have a great college experience, and be prepared to tackle their career upon graduation. I love their accelerated programs, and I think this could be a really big draw for students from the East Coast. At most schools, it often takes close to 8 years to become a dentist or pharmacist, but a UP student could potentially do this in 5 years...saving both money and time!

Although the campus is amazing, with really nice facilities, Stockton is not the most exciting city. The campus is not in the middle of the city, but it is not far.  UP is a place I think many young men and women could be happy at, and is definitely worth a look!

Joseph D. Korfmacher

College Spotlight: Lafayette College

During the last week of this summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to Lafayette College along with four other NYC college counselors. We hopped into a minivan driven by the Lafayette College admissions representative, and an hour and twenty minutes later I arrived at Lafayette’s beautiful suburban campus.  I spent the day there, learning about the school’s academics, admissions, and overall community.

Here’s everything you need to know about Lafayette College, plus my personal perspective below.

Key Stats:

• Location: Easton, PA (the first exit after leaving NJ!)
• Type: Private liberal arts college with a very strong Engineering program
• Size: 2,500 students in a residential campus/suburban setting
• Cost to attend: Justt over $64,000/year. Lafayette has a $900 million endowment and meets 100% of demonstrated family need

Admissions Stats:

• ACT Middle 50%: 27-31
• SAT Middle 50%: 1270-1430
• Admit rate: 28%
• Transcript requirements: Lafayette likes to see a minimum of 4 years English, 3 years Math, 2 years Lab Science, and 2 years Foreign Language
• Application Deadlines:
  • Early Decision: Nov. 15
  • Regular Decision: January 15
  • Early Decision 2: February 1
• Notes: Five years ago, the admit rate was 42%; it is now 28%, so it is easy to see how popular and competitive Lafayette has become. 50% of their students are admitted via Early Decision, but Lafayette is a Division 1 sports school, so many of those students are athletes.

What’s Special about Lafayette College:

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Lafayette is the fact that it is a small-ish college, with a liberal arts core curriculum that has an extremely strong Engineering program. For students who know they want to go into engineering, or are just considering it, it is valuable to have an overall education, not just a specialty in one area; Lafayette will give you a whole education and will prepare you for life after college. In fact, Lafayette has a Common Course of Study that all students are required to take, which “creates an outcome based, all-inclusive academic core.”

Lafayette has a variety of majors offered on their main campus, but recently just opened their brand new Arts Campus "down the hill." This is an incredible new campus with three state-of-the-art buildings that house a theatre, performance center, thousands of square feet for work on art projects, computers with top-of-the-line graphic design programs, and so much more. This is an incredible new addition to Lafayette that will definitely help it continue to grow!

Finally, Lafayette, although small in size, has 23 Division 1 sports, and school spirit is huge on campus. Often, students need to attend huge universities to get the college sports experience; not at Lafayette, where you can truly get the best of both worlds.

Personal Perspective:

During my trip to Lafayette, there was time set aside to meet and chat with current students. There were six different students from all years, who had one thing in common: they LOVED Lafayette College.  There were two things they talked about that really stuck with me. For one, they all mentioned just how friendly everyone is on campus and how “they all hold doors for each other.” I noticed this too, as I walked around campus, everyone seemed to be interacting with others, smiling, and just seemed genuinely happy to be there.

Also, the students said that to be happy at Lafayette, you must love the campus lifestyle. Easton is a fairly big town and has a lot of shops and restaurants within walking distance from campus, but it is no New York City. For the most part, the student body lives on campus, or within steps of campus, so most of the action is happening there. It is picturesque, though, with great facilities, which is why Lafayette has an amazingly high retention rate of 95%. Students there are supported, challenged, and are given all the opportunities in the world to succeed.

 If you are looking for a school close to the tri-state area, but a completely different scene than the hustle and bustle of the city, one with great academics that specializes in educating the whole person while preparing them for the “real world,” then I suggest you give Lafayette College a look…I think you just might like what you see.