Occidental gives everyone a small and diverse student body, a rigorous academic program and all the resources that Los Angeles has to offer. Occidental’s hands on and interdisciplinary approach to liberal arts challenges each student to develop a range of skills that makes them stand out in the crowd.
Every year Occidental is recognized as the best small college by every college guide in the nation. Their innovative programs and high standards have been praised in the Washington Post, Newsweek and the New York Times.
Academics
Occidental has hard working students and every professor is dedicated to teaching. Learning at Occidental means conducting research that is original, designing experiments and testing theory’s out in the real world. Disciplinary boundaries are exceeded, standards are high and every student’s intelligence level takes unexpected turns.
Diversity
Academic excellence is diversified at Occidental and is not something that is set apart. All types of diversity challenge every student such as income, race, nationality, religion and viewpoint in the classroom and out in the real world. This prepares them to thrive in a very complex world.
Location
Occidental’s unique location gives them more advantages than other liberal arts colleges. The students enjoy the small close knit community of Eagle Rock that has the educational, cultural and recreational resources of a large metropolis.
Size
There are about 2,102 students with the average class size being 16 leaving a ratio of 10 students to 1 teacher. This gives each student individual attention along with a friendly community and access to a wide variety of intellectual and personal opportunities.
Academics
Education is very challenging at Occidental with the combination of a hands on approach with the commitment to producing students that have a well-rounded education. This combination gives all students valuable skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.
Core Program
The first year of Cultural Studies consists of colloquia and seminars which are the centerpiece of the Core Program. Students can choose from a wide variety of colloquia and seminars that are guaranteed to satisfy the writing requirements for the first year.
The Core Program focuses on global literacy and requires every student to take at least three courses that touch on three geographical areas which are Asia and the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, Intercultural and the United States.
In order to graduate, each student must complete approximately 128 semester units and have a 2.0 GPA. Every student must also take a senior exam in their chosen field. The exam can include creative projects, seminars, oral exams, field work or various field research projects.
Life on Campus
Occidental regards residential experiences as an important part of every student’s education. Every student is required to live on campus for the first three years. This gives all students the opportunity to build a strong sense of belonging to a community as well as the opportunity to enjoy student clubs and a variety of extracurricular activities. This makes it possible for every student to pursue their interests from rugby to music to dance and politics.
