University of California library
[socialring]Four colleges in 48 hours—Santa Clara, Stanford, U San Francisco, U Cal-Berkeley—each with its own personality.
A powerhouse in the sciences, foreign languages, East Asian Studies, math, computing, and more, Cal received 82,000 applications this year for about 6,000 spots in its freshman class next year. Only about 10% of out of state students gain admission, and if you are a New Trier student, the averages show you’ll need a 4.9 weighted GPA and a 34 on the ACT. As well as one year of an arts class (music-drama-dance-art)—required for any University of California system school.
Stanford University
Stanford University[/caption]Stanford ranks even higher than Cal in many categories, and claims the lowest acceptance rate of any major college or university (5%).The admissions person who sits down with me lets me know that all applicants are reviewed “holistically”—meaning all parts of their application—and that far more qualified students apply than they have room for. In fact, last year 380 students who had perfect scores applied, but only 60 were admitted.
At Santa Clara, the schools of engineering and business are top draws, but all students receive a firm grounding in the liberal arts tradition, part of the university’s Jesuit mission.
The mission church at Santa Clara University
The impressive fact that SCU has a four-year graduation rate of 85% is a tribute to the type of student the school attracts, says admissions. Perhaps more impressive are the relationships SCU has forged with thousands of tech business in the Silicon Valley, in which the campus sits smack in the middle.
University of San Francisco, also a Jesuit institution, is situated in the middle of San Francisco on a hill that features views of the ocean to one side and downtown to the other.
University of San Francisco
Its motto “Thought to Action” is reflected in such majors as “Performing Arts and Social Justice” and “Critical Diversity Studies.” A much more liberal school, it feels much like San Francisco itself, urban, scrappy, beautiful, culturally, economically and socially diverse. It has a well-regarded school of management that features a hospitality major which grounds students in business and entrepreneurial practices.
