Day 1: Caltech / Occidental College
Caltech
The first school we visited on our trip was the California Institute of Technology, also know as Caltech.
Caltech, known for its groundbreaking research, and prestigious reputation, is a university that has consistently been at the forefront of scientific innovation. As a student considering where to pursue my final stage of education, a tour to Caltech provided an exciting glimpse of what the institution has to offer including its attentive support, and welcoming community.
Before the tour began, we were able to meet a graduate student named Sayaka, who kindly took a moment to chat with us. We students, had the opportunity to ask questions about academics, the application process, and life at Caltech. Her bright and kind demeanor allowed us to easily ask questions and interact with her. As a person not having found my field of interest, having time with someone excelling in a field allowed me to reconsider my fascinations and life decisions. From listening to her journey, I learned the importance of valuing what I truly want to do.
After having a meaningful hour with Sayaka we had a tour around the school lead by an undergraduate student. The school was intentionally kept at a modest size with approximately 250 students in each grade which is a relatively small number considering it is one of the top schools in the US. However, through the tour I learned that having few students allows each of them to cooperate and interact at a deeper level, as well and making the thorough support the school provides possible.
Thus, through the experience at Caltech I, was able to personally reflect back on myself and reconsider my future as well as finding out what life is like on campus.
K.Y (M3 Girl)
The first school we visited was California Institute of Technology.
Before the tour, we walked upon a wide open field where a Japanese graduate student of Caltech answered our questions about this university. Questions such as the ratio of the student to faculty, what extracurricular activities we should do, and what this university is focusing on, were being asked. While answering our questions in depth, she additionally explained thoroughly about her experiences and her journey from being a junior high student to a Caltech graduate student.
After listening and having conversations with her, we met the undergraduates who kindly gave us a tour guide of Caltech. Guiding and showing us some unique features and architectural designs of Caltech, the ones that sparked my interest the most were the canon, rivers with turtles, and the seven residents' houses shown to us that were separated into the north and south sides. The canon was said to be used after each finals, and even represents an interesting relationship between MIT, as they have recently pranked each other using the canon.
Even more, the tour guide explained clearly about how the ratio of the students to faculty is 3:1, revealing many advantages including, having easy access to professors, and having a small but convenient space to stay in. Caltech, indeed, grabbed many people’s attention genuinely not only because of its prestigious name but also because of some characteristics such as, allowing a lot of research opportunities, having a friendly and collaborative environment, and being deeply focused on STEM. Y.Y (M3 Girl)
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private undergraduate college with approximately 1800 students. This college is a liberal arts school, and compared to other colleges in California, is a small college. Occidental college is a college encouraging curiosity and experimental learning.
As Occidental College has a close community with small scale class sizes and students have a higher opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation. This college emphasizes hands-on learning through research opportunities, and internships. This allows students to apply the knowledge they have in real-world settings. Undergraduate students get to contribute to research. In Occidental, as there are no graduate students, the researchers ask undergraduate students to directly take part in their experiments and research projects.
Occidental college allows their students to explore and discover their own majors. Freshmen can enter the school without deciding a major. Within the first two years, students get to take multiple classes, and decide their own major. Occidental College allows students to have multiple minors, allowing students to explore multiple interests.
M.T (M3 Girl)
Occidental College is a liberal arts college located in the center of the City of Angeles, which is very convenient, providing many opportunities for students to explore. Some favorite destinations within about 10 minutes of driving from the campus include downtown Los Angeles, dodger stadium and Hollywood bowl among others.
They have a relatively small campus with about 2000 students, which creates great opportunities to get in touch with professors, as well as other students on the campus. The college focuses on undergraduate learning, where students get the first two years to take their time finding and declaring their major, while studying other minors to expand possibilities for the future. This lets us take classes based on what seems fun and interesting, and not on what majors will be useful in the life ahead. They also have a study abroad program in many different countries, allowing students to have the opportunity to complete academic coursework and gain credit, while traveling.
On the tour of the campus, we were able to see the athletic facilities, like the field and the pool available for athletes and people who like outdoor activities, but also places like the library, or the quiet room where students that want to study or spend their time indoors can use. Oxy also has advisors who can help choose what careers to do, setting them for success.
Overall, Occidental College offers a supportive environment where students can explore their interests, in a vibrant city with endless sources of opportunity and inspiration.
E.S (M3 Girl)
There are 45 majors and minors, including an option for a self-designated course of study. 2/3 students participate in study off-campus and abroad. There are 2000 enrolled students, with 75% of them living on campus for all 4 years. Students are required to live on campus until their third year, and they are free from their 4th year. The average class size is 17; with relatively a small amount of people in each class, it proves that it is a good close-knit community. 9:1 is the student:faculty ratio. They put extra strength in sports, where there are 20 NCAA Division 3 varsity sports teams. 95% of students secure a postgraduate opportunity within nine months of graduation.
Occidental college is a small, private liberal arts college located in Los Angeles. It is a place where all the professors acknowledge the students, and a close-knit community, and students with various backgrounds. The college offers wide range of majors, as well as chances to go overseas, and focuses on thinking critically and engaging with real-world issues. It is also the college where the President Barack Obama went for two years.
If you want to put extra strength in economics and politics, Occidental College is a great place for you.
T.S (M3 Boy)
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