Univ. of San Diego: The Country Club on the Hill
Written: Feb 07 '00 (Updated Apr 20 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: beautiful place; exceptionally friendly people
Cons: muy expensivo; lack of big time sports
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| JeffB's Full Review: University of San Diego |
It's been almost 10 years since I graduated from USD (ok, that's a harsh reality), and I realize that the school has probably changed a lot since I went there, but there are some basic truths about this school that probably will never change:
1. USD is located in one of the most beautiful settings you'll ever find in a college... on a hill overlooking Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We're talking million dollar views here, and the sunsets so spectacular, you start taking them for granted.
2. Million dollar views come with a price. Tuition/room and board doesn't get much more expensive than at USD. I, like many USD students/grads, was lucky to have parents paying my cover charge. Back then, my Dad would grumble that he could have purchased a new car every year with the money he was spending on my tuition. Now it looks like that would be a car every semester. I remember figuring out that every time I blew off class, I was essentially blowing $20 of my parent's money (I didn't blow off too much school). Now it's got to be about $35 per class. So if you are considering going to USD, don't expect to meet too many people that didn't grow up with a silver spoon. There is some amazing wealth in the families that send their kids there. University of Spoiled Daughters is not a misleading moniker. And most of those daughters drive some sort of expensive, imported convertible.
3. Even though the student body is technically made up of "a bunch of rich kids," for the most part, those rich kids are some of the nicest, fun people you'll ever meet. I remember checking out the campus for the first time... with my Grandma. Three different people (students) came up to us at different times that day to ask if we needed help finding anything and basically chatted with us. I was utterly amazed by the friendliness. In my 4 years there, I'd define the entire campus atmosphere as friendly. Sure there were cliques, but overall, people were really nice to one another. Part of this comes with the small student body, which is one of the things that makes USD's community unique.
4. USD is the land of the beautiful people. Perhaps money breeds good looking people? I don't think too many of us realized how great we had it until we graduated and went off to other places. And of course, the joke is that the rich Daddies send their little girls to USD to get their MRS degrees. Looking at my Alumni magazine every month, it's truly amazing how many people actually got/get them.
5. The campus itself is architecturally beautiful. Quite a bit of construction has happened since I lived there, and it's only made the place nicer. The Spanish architecture, manicured lawns, palm trees, etc... it's why the school is refered to as "the country club on the hill." I really felt privileged to go to USD. It was a world-class facility and like I said, it's only gotten better.
6. There are pros and cons to being a small school. At first it's great because it's not too overwhelming and being a friendly place, it's easy to meet others, especially if you get involved with groups, clubs and organizations. However, after a while, the campus and student body seems to get smaller and smaller and you feel like you know everybody... that's when it feels like high school. What I did to remedy this my senior year was to become an RA, where my social circle expanded dramatically with an influx of freshmen and sophomores that I probably wouldn't have gotten to know if I wasn't an RA. Advice to burnt out Seniors: get involved with new groups so you can break out of your clique! The other big advantage to being a small school is the small class sizes. You have complete access to your professors almost any day of the week. It's a lot different when you share a class with 300 others.
7. The academics and education work. As a liberal arts school, you are required to take some (expensive) courses that seem like a waste of time, but every class prepares you in some way shape or form for the future. I and everyone else I knew landed excellent jobs after graduating, and I think we all came away from USD much more mature, outgoing, well-rounded and confident than we were when we entered. College is just as much about growing up as it is about academics, and USD offers a exceptionally nice environment in which to experience many things that help one grow up.
8. The biggest thing missing is the school spirit that comes from high profile Division 1 sports teams. The men's basketball team can compete at Division 1, but don't count on a Final Four appearance anytime soon. Men's soccer has had success, but... it's soccer. Football? Division II or III... more people showed up to watch games at my high school. Oh well.
I did well at USD academically and socially, and I believe I got a lot out of it. I certainly didn't disappoint my parents. I think it was a great place and feel fortunate to have attended.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
JeffB
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Location: Sierra foothills, California
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