LMU, Pepperdine, USC: The weird and wonderful world of LA colleges. ☀️

[Amelia]

I'm from Northern California, and I never thought I'd end up in LA for school. It seemed too big, too superficial, too much traffic. But I visited Loyola Marymount University on a whim and fell in love. Now I'm a junior, and I want to talk about what it's actually like going to school in the middle of this chaotic city.

The good:

• Location, location, location. My campus is in Westchester, right by the beach and right by Playa Vista (where all the tech companies are). Internships are everywhere. I've had classmates intern at Sony, Fox, Google, you name it. You can't beat the access.
• The weather. It's a cliché, but studying outside in February in shorts is pretty great.
• The diversity. LA is a global city, and the student body reflects that. You meet people from everywhere.
• Campus beauty. LMU is on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The sunsets are ridiculous. Pepperdine in Malibu is even more stunning, if you can afford it.

The challenging:

• Commuter culture. LA is spread out, so a lot of students go home on weekends or have jobs off-campus. You have to work a little harder to build community.
• Cost of living. Oh my god. Rent is insane. You will pay $1,200 for a shoebox with three roommates. Be prepared.
• The "real world" is right there. It's easy to get distracted by everything happening in the city. You have to be disciplined.

For anyone considering a California school, don't sleep on the LA privates. USC is the big name, but LMU, Pepperdine, and Occidental all offer amazing experiences with their own unique vibes. Anyone else loving (or hating) the LA college life?

 

[Dennis]

Amelia, yes! I'm at Occidental (Oxy) and people forget we exist because we're not as famous as the others but honestly? Best decision I made. Small classes, actual relationships with professors, and we're in Eagle Rock which is cute and has great food. Plus we have the Obama connection which is fun for tours. The LA private school world is wild though. We all pretend we're not competing but... we're all competing

I'm from Northern California, and I never thought I'd end up in LA for school. It seemed too big, too superficial, too much traffic. But I visited Loyola Marymount University on a whim and fell in love. Now I'm a junior, and I want to talk about what it's actually like going to school in the middle of this chaotic city.

The good:

• Location, location, location. My campus is in Westchester, right by the beach and right by Playa Vista (where all the tech companies are). Internships are everywhere. I've had classmates intern at Sony, Fox, Google, you name it. You can't beat the access.
• The weather. It's a cliché, but studying outside in February in shorts is pretty great.
• The diversity. LA is a global city, and the student body reflects that. You meet people from everywhere.
• Campus beauty. LMU is on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The sunsets are ridiculous. Pepperdine in Malibu is even more stunning, if you can afford it.

The challenging:

• Commuter culture. LA is spread out, so a lot of students go home on weekends or have jobs off-campus. You have to work a little harder to build community.
• Cost of living. Oh my god. Rent is insane. You will pay $1,200 for a shoebox with three roommates. Be prepared.
• The "real world" is right there. It's easy to get distracted by everything happening in the city. You have to be disciplined.

For anyone considering a California school, don't sleep on the LA privates. USC is the big name, but LMU, Pepperdine, and Occidental all offer amazing experiences with their own unique vibes. Anyone else loving (or hating) the LA college life?