Occidental College
Location: Los Angeles, CA (urban)
Size: 1,839 students
Avg percent need-met: 100%
Acceptance rate: 37%
Middle 50% ACT: 28-33 **Test Optional for Fall 2022 and 2023**
Middle 50% SAT: 1290-1440 **Test Optional for Fall 2022 and 2023**
Occidental is an intellectual liberal arts college for hard-working students. They boast stimulating classes and engaging professors who take a proactive role in student education. Students complete a core program in addition to their major, and their academics in general have an interdisciplinary and multicultural focus. You really do have the freedom to experiment with a wide range of college experiences: they have incredible study abroad opportunities, funded summer research abroad, and a unique UN internship program. The student body is well-rounded and socially and politically conscious.
Popular majors / known for: Economics, international relations, biology, political science
Academic approach: Liberal arts
Fun fact: Occidental College is a very popular filming location for film and television alike, appearing in Glee, The West Wing, and The Kids Are All Right
Campus Tradition: “The Birthday Dunk” which results in elaborate plans set-up by friends to dunk birthday-havers into the fountain in the central campus quad.
Check out campus photos here!
Opportunities for Pre-law
Senior Comps: a rigorous but rewarding capstone senior-year theses that results in "a substantive intellectual contribution and a launching pad for future professional or graduate work"
Offer many unique majors, such as Critical Theory and Social Justice and Diplomacy and World Affairs, and an interdisciplinary writing minor
Huge emphasis on global engagement, including internships, special programs, and many opportunities for involvement
Offers the only undergraduate Internship at the United Nations program
Washington Internships: opportunity for a full-time internship with a gov't agency, think-tank, NGO, in the office of an elected official, etc.
Check out the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs for even more opportunities, including academic programs and study abroad
The Hameetman Career Center offers pre-law advising, including LSAT prep, workshops, and guidance while applying to law school
Occidental offers the nation’s only residential academic semester program at the UN. Students who are part of this program live in New York and take courses with Occidental professors while maintaining a full-time internship at a U.N.-related agency or mission.
Application Details
RD deadline: January 10th
Supplemental essays: Yes, short answer
Application fee: $65
CSS profile: Required, due January 10th
Interviews: Considered
School also featured in: Coaches Choice, Environmental Schools, Global Feel, Similar to Highly Selective - Columbia, Urban Liberal Arts Colleges, West Coast Schools