Inside View: Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University is a Catholic university located in northern California. Santa Clara has just over 4,500 undergraduates and offers particularly strong programs in business, engineering, political science, communications and psychology. Caroline Lloyd, a freshman science major, agreed to share her experiences at Santa Clara with AdmissionsAdvice.com readers. Thanks Caroline!

When you were looking at colleges, what were the three most important things you were looking for?

Since I'm from New England, I wanted a little bit of a change, so one pretty important thing was that the weather was nice...specifically warm. Also, I wanted the school to have a good atmosphere, so when you walked onto the campus there was an immediate feel of inclusion and welcome. The third most important thing when I looked at colleges was the academics. I wanted to go somewhere that challenged me with new things, I didn't want to just cruise by and not work hard.

What other schools did you consider or apply to?

I considered a bunch of schools, the other ones I ended up applying to were the University of San Diego, the University of South Carolina, Davidson College, and Salve Regina University.

What were the main reasons you decided on Santa Clara University?

From the moment I walked into SCU, on my very first visit, it was different from all the other schools. First off, it is absolutely gorgeous with impeccable rose bushes and landscaping and all of the buildings are in the same Spanish style. Also, the atmosphere was so welcoming and kind, people smiled and said hello to me, even though I was clearly not a student there. It was also in the size range I really
wanted, it wasn't extremely small but it wasn't gigantic, it is medium size. Everything about the school seemed to click with me, and I went and spent an overnight there my senior year of high school, which I had a blast at. From that moment on, everything clicked and I just knew SCU was for me.


What has been your biggest surprise about Santa Clara University?

I was expecting Santa Clara to be alot like my high school, where every student knew each other and your whole class was friends with eachother. While I do know a lot of people, and I typically see people I know everywhere I walk, Santa Clara still has the feeling of a small school, but it's really not that small. It's a little weird, but it has that small feeling that makes it seem like you know everyone, but then the next day you see someone you've never seen before!


How would you describe the "typical" Santa Clara University student?

We're just normal people. A "typical" SCU student might stumble out of bed for their first class, but one thing that is definitley concurrentvthrough all SCU students is that they are all very friendly. I have yet to find someone who just hates the school and doesn't want to be around anyone. People always say hi or wave to one another and that's really the only defining thing I can think of for a "typical" SCU student, otherwise we're just normal people!

How would you describe the academic climate at SCU? How accessible are your professors and how intense is the workload?

Academics at SCU are definitely a big thing, it may seem like people aren't trying hard, but they're just faking it. Everyone works very hard at SCU, but we still manage to remember we're college students. Typically, the professors are always there when you need them, and if you're the type of person who likes to talk to the professors, then definitely take advantage of office hours. Coming from high school, I thought it would be really easy going to college and taking 4 classes a
quarter compared to the 7 classes a day in high school. Boy, was I wrong! The workload is definitely challenging, but that might be because I'm taking a heavy science load. However, it's not so intense that you're stuck in your room 24/7.

The one thing about SCU that is unique, at least to me, is the array of religion classes. SCU is a private Jesuit university, so every student has to take three religion courses. But it's really not as bad as it sounds because you can take a religion course in basically ANY religion you can think of, so that's a cool and unique thing about SCU.

How are the dorms at SCU? What is your dorm like? How do you find the food?

The dorms are not too bad at all. I love the dorm I'm in, we have walk-in closets! Pretty much every dorm is boy-girl alternating by room, but some dorms do have all-boys floors. But, I should mention the RLC's...Santa Clara doesn't have "dorms" we have RLC's (Residential Learning Communities). Basically, if the RLC appeals to your interest, you can apply to live in that building. My RLC is the Unity RLC, which symbolizes well...unity. It's really nice, there's two buildings and mine actually used to be a mens-only...so the bathroom situation is a little funky where girls are on the 1st and 3rd floors while the guys is on the 2nd floor...but you get used to it after a while. Lucky for me, the food is right next door at Benson Memorial Center. It's not to bad for dorm food, it's pretty decent. There's a little bit of everything, but my favorite is the make-your-own-salad bar!

What is your favorite place on campus? What's the worst part of campus?
How would you describe the surrounding community? Is a car necessary?

It's hard to decide what my favorite place on campus is...probably the gym. I really like to work out, so I really like the gym, which is also only a couple of years old. The worst part of campus...oh, I don't know, the soccer stadium?? I mean, our soccer teams are pretty amazing and I think we can afford a little bit better of a stadium for them!

The surrounding community is very welcoming...and most of it is students. There are a lot of houses surrounding the school and while some of them are just residential families, the majority are upperclass students. A car is nice, but not necessary. The bus station is right across the street and typically you'll become friends with someone who has a car.

What do people do at SCU for fun on the weekends? Where do people hang out, both on and off campus? Is there enough to do on campus or do most people leave for the weekend? How major is the sorority/frat presence?

There's a lot to do on the weekends at SCU..even staying on campus isn't boring. There's always something happening on or off-campus, but San Fransisco is just a 40 minute CalTrain ride away and Santa Cruz is a half hour drive away. The mall is a five minute drive away, so there's no shortage of things to do at all. There is actually no sorority/fraternity life on campus, but there are a bunch of off-campus
sororities/fraternities, some of which are nationally recognized, and some not. Only about 3 percent of the student body is Greek, so if you're not Greek it's not going to harm your social life,


What do you like best about SCU? What would you change?

The thing I like best about SCU is the people, everyone's friendly and
happy and it is such a great atmosphere to be in! I honestly have no
clue what I would change about Santa Clara...maybe I'll figure something
out after I've been there a year!


Do you have any advice for high school juniors and seniors trying to decide where to apply or where to attend?

For prospective students, all I can say is go with your gut, it knows what it's talking about. If a school feels wrong, don't force it. Try to find a school which meshes with you, you want to be happy somewhere because you're going to be there for 4 years! Also, when trying to figure out schools, have a short list (5 points max) for what you look for in a school, that definitely helps narrow things down. For kids looking to go far away, just know what you're getting yourself into. I'm coming home only 2-3 times a year, versus someone who lives 4 hours away can come home basically whenever they want. Know that you're not going to be able to go home whenever you want to, and know that you might get a little homesick. I recommend for kids to look far away from home, not to get away from the parents, but to experience a new part of the country. I mean you've grown up for 18 years maybe in one place, for four years you can go somewhere farther away and experience something
new!