Santa Clara University
Reviews

Vibrant Student Body

Santa Clara is a great place to be because not only are students very passionate and motivated to do well, they are also well-dressed and outgoing. Though many of the students are aesthetically pleasing, in my experience at SCU, good looks do not correlate to shallowness. Dating at Santa Clara is a more common occurrence than at many of my friends' schools. There is a wide variety of people in serious relationships, casually dating, and hooking-up.

Attractive and Smart

The girls are gorgeous, which makes me very jealous as a girl. Seriously, there are SO many pretty girls. The guys are okay; there's a good mix along the lines of looks. The majority are neutral, not unattractive or super attractive. Although, I have seen some really FINE guys on campus. The upperclassmen, especially the guys, are super welcoming to freshman and invite them to their parties. Freshman and a fifth for example is all about partying and drinking with freshies. As a freshman, it's nice to feel extremely accepted instead of despised.

Good looking

One thing for sure about Santa Clara, some how everyone looks good. Guys and girls. Most people aren't cocky about it either, and are actually nice people as well. Definitely a good looking group of people.

Engineering

Engineering has a heavy workload at Santa Clara, but I enjoy it a lot. The professors are fun and you learn a lot. You enjoy what you learn, and the labs are a lot of fun. And it is easy to get a job after graduation.

Parties Are Great! and Bars Are Fun Too

Off campus parties are a blast, almost any day of the week you can go out. Normal party schedule: Monday night: C&J's bar; Tuesday night: The Hut (Bar); Wednesday Night: lots of house parties (Wednesday's are a huge party day for santa clara based off of tradition), Thursday: Blinky's (Bar), Friday night: House parties. Saturday Day: Day party (during Fall and Spring Quarters there will be day parties pretty much every saturday, and if you don't go to the day parties, you can always find casual drinking throughout the day with almost anyone), Saturday Night: House parties. Sunday, day of rest/studying. The parties are a lot of fun and you can always find some to go to! and unlike other schools, no night parties charges for admissions, all of them are free. (some of the annual major day parties do, but it will only be like $2-5).

different but awesome greek life

Santa Clara DOES have greek life, although not a large percentage of the students here participate in it. Greek life dominates the social scene at Santa Clara and is a great way to get involved and meet people. More girls participate in greek life than boys and it seems that you will meet more girls that are in sororities than boys that are in fraternities. With this said, both organizations are awesome and there the perfect balance between sorority/fraternity life and non-greek life on and off campus. Students are certainly not obligated to join a sorority/fraternity and will do fine without joining, but it has definitely been a rewarding expereince thus far and I have met some really great people by participating. Overall, I would advise looking into getting involved in greek life if you attend Santa Clara, you will most likely not regret it!

Know Greek, Know Fun

As a member of a sorority at SCU, I am completely, absolutely in love with the Greek system. There's literally zero pressure to be a part of it, and I have tons of friends in different sororities or who are not Greek at all. Every sorority and frat has its stereotype, and they are well known, but not everyone fits them. Rush for sororities is nothing like it is at the big schools, there's absolutely no hazing or rude comments about body image. As far as parties go, the mixers I've attended are fun but nothing special, and I'm pretty sure any girl could get in if they waited a little bit. It's definitely harder for guys to get into parties though. For the most part, being in a sorority hasn't been about the parties, it's been about meeting an INCREDIBLE group of girls who are my role models.

Men's Basketball

The biggest sport here at Santa Clara is the Men's Basketball team. There are always newsletters and announcements encouraging people to go.

Their Facebook page is awesome

check out the undergrad admissions Facebook page for all your information. It really was helpful and gave me all the information I could ever need about everything!

They Warn You

Be careful. They give you plenty of warnings and tell you the rules many times but you don't want to mess up because once you do well they put down the law.

General Campus Aesthetics

The campus is BEAUTIFUL! The grass is always green and greatly maintained, there are a ton of roses all around campus. Overall, it gives for a very colorful school. Some of the buildings look the same but each building is still pretty nice!

Majors at SCU

The course load for my specific program (public health science) is challenging, and it is imperative for students to learn how to manage their time and prioritize their work. There are opportunities to earn internships if you work with the Career Center, which is a great way to spend your summer if you are staying in the area. Public Health is a competitive major,and students will be taking science classes alongside biology and chemistry majors, so it is helpful to being open to getting a tutor!

Santa Clara

Santa Clara University is located just 40 minutes south of San Francisco, and just north of San Jose, California. SCU is in a beautiful neighborhood, the surrounding areas are clean, kept up very well and add to the aesthetics of the university. The De Saisset is a museum which is also part of the university, and displays artifacts and details of the Santa Clara Mission. SCU is minutes away from the San Jose Airport, as well as from downtown San Jose where you can find fantastic restaurants, hotels and more. Santa Clara is a very safe neighborhood, students and residents are very amiable towards one another.

Beautiful Sunny California

The weather is amazing here! You can't get much better than this! It is very moderate. When first starting school in Fall quarter it does get pretty hot, so make sure you have a fan for your room. But the winters aren't bad, a little rain but not bad. It's gorgeous! And in the spring, all the flowers on campus bloom and it is amazing! You could easily be out sun-bathing by the pool in February, the weather is that great!

Good but Gets Old

The dining center is very good, just remodeled a year ago. Bon Appetite is our food provider, which offers lots of fresh and healthy options. There is a good variety for food, but by the end of the year everyone gets sick of it. While living on campus you are required to have a meal plan either basic or preferred. As a general rule guys always run out of points while girls have extra. We have a point system where you pay per item you buy. Unlike other schools you are allowed to take the food to go.

Amazing Academic Resources and Places to Study

After visiting the Santa Clara University campus the summer before my senior year, I had decided that it was my first choice school. Not only did the beautiful campus, friendly professors, impressive sports facilities, and small class sizes entice me, but perhaps most importantly the massive amount of academic resources available to students sealed the deal. Free tutoring in any and all academic courses, several "quiet rooms" available for reservation by study groups, professors willing to aid students until late at night, and a top-of-the-line library filled with any book on can imagine, hundreds of Mac computer monitors, film rooms, and a museum.

Professors

The professors at Santa Clara are always available to help the students. If there is a conflict with their office hours they will schedule a day where it works for students. They are very flexible and understand that students are busy with homework,projects, clubs, etc. They offer help and suggest classes that one should take based on one's interests.

Facilities Have Everything You Need, Beautiful Campus

The campus is beautiful, always very well-kept and clean. Everything you need is mostly on campus, or nearby. Gym facilities are around the center of campus, and are fully-equipped for most needs. Sufficient places to buy food. The mission on campus is beautiful, and the gardens surrounding it are amazing. The library was recently built and has everything you need; I've never been unable to find a source I needed. The Benson memorial center has the most traffic and although I would like to see it have an updated look, I am happy that the main cafeteria, the post office, and a mini convenience store are all in the same building.

Computer Engineering Is a Rewarding Major at Santa Clara

Being a computer science and engineering major at Santa Clara University has been a rewarding and fulfilling learning experience. The teacher in the department are very supportive of the students and clearly want to see them succeed. They are very helpful and are easily available when you want help with concepts from their classes or if you need help with anything else that has to do with your success. The workload is difficult sometimes.

Greek Life at SCU

The Greek life at Santa Clara University is a lot different than the typical Greek system at much larger schools. There are only 4 sororities and 3 fraternities here and it is generally not a huge deal at all. Coming from someone who is in the greek system myself, I think it is a great way to meet more people and become involved in all of the activities, events, and community work that the chapter does. However, I don't see it as a necessary way to meet people and have fun in the social scene on campus.

Work Hard, Play Hard.

Coming to Santa Clara, I had no idea it would be such a party school. Given the small town location and lack of bars and other nightlife around, students tend to party a lot in the off-campus apartments and houses. There is always an event going on every night of the week so if you are looking for something to do, I guarantee you will find it! The Greek houses, although unaffiliated with the school, throw lots of fun, themed parties which are open to everyone. Day parties are huge here, given the nice weather, and I have enjoyed them much more than the typical house parties. As far as the bar/club scene, there are a few bars nearby that students frequent and are easy to get in to with a fake ID. However, the prices for the drinks are extravagant as the owners know the students have no other option. Transportation to the bars and other nightlife in the area is not a huge concern as everything is within walking distance. Santa Clara is definitely not in a city with an active nightlife, but the students know how to have fun and there are always great parties.

Good, but the Food Can Get Old Fast

The food is delicious, it just is really repetitive after awhile.

Alcohol Usage

Drinking is really popular, as everyone when they are out looking for a party or at a party are drunk, and since the parties are pretty bad, people just usually get drunk so it can be somewhat fun.

Opportunities Are Everywhere

If you want to be involved and have a job or internship you need to do the research and apply. There are a lot of excellent opportunities that pass a lot of students by because they didn't take the time to find them. Studying abroad in London was an awesome experience, my internship for a film PR company definitely helped in getting me an internship in LA the following summer. The support from faculty is there, you just need to reach out for it.

Great Professors

Although all schools have their share of good and not so good professors, thus far I have had a great experience with SCU teachers. They are very available for extra help, hoping to see students succeed, and very knowledgeable.