The line from the Mamas and the Papas isn’t a perfect fit, but I couldn’t get it out of my head – California dreamin’, on such a winter’s day. That was the soundtrack playing as I made my way west last March. California has an undeniable appeal. We read about it in high school with the Grapes of Wrath and Hollywood perpetuates it. I was on my way to California as a regular part of my job, so why the added excitement around this trip? The answer is the allure of California. There is a pull to the West - the sun, sand, and entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, California schools end up on a sizable number of preliminary college lists each year, particularly in February, when we are still in winter’s grip. We ask counselees to do a little dreaming, and who can blame them if it turns into a little “California dreamin’.” From those early exploratory days, when “match” is still abstract, two dozen or so students keep California schools on their list to the end. The abstract becomes reality.
I set out last winter to see UC Berkeley, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University and Stanford University. A blog isn’t the vehicle for a thorough list of impressions of each, but I will say this of them collectively: they are every bit as compelling as their mystique.
UC Berkeley combines a national research university with an activist population and a Division 1 athletic program. The Free Speech movement began there in the 60’s, and while known for its liberal bent, the Young Republicans is one of their largest student organizations. Tabor alum Jack Gordon ‘17 toured me around campus, and talked about balancing rigorous academics with crew. Where else can you take a class with former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich or attend Chem 101 with a Nobel Prize Winner? Berkeley scientists have discovered more chemical elements than any other university in the world. Another scientific fun fact: there’s a fault line under the football stadium.
Stanford is every bit as impressive as you would imagine - Nobel Prize winning faculty, Olympic caliber athletes, state of the art facilities. Yet, students make a point of saying that their classrooms are collaborative, not competitive, and the passion students feel for their academic pursuits is palpable. My tour guide, who was from India, said his roommate grew up on a reservation in Arizona, and he was going to spend a semester at Stanford’s campus in Hawaii studying volcanoes. There’s a farm on campus for hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture, and farm volunteers take pride in feeding their school. And yet the favorite event during freshman orientation is fountain hopping through campus. Students do serious work, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.
I have heard Santa Clara University called the “Boston College of the West,” and I understand why. The Jesuit tradition of service is integral to campus life, and with successful Division 1 athletics, students experience strong community. The Experiential Learning for Social Justice (ELSJ) component of Santa Clara’s curriculum is impressive. The school wants students to experience the “gritty reality of the world, responding to its suffering, and engaging it constructively.” Students talked about service as a privilege, not an obligation. Freshman live in Residential Learning Communities that provide themed housing around their first-year seminar, and so for students coming from a distance, they find built-in community. Worried about a job? Don’t! Santa Clara’s biggest recruiters include Google, Apple, and Facebook.
The University of San Francisco was by far the biggest surprise. Their motto is “Change the world from here,” where the Jesuit philosophy of creating a more humane and just world is lived out through their commitment to diversity, access, and service learning. They have the second highest graduation rate of any college for Latino students, along with strong nursing and business programs. Their cutting-edge career office is one of the more impressive I have seen, and USF’s students compete successfully with those from Stanford and Berkeley for coveted internships in the tech industry. Located in the heart of San Francisco, this urban campus had an undeniable buzz.
These schools offer remarkably diverse student bodies. School cultures are both laid back, but also driven by the immediacy and possibility of the nearby tech industry. I understand the allure of California, but the reality of attending school across a continent came home to me on the trip back. My flight was delayed, I missed a connection, and I became grumpy. In my free time at the airport, I reflected on the application process to UC schools, which is unique and requires patience and a little extra work on the part of applicants. I thought about the highly competitive acceptance rates to California schools, both public and private. There are real hurdles to actually committing to these schools, even if you are fortunate enough to be admitted. Yet our students who attend are happy, proof of the power of match.
Why wouldn’t a high school senior want to dream about California? For those who turn a dream into reality, what a great opportunity.
