Occidental College
- Academics

A Diverse Curriculum

A liberal arts school, Occidental College, has a Core Program in order for students to become well-rounded when they graduate from their respected major. The program involves students to take at least one science course, one math course, fine arts courses, CSP courses (equivalent to English classes), courses about different regions (such as Asia and the Middle East, Latin America, Europe). The courses available are incredibly interesting. One of my CSP courses was called Criminal Dreams, and the professor, who's also the head of the English department, used Freudian analysis on the Sherlock Holmes stories in order to psychoanalyze the stories' author, Arthur Conan Doyle. Other interesting courses include Music and Trance, Bioethics, and the Russian Experience, a History.

Most people at Occidental College seem to be involved with the humanities majors, especially Politics and Diplomacy and World Affairs (a highly recognized major). These are majors that involve community awareness, and the people at Occidental generally are active with the community. The hard science majors are rigorous, and the people in them are very likely to join a professor's lab for research.

For me, I'm a physics major, and I want to do a the 3-2 Engineering Program that Occidental provides, so that if I keep up my GPA and take the required program courses, I am guaranteed admission to Columbia University after three years at Occidental. I will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental and a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University after completing the program.

The professors at Occidental often impress me not only with their passion for their subject but for their ability to teach and to respond to students' needs. Many of the professors really force you to think for yourself, forcing you to be analytical and critical thinkers. If you ask a direct question, they won't answer it for you, they'll help you to think out the answer to your own question yourself.

The 3-2 Engineering Program

I'm a sophomore at Occidental College. My college, a small liberal arts school, ensures that we students will graduate well-rounded individuals. The college's Core Program requires students to take a required courses of different areas (such as Asia, Latin America, or The Middle East), fine arts, science/mathematics. Occidental has a reputation for its ability to get students involved in the community, whether in political campaigns or in student research.

For those students who want to an Engineering degree, Occidental College offers the unique 3-2 Engineering Program. The program involves three years at Occidental College and two years at Columbia University. Students are guaranteed admission into Columbia if they're GPA is at least a 3.3 and they've completed the required program courses. After graduating from Columbia, a student receives two Bachelor's degrees from both schools. In addition, there is a high probability that they will be accepted into the Columbia's School of Engineering for graduate work.

Even if I decided not to follow with the 3-2 program and to stay at Occidental for my senior year, Occidental College will have provided me a strong academic career.

Very Accesible

Due to small class sizes Occidental has a good academic program because it is so easy to talk with professors, get feedback adn have class discussions. School is very challenging but really prepares you